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CHAPTER 04 · The Neurobiology of Creativity

The Genetic Basis of Musicality

Daniel Yeom, PhD · Sarah J. Wilson, PhD

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Abstract

While everyone has the capacity to be musical, there are vast differences in how this manifests from person to person. The capacity to be musical is termed ‘musicality’ and is shaped by both our underlying biology and the environment. Environmental influences on musicality have been thoroughly explored, but genetic influences are still not well understood. This chapter provides an overview of the current music genetics literature. It begins with a review of studies examining the genetic bases of specific music-related traits before exploring how more recent developments in behavioral genetics, such as genome-wide association studies, have enabled new insights into the genetic bases of musicality. Our review shows that while evidence for the genetic bases of musicality is still emerging, three main findings are clear: (a) most musical traits have genetic bases that interact with the environment, (b) musicality is polygenic, being underlaid by several genes of cumulative effect, and (c) musicality is pleiotropic, with musical traits sharing genetic roots with other traits. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of some of the challenges facing future music genetics research based on the current evidence base.

Keywords

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Cite this chapter

Chapter references below omit unverified page ranges and chapter-specific DOIs.

APA

Yeom, D., & Wilson, S. J. (2026). The Genetic Basis of Musicality. In P. L. Pearl & S. Arfaie (Eds.), Music, Medicine, and the Neurobiology of Creativity. Cambridge University Press.

AMA

Yeom D, Wilson SJ. The Genetic Basis of Musicality. In: Pearl PL, Arfaie S, eds. Music, Medicine, and the Neurobiology of Creativity. Cambridge University Press; 2026.

Vancouver

Yeom D, Wilson SJ. The Genetic Basis of Musicality. In: Pearl PL, Arfaie S, editors. Music, Medicine, and the Neurobiology of Creativity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2026.

Chicago

Yeom, Daniel, and Sarah J. Wilson. “The Genetic Basis of Musicality.” In Music, Medicine, and the Neurobiology of Creativity, edited by Phillip L. Pearl and Saman Arfaie. Cambridge University Press, 2026.

BibTeX

@incollection{chapter4_2026,
  author = {Yeom, Daniel and Wilson, Sarah J},
  title = {The Genetic Basis of Musicality},
  booktitle = {Music, Medicine, and the Neurobiology of Creativity},
  editor = {Pearl, Phillip L. and Arfaie, Saman},
  publisher = {Cambridge University Press},
  year = {2026}
}

Harvard

Yeom, D. and Wilson, S. J. (2026) “The Genetic Basis of Musicality”, in Pearl, P.L. and Arfaie, S. (eds.) Music, Medicine, and the Neurobiology of Creativity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Daniel Yeom

Daniel Yeom

PhD

Associate Lecturer in Music Psychology, Melbourne Conservatorium of Music

University of Melbourne

Profile

Daniel Yeom is an Associate Lecturer in music psychology at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and a member of the Clinical and Music Neuroscience Lab at the University of Melbourne. He completed a PhD in psychology, specializing in behavioural genetics, in 2025. His research examines genetic and environmental influences on singing ability and the development of human musicality across the lifespan.

Scholarship & professional background

His research uses twin-study methods to examine how genetic and environmental influences contribute to singing. Published work distinguishes objectively measured singing ability from people’s evaluations of their own singing, allowing musical skill and musical self-perception to be studied as related but separate questions. He is also listed as a laboratory manager in the University of Melbourne’s Clinical and Music Neuroscience Lab.

Selected work & perspectives

Are We Born to Hold a Tune, or Can We Learn It? The Science of SingingGenetic and environmental contributions to singing abilitySinging self-evaluation and singing abilityClinical and Music Neuroscience Lab · University of Melbourne
Sarah J. Wilson

Sarah J. Wilson

PhD

Professor, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences

University of Melbourne

Profile

Sarah J. Wilson is affiliated with the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences and the Department of Medicine at the University of Melbourne. With Daniel Yeom, she contributes a chapter on the genetic basis of musicality, examining biological perspectives on the capacities that support musical experience and expression.

Scholarship & professional background

Her work combines clinical neuropsychology with the study of music and the brain. Her research includes musical ability, the effects of neurological illness, and rehabilitation, with particular attention to epilepsy and the lives of patients and their families. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. Through the Clinical and Music Neuroscience Lab, she connects research on musicality with questions about cognition, wellbeing, and recovery.

Selected work & perspectives

Academic profile and professional workClinical and Music Neuroscience Lab · University of MelbourneMusic and clinical neuroscience · BRAMS profile