Music Ensemble: a large dataset on musicianship, cognition, and personality in musicians and nonmusicians

Francesca Talamini; Massimo Grassi; Gianmarco Altoè; Elvira Brattico; Anne Caclin; Barbara Carretti; Véronique Drai-Zerbib; Laura Ferreri; Filippo Gambarota; Jessica Grahn; Lucrezia Guiotto Nai Fovino; Marco Roccato; Antoni Rodriguez-Fornells; Swathi Swaminathan; Barbara Tillmann; Peter Vuust; Jonathan Wilbiks; Marcel Zentner; Karla Aguilar; Christ B Aryanto; Frederico C Assis Leite; Aíssa M Baldé; Deniz Başkent; Laura Bishop; Graziela Bortz; Fleur L Bouwer; Axelle Calcus; Giulio Carraturo; Antonia Čerič; Antonio Criscuolo; Léo Dairain; Simone Dalla Bella; Oscar Daniel; Anne Danielsen; Anne-Isabelle de Parcevaux; Delphine Dellacherie; Verónica Detlefsen; Tor Endestad; Victor Cepero-Escribano; Juliana L D B Fialho; Caitlin Fitzpatrick; Anna Fiveash; Juliette Fortier; Noah R Fram; Eleonora Fullone; Stefanie Gloggengießer; Lucia Gonzalez Sanchez; Reyna L Gordon; Mathilde Groussard; Assal Habibi; Heidi M U Hansen; Eleanor E Harding; Kirsty Hawkins; Steffen A Herff; Veikka P Holma; Kelly Jakubowski; Maria G Jol; Aarushi Kalsi; Veronica Kandro; Rosaliina Kelo; Sonja A Kotz; Gangothri S Ladegam; Bruno Laeng; André Lee; Miriam Lense; César F Lima; Simon P Limmer; Chengran K Liu; Paulina D C Martín Sánchez; Langley McEntyre; Jessica P Michael; Daniel Mirman; Julieta Moltrasio; Daniel Müllensiefen; Niloufar Najafi; Jaakko Nokkala; Ndassi Nzonlang; Maria Gabriela M Oliveira; Katie Overy; Andrew J Oxenham; Edoardo Passarotto; Marie-Elisabeth Plasse; Herve Platel; Alice Poissonnier; Vasiliki Provias; Neha Rajappa; Pablo Ripolles; Michaela Ritchie; Italo R Rodrigues Menezes; Rafael Román-Caballero; Paula Roncaglia; Wanda Rubinstein; Farrah Y-A Sa'adullah; Suvi Saarikallio; Daniela Sammler; Séverine Samson; E Glenn Schellenberg; Nora R Serres; L Robert Slevc; Ragnya-Norasoa Souffiane; Florian J Strauch; Hannah Strauss; Nicholas Tantengco; Mari Tervaniemi; Rachel Thompson; Renee Timmers; Petri Toiviainen; Laurel J Trainor; Clara Tuske; Jed Villanueva; Claudia C von Bastian; Kelly L Whiteford; Emily A Wood; Florian Worschech; Ana Zappa

doi:10.1038/s41597-026-06654-0

Music Ensemble: a large dataset on musicianship, cognition, and personality in musicians and nonmusicians

Francesca Talamini^*
, Massimo Grassi^*
, Gianmarco Altoè
, Elvira Brattico
, Anne Caclin
, Barbara Carretti
, Véronique Drai-Zerbib
, Laura Ferreri
, Filippo Gambarota
, Jessica Grahn
, Lucrezia Guiotto Nai Fovino
, Marco Roccato
, Antoni Rodriguez-Fornells
, Swathi Swaminathan
, Barbara Tillmann
, Peter Vuust
, Jonathan Wilbiks
, Marcel Zentner
, Karla Aguilar
, Christ B Aryanto

Frederico C Assis Leite, Aíssa M Baldé, Deniz Başkent, Laura Bishop, Graziela Bortz, Fleur L Bouwer, Axelle Calcus, Giulio Carraturo, Antonia Čerič, Antonio Criscuolo, Léo Dairain, Simone Dalla Bella, Oscar Daniel, Anne Danielsen, Anne-Isabelle de Parcevaux, Delphine Dellacherie, Verónica Detlefsen, Tor Endestad, Victor Cepero-Escribano, Juliana L D B Fialho, Caitlin Fitzpatrick, Anna Fiveash, Juliette Fortier, Noah R Fram, Eleonora Fullone, Stefanie Gloggengießer, Lucia Gonzalez Sanchez, Reyna L Gordon, Mathilde Groussard, Assal Habibi, Heidi M U Hansen, Eleanor E Harding, Kirsty Hawkins, Steffen A Herff, Veikka P Holma, Kelly Jakubowski, Maria G Jol, Aarushi Kalsi, Veronica Kandro, Rosaliina Kelo, Sonja A Kotz, Gangothri S Ladegam, Bruno Laeng, André Lee, Miriam Lense, César F Lima, Simon P Limmer, Chengran K Liu, Paulina D C Martín Sánchez, Langley McEntyre, Jessica P Michael, Daniel Mirman, Julieta Moltrasio, Daniel Müllensiefen, Niloufar Najafi, Jaakko Nokkala, Ndassi Nzonlang, Maria Gabriela M Oliveira, Katie Overy, Andrew J Oxenham, Edoardo Passarotto, Marie-Elisabeth Plasse, Herve Platel, Alice Poissonnier, Vasiliki Provias, Neha Rajappa, Pablo Ripolles, Michaela Ritchie, Italo R Rodrigues Menezes, Rafael Román-Caballero, Paula Roncaglia, Wanda Rubinstein, Farrah Y-A Sa'adullah, Suvi Saarikallio, Daniela Sammler, Séverine Samson, E Glenn Schellenberg, Nora R Serres, L Robert Slevc, Ragnya-Norasoa Souffiane, Florian J Strauch, Hannah Strauss, Nicholas Tantengco, Mari Tervaniemi, Rachel Thompson, Renee Timmers, Petri Toiviainen, Laurel J Trainor, Clara Tuske, Jed Villanueva, Claudia C von Bastian, Kelly L Whiteford, Emily A Wood, Florian Worschech, Ana Zappa

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

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Abstract

The Music Ensemble dataset is a large-scale, cross-national database that provides detailed information about the musical, cognitive, personality, and demographic profiles of young adult musicians and nonmusicians. Data were collected from 1438 participants (aged 18-30) across thirty-five research sites in Europe, North America, South America, and Australia. Participants completed an in-person, in-lab battery of objective tests, including measures of verbal, visuospatial and musical short-term memory, executive functions (updating component), nonverbal reasoning, verbal comprehension, and music perception skills. The battery also included standardized and custom self-report questionnaires assessing music sophistication, music reward, personality traits, socioeconomic status, and demographic characteristics. Music Ensemble was preregistered, and the research protocol followed a standardized procedure across sites. The dataset also includes a large subsample of musicians and nonmusicians that are pair-matched for age, gender, and education (678 pairs). It enables well-powered investigations into the relationship between musical expertise and individual differences in cognition, personality, and demographic variables. It is also suitable for training in statistical and psychometric methods.

Original language	English
Article number	473
Number of pages	17
Journal	Scientific Data
Volume	13
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-06654-0
Publication status	Published - 18-Feb-2026

Keywords

Humans
Music
Cognition
Personality
Adult
Young Adult
Adolescent
Male
Female

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Music EnsembleFinal publisher's version, 2.3 MBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

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Talamini, F., Grassi, M., Altoè, G., Brattico, E., Caclin, A., Carretti, B., Drai-Zerbib, V., Ferreri, L., Gambarota, F., Grahn, J., Guiotto Nai Fovino, L., Roccato, M., Rodriguez-Fornells, A., Swaminathan, S., Tillmann, B., Vuust, P., Wilbiks, J., Zentner, M., Aguilar, K., ... Zappa, A. (2026). Music Ensemble: a large dataset on musicianship, cognition, and personality in musicians and nonmusicians. Scientific Data, 13, Article 473. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-06654-0

@article{bac2cda206fe476e87f0ccac37e282d8,

title = "Music Ensemble: a large dataset on musicianship, cognition, and personality in musicians and nonmusicians",

abstract = "The Music Ensemble dataset is a large-scale, cross-national database that provides detailed information about the musical, cognitive, personality, and demographic profiles of young adult musicians and nonmusicians. Data were collected from 1438 participants (aged 18-30) across thirty-five research sites in Europe, North America, South America, and Australia. Participants completed an in-person, in-lab battery of objective tests, including measures of verbal, visuospatial and musical short-term memory, executive functions (updating component), nonverbal reasoning, verbal comprehension, and music perception skills. The battery also included standardized and custom self-report questionnaires assessing music sophistication, music reward, personality traits, socioeconomic status, and demographic characteristics. Music Ensemble was preregistered, and the research protocol followed a standardized procedure across sites. The dataset also includes a large subsample of musicians and nonmusicians that are pair-matched for age, gender, and education (678 pairs). It enables well-powered investigations into the relationship between musical expertise and individual differences in cognition, personality, and demographic variables. It is also suitable for training in statistical and psychometric methods.",

keywords = "Humans, Music, Cognition, Personality, Adult, Young Adult, Adolescent, Male, Female",

author = "Francesca Talamini and Massimo Grassi and Gianmarco Alto{\`e} and Elvira Brattico and Anne Caclin and Barbara Carretti and V{\'e}ronique Drai-Zerbib and Laura Ferreri and Filippo Gambarota and Jessica Grahn and \{Guiotto Nai Fovino\}, Lucrezia and Marco Roccato and Antoni Rodriguez-Fornells and Swathi Swaminathan and Barbara Tillmann and Peter Vuust and Jonathan Wilbiks and Marcel Zentner and Karla Aguilar and Aryanto, \{Christ B\} and \{Assis Leite\}, \{Frederico C\} and Bald{\'e}, \{A{\'i}ssa M\} and Deniz Ba{\c s}kent and Laura Bishop and Graziela Bortz and Bouwer, \{Fleur L\} and Axelle Calcus and Giulio Carraturo and Antonia {\v C}eri{\v c} and Antonio Criscuolo and L{\'e}o Dairain and \{Dalla Bella\}, Simone and Oscar Daniel and Anne Danielsen and \{de Parcevaux\}, Anne-Isabelle and Delphine Dellacherie and Ver{\'o}nica Detlefsen and Tor Endestad and Victor Cepero-Escribano and Fialho, \{Juliana L D B\} and Caitlin Fitzpatrick and Anna Fiveash and Juliette Fortier and Fram, \{Noah R\} and Eleonora Fullone and Stefanie Gloggengie{\ss}er and \{Gonzalez Sanchez\}, Lucia and Gordon, \{Reyna L\} and Mathilde Groussard and Assal Habibi and Hansen, \{Heidi M U\} and Harding, \{Eleanor E\} and Kirsty Hawkins and Herff, \{Steffen A\} and Holma, \{Veikka P\} and Kelly Jakubowski and Jol, \{Maria G\} and Aarushi Kalsi and Veronica Kandro and Rosaliina Kelo and Kotz, \{Sonja A\} and Ladegam, \{Gangothri S\} and Bruno Laeng and Andr{\'e} Lee and Miriam Lense and Lima, \{C{\'e}sar F\} and Limmer, \{Simon P\} and Liu, \{Chengran K\} and \{Mart{\'i}n S{\'a}nchez\}, \{Paulina D C\} and Langley McEntyre and Michael, \{Jessica P\} and Daniel Mirman and Julieta Moltrasio and Daniel M{\"u}llensiefen and Niloufar Najafi and Jaakko Nokkala and Ndassi Nzonlang and Oliveira, \{Maria Gabriela M\} and Katie Overy and Oxenham, \{Andrew J\} and Edoardo Passarotto and Marie-Elisabeth Plasse and Herve Platel and Alice Poissonnier and Vasiliki Provias and Neha Rajappa and Pablo Ripolles and Michaela Ritchie and \{Rodrigues Menezes\}, \{Italo R\} and Rafael Rom{\'a}n-Caballero and Paula Roncaglia and Wanda Rubinstein and Sa'adullah, \{Farrah Y-A\} and Suvi Saarikallio and Daniela Sammler and S{\'e}verine Samson and Schellenberg, \{E Glenn\} and Serres, \{Nora R\} and Slevc, \{L Robert\} and Ragnya-Norasoa Souffiane and Strauch, \{Florian J\} and Hannah Strauss and Nicholas Tantengco and Mari Tervaniemi and Rachel Thompson and Renee Timmers and Petri Toiviainen and Trainor, \{Laurel J\} and Clara Tuske and Jed Villanueva and \{von Bastian\}, \{Claudia C\} and Whiteford, \{Kelly L\} and Wood, \{Emily A\} and Florian Worschech and Ana Zappa",

note = "{\textcopyright} 2026. The Author(s).",

year = "2026",

month = feb,

day = "18",

doi = "10.1038/s41597-026-06654-0",

language = "English",

volume = "13",

journal = "Scientific Data",

issn = "2052-4463",

publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",

}

Talamini, F, Grassi, M, Altoè, G, Brattico, E, Caclin, A, Carretti, B, Drai-Zerbib, V, Ferreri, L, Gambarota, F, Grahn, J, Guiotto Nai Fovino, L, Roccato, M, Rodriguez-Fornells, A, Swaminathan, S, Tillmann, B, Vuust, P, Wilbiks, J, Zentner, M, Aguilar, K, Aryanto, CB, Assis Leite, FC, Baldé, AM, Başkent, D, Bishop, L, Bortz, G, Bouwer, FL, Calcus, A, Carraturo, G, Čerič, A, Criscuolo, A, Dairain, L, Dalla Bella, S, Daniel, O, Danielsen, A, de Parcevaux, A-I, Dellacherie, D, Detlefsen, V, Endestad, T, Cepero-Escribano, V, Fialho, JLDB, Fitzpatrick, C, Fiveash, A, Fortier, J, Fram, NR, Fullone, E, Gloggengießer, S, Gonzalez Sanchez, L, Gordon, RL, Groussard, M, Habibi, A, Hansen, HMU, Harding, EE, Hawkins, K, Herff, SA, Holma, VP, Jakubowski, K, Jol, MG, Kalsi, A, Kandro, V, Kelo, R, Kotz, SA, Ladegam, GS, Laeng, B, Lee, A, Lense, M, Lima, CF, Limmer, SP, Liu, CK, Martín Sánchez, PDC, McEntyre, L, Michael, JP, Mirman, D, Moltrasio, J, Müllensiefen, D, Najafi, N, Nokkala, J, Nzonlang, N, Oliveira, MGM, Overy, K, Oxenham, AJ, Passarotto, E, Plasse, M-E, Platel, H, Poissonnier, A, Provias, V, Rajappa, N, Ripolles, P, Ritchie, M, Rodrigues Menezes, IR, Román-Caballero, R, Roncaglia, P, Rubinstein, W, Sa'adullah, FY-A, Saarikallio, S, Sammler, D, Samson, S, Schellenberg, EG, Serres, NR, Slevc, LR, Souffiane, R-N, Strauch, FJ, Strauss, H, Tantengco, N, Tervaniemi, M, Thompson, R, Timmers, R, Toiviainen, P, Trainor, LJ, Tuske, C, Villanueva, J, von Bastian, CC, Whiteford, KL, Wood, EA, Worschech, F & Zappa, A 2026, 'Music Ensemble: a large dataset on musicianship, cognition, and personality in musicians and nonmusicians', Scientific Data, vol. 13, 473. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-06654-0

TY - JOUR

T1 - Music Ensemble

T2 - a large dataset on musicianship, cognition, and personality in musicians and nonmusicians

AU - Talamini, Francesca

AU - Grassi, Massimo

AU - Altoè, Gianmarco

AU - Brattico, Elvira

AU - Caclin, Anne

AU - Carretti, Barbara

AU - Drai-Zerbib, Véronique

AU - Ferreri, Laura

AU - Gambarota, Filippo

AU - Grahn, Jessica

AU - Guiotto Nai Fovino, Lucrezia

AU - Roccato, Marco

AU - Rodriguez-Fornells, Antoni

AU - Swaminathan, Swathi

AU - Tillmann, Barbara

AU - Vuust, Peter

AU - Wilbiks, Jonathan

AU - Zentner, Marcel

AU - Aguilar, Karla

AU - Aryanto, Christ B

AU - Assis Leite, Frederico C

AU - Baldé, Aíssa M

AU - Başkent, Deniz

AU - Bishop, Laura

AU - Bortz, Graziela

AU - Bouwer, Fleur L

AU - Calcus, Axelle

AU - Carraturo, Giulio

AU - Čerič, Antonia

AU - Criscuolo, Antonio

AU - Dairain, Léo

AU - Dalla Bella, Simone

AU - Daniel, Oscar

AU - Danielsen, Anne

AU - de Parcevaux, Anne-Isabelle

AU - Dellacherie, Delphine

AU - Detlefsen, Verónica

AU - Endestad, Tor

AU - Cepero-Escribano, Victor

AU - Fialho, Juliana L D B

AU - Fitzpatrick, Caitlin

AU - Fiveash, Anna

AU - Fortier, Juliette

AU - Fram, Noah R

AU - Fullone, Eleonora

AU - Gloggengießer, Stefanie

AU - Gonzalez Sanchez, Lucia

AU - Gordon, Reyna L

AU - Groussard, Mathilde

AU - Habibi, Assal

AU - Hansen, Heidi M U

AU - Harding, Eleanor E

AU - Hawkins, Kirsty

AU - Herff, Steffen A

AU - Holma, Veikka P

AU - Jakubowski, Kelly

AU - Jol, Maria G

AU - Kalsi, Aarushi

AU - Kandro, Veronica

AU - Kelo, Rosaliina

AU - Kotz, Sonja A

AU - Ladegam, Gangothri S

AU - Laeng, Bruno

AU - Lee, André

AU - Lense, Miriam

AU - Lima, César F

AU - Limmer, Simon P

AU - Liu, Chengran K

AU - Martín Sánchez, Paulina D C

AU - McEntyre, Langley

AU - Michael, Jessica P

AU - Mirman, Daniel

AU - Moltrasio, Julieta

AU - Müllensiefen, Daniel

AU - Najafi, Niloufar

AU - Nokkala, Jaakko

AU - Nzonlang, Ndassi

AU - Oliveira, Maria Gabriela M

AU - Overy, Katie

AU - Oxenham, Andrew J

AU - Passarotto, Edoardo

AU - Plasse, Marie-Elisabeth

AU - Platel, Herve

AU - Poissonnier, Alice

AU - Provias, Vasiliki

AU - Rajappa, Neha

AU - Ripolles, Pablo

AU - Ritchie, Michaela

AU - Rodrigues Menezes, Italo R

AU - Román-Caballero, Rafael

AU - Roncaglia, Paula

AU - Rubinstein, Wanda

AU - Sa'adullah, Farrah Y-A

AU - Saarikallio, Suvi

AU - Sammler, Daniela

AU - Samson, Séverine

AU - Schellenberg, E Glenn

AU - Serres, Nora R

AU - Slevc, L Robert

AU - Souffiane, Ragnya-Norasoa

AU - Strauch, Florian J

AU - Strauss, Hannah

AU - Tantengco, Nicholas

AU - Tervaniemi, Mari

AU - Thompson, Rachel

AU - Timmers, Renee

AU - Toiviainen, Petri

AU - Trainor, Laurel J

AU - Tuske, Clara

AU - Villanueva, Jed

AU - von Bastian, Claudia C

AU - Whiteford, Kelly L

AU - Wood, Emily A

AU - Worschech, Florian

AU - Zappa, Ana

PY - 2026/2/18

Y1 - 2026/2/18

N2 - The Music Ensemble dataset is a large-scale, cross-national database that provides detailed information about the musical, cognitive, personality, and demographic profiles of young adult musicians and nonmusicians. Data were collected from 1438 participants (aged 18-30) across thirty-five research sites in Europe, North America, South America, and Australia. Participants completed an in-person, in-lab battery of objective tests, including measures of verbal, visuospatial and musical short-term memory, executive functions (updating component), nonverbal reasoning, verbal comprehension, and music perception skills. The battery also included standardized and custom self-report questionnaires assessing music sophistication, music reward, personality traits, socioeconomic status, and demographic characteristics. Music Ensemble was preregistered, and the research protocol followed a standardized procedure across sites. The dataset also includes a large subsample of musicians and nonmusicians that are pair-matched for age, gender, and education (678 pairs). It enables well-powered investigations into the relationship between musical expertise and individual differences in cognition, personality, and demographic variables. It is also suitable for training in statistical and psychometric methods.

AB - The Music Ensemble dataset is a large-scale, cross-national database that provides detailed information about the musical, cognitive, personality, and demographic profiles of young adult musicians and nonmusicians. Data were collected from 1438 participants (aged 18-30) across thirty-five research sites in Europe, North America, South America, and Australia. Participants completed an in-person, in-lab battery of objective tests, including measures of verbal, visuospatial and musical short-term memory, executive functions (updating component), nonverbal reasoning, verbal comprehension, and music perception skills. The battery also included standardized and custom self-report questionnaires assessing music sophistication, music reward, personality traits, socioeconomic status, and demographic characteristics. Music Ensemble was preregistered, and the research protocol followed a standardized procedure across sites. The dataset also includes a large subsample of musicians and nonmusicians that are pair-matched for age, gender, and education (678 pairs). It enables well-powered investigations into the relationship between musical expertise and individual differences in cognition, personality, and demographic variables. It is also suitable for training in statistical and psychometric methods.

KW - Humans

KW - Music

KW - Cognition

KW - Personality

KW - Adult

KW - Young Adult

KW - Adolescent

KW - Male

KW - Female

U2 - 10.1038/s41597-026-06654-0

DO - 10.1038/s41597-026-06654-0

M3 - Article

C2 - 41702904

SN - 2052-4463

VL - 13

JO - Scientific Data

JF - Scientific Data

M1 - 473

ER -

Music Ensemble: a large dataset on musicianship, cognition, and personality in musicians and nonmusicians

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