Reconstructed Memories and Adult Musical Expertise

The nature/nurture debate with respect to the development of cognitive skills
rages ever strong, and musical expertise offers a powerful focus. The democratic view
is that everyone has the ability to be musical, it is simply that ‘practice makes perfect’.
The alternative view, that musical genius is born, not crafted, considers inherited traits
to be linked to musicianship. This paper does not suggest that either view is correct, but
describes research examining early experience of music amongst people exhibiting
different levels of musical expertise. The distinctions in early experience are described
together with their implications.