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Summary
UDC 781.65

Music can create and reinforce social bonds between individuals (Tarr et al., 2014) and
the effect of musical activities on social bonding is one of the key reasons why music
is so prevalent in society (Dunbar, 2012). Group musical activities, such as singing in a
choir, improve individuals’ well-being and provide a sense of inclusion and connected-
ness (Pearce et al., 2016; Weinstein et al., 2016). They also enable social bonding (Wil-
lox et al., 2011) and lead to more prosocial behaviour among young people (Buren et al.,
2019; Cirelli et al., 2014; Kirschner & Tomasello, 2010). Musical improvisation plays an
important role in the context of fostering social bonds because, as a contingent musical
act (Cambridge University Press & Assessment, b. l.), where communication and inter-
action between stakeholders are at the forefront (Faber and McIntosh, 2020; Jordanous
and Keller, 2011), it allows for the establishment of a shared experience and empathy be-
tween performers (Ng, 2018). Group improvisation allows for social connectedness, but
at the same time, affirmation of individual identity (Burnard, 2002). Given the highlight-
ed benefits of group music activities on social bonding, the purpose of this study was to
examine the role of musical improvisation in social bonding through a systematic litera-
ture review. We wanted to explore the main findings of studies on the role of musical im-
provisation in social bonding, what areas the studies cover and what the main research
approaches are. We conducted a systematic literature review using the PRISMA pro-
tocol and searched the Web of Science, Scopus, SAGE and EBSCOhost databases for
scholarly articles. Based on the identified keywords, the following search query in Eng-
lish was created: (music* improvis* AND (‘social bond*’ OR ‘social connect*’ OR ‘social
cohesion’ OR ‘social interaction*’ OR ‘social network*’ OR sense of belonging)). Nine
studies were included in the final analysis. The results show that the contributions cov-
er four different areas of music improvisation: (1) music education, (2) professional music
performance, (3) music in the local community, and (4) leisure music activities. Group

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