This project explores the experience of ADHD musicians and the relationship between a musical performers’ movements and their emotions/experience of performing. Using a cross-disciplinary approaches from cognitive science, critical neurodiversity studies and music performance, the project asks how performers’ spontaneous movements relate to their focus, engagement and enjoyment in performance. It asks how an ADHD neurotype may interact with that experience. It is hoped that the project will both enlighten us on music cognition and our understanding of ADHD.

In contrast to many psychological studies on ADHD, this project uses neurodiversity paradigm, understanding ADHD as a neutral divergent neurotype that can result in good and bad experiences. It also understands ADHD cognition as minoritised cognition, where ADHD modes of thinking are frequently marginalised and devalued. This factors in to our experience of our own minds.

The project uses Participatory Action methods, to increase participant agency and involvement in the research process. This follows the stance of Disability activists that disabled people should be directly involved in the creation of research about them.- ‘Nothing About Us Without Us’.