ABSTRACT
Musicing in the sense of musical performing is a particular form of intentional human action. To perform music is to achieve intended changes of a musical kind through actions that are taken up deliberately, or at will. Music makers everywhere construct and chain musical patterns together, make same-different comparisons among musical sound patterns, and vary, transform, and abstract musical patterns. Musicianship is what music makers know how to do with practice-specific musical sound patterns in relation to practice-specific musical knowings. Non–music makers may gain some knowledge and pleasure by reading about music or by listening to recordings. In musical terms, there is no reason to accept the dualistic supposition that musical performing involves anything like reading a set of rules in the mind before or during the actions of performing. Formal knowledge includes verbal facts, concepts, descriptions, theories—in short, all textbook-type information about music.
