From a historical standpoint, although research shows that flutes made of bone and ivory are among the oldest musical instruments, with some dating back more than 35,000 years (Conard et al., 2009), the musical use of the human larynx for various purposes has an even older history. Some studies have proposed the hypothesis that even before Homo sapiens, Neanderthals used the larynx—as one of the most primitive musical tools—for creating social bonds, certain rituals, and mother-child communication (Mithen, 2005). Such functional approaches to music continue to appear in various forms in modern human life today; from socio-political uses, such as national anthems as symbols of homelands, to cultural-religious uses, such as the call to prayer (azan) or Ta’zieh (a type of Iranian-Islamic play).
Yet alongside these utilitarian functions, over the past few centuries—particularly within the Western art music tradition—music has increasingly come to be regarded as an independent art form. Audiences of classical music, especially in Europe, have for years bought tickets and attended concert halls to listen to the music of composers such as Mozart and Beethoven. Alongside the transformation of the arts and the structure-breaking innovations of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, certain reflective and expressive dimensions of art also became, at times, more pronounced. While listeners once derived pleasure from a Mozart work purely for musical reasons, the introduction of extra-musical ideation and specific philosophical ideas into the creation of certain works pushed the discerning listener toward deeper reflection on aspects beyond music itself. Study, inquiry, discussion, and dialogue became important tools in this process, providing the groundwork for deeper understanding. Although, in general, the process of sharing thought through writing has a long history among thinkers, the growth of scholarly writing and research in music increasingly provided the foundation for understanding, cultivation, and creativity. Yet this is only one of the functions of scholarly writing and research in music, particularly in the modern era.
Alongside advances in various fields of science such as medicine, psychology, and interdisciplinary studies, the possibility of scientific research into the effects of music on the human mind and behavior also grew rapidly. For example, studies have shown that music education has positive effects on children's cognitive performance (Schellenberg, 2004). More specifically, some research has found that, beyond outcomes related to musical abilities, music education is associated with children's improved performance in certain activities related to spatial-temporal perception (Hurwitz et al., 1975), as well as with planning and inhibitory control skills in children (Jaschke et al., 2018). On the other hand, other research has examined music therapy and the positive effects of listening to music on human health, including the reduction of depression (Chanda & Levitin, 2013; Aalbers et al., 2017; Dingle et al., 2021). These findings are not only useful to specialists but also reveal to the public at large the importance and application of music in various aspects of everyday life. The results of such studies, on the one hand, point to ways of reforming certain past educational practices or shaping future policy, and on the other hand, highlight the necessity of paying special attention to research alongside practical dimensions such as performance and composition.
In general, many well-established academic journals with high citation impact tend to focus on a single specialization within a broader discipline. For example, journals in the field of music typically concentrate on only one area, such as musicology, ethnomusicology, popular music, music theory and analysis, music education, music technology, or music cognition and psychology. That said, within a specialized field such as musicology, published articles may show topical diversity, including analyses of various types of music, historical approaches, aesthetics, or cultural studies. Many of these journals are published in the United States and the United Kingdom, primarily in English, and serve an international community of authors and readers. In contrast, in some countries, including Iran, owing to linguistic characteristics, a cultural and academic tradition different from that of the West, as well as limited resources, journals generally do not exhibit such specialization. Indeed, even the two leading academic journals in music publish articles from two distinct disciplines—music and the performing arts. Furthermore, in Iran, in addition to the various subfields that are internationally established and mentioned above, researchers are also actively engaged in the study of Iranian music to a greater extent than in most other parts of the world. Therefore, greater specialization of academic journals would be a desirable objective for the future. Naturally, however, this would lead to a larger number of journals, which, in order to maintain quality, should be commensurate with the volume of submissions received. Under the current circumstances, however, maintaining an open and inclusive approach toward the acceptance of diverse subfields within both music and the performing arts appears necessary. In addition to musicologists, who have traditionally had a stronger research presence, it is equally important to facilitate the review of submissions addressing other areas, including music theory, analysis, and music education. Accordingly, a more flexible policy has been adopted in the initial selection of submitted music manuscripts prior to peer review. At the same time, following the journal’s promotion to the highest national quality and close observation of the global standards, efforts have been made to enhance the quality of the journal by increasing the number of reviewers, improving the rigor of the evaluation process, and exercising greater care in making the final editorial decisions. It is hoped that, alongside this approach and with the continued growth in the number of music graduates and faculty members, the future will witness the establishment of independent, specialized journals in the fields of performing arts and.