The work conducted from the beginning of the project until now can be summarized by the following points:
1. We developed the e-music box, a crucial piece of technology supporting several of the proposed experiments (as detailed in the ERC proposal). In short, this is an electronic instrument permitting participants to make music even if they do not have musical training. This e-music box has been developed by relying entirely on in-house resources.
2. We have developed analytical tools used to decode movement primitives from complex kinematics produced by participants freely dancing to music, or making music, with or without a human partner.
3. The above tools have permitted us to describe specific movements that are driven by music perception, and other specific movements that have communicative functions and instead are driven by the actions performed by a dancing or performing partner.
4. We have also developed analytical tools to decode neural activity from freely-moving participants, either dancing or making music. We were able to characterize specific patterns of electrophysiological activity responding to music, or marking self-generated movements, or responding to the movements produced by a partner, or even tagging the synchrony between the movements produced by the self and by the partner. Notably, we have been able to tease apart all of these activities even when they occur simultaneously.
5. As supported by a Marie Curie project following up on the main goals of MUSICOM, we have provided evidence that both infants and non-human primates neurally track specific musical features such as musical timing, and generate expectations about it, while listening to music.
6. We have published two review articles summarizing the state of the art of our field and anticipating some of the crucial steps forward that our project aims to take.
