Autistic pianist performing a jazz improvisation task: Splitting and mental imagery

The aim of this research was to evaluate the jazz improvisational capacity of an autistic pianist (GN) stimulated by verbal stimuli, with the intention of verifying which type of semantic stimulus has the power of activating his creativity and join the splitting self typical of the Autism. GN was born with a congenital neurological condition that meant he was partially sighted and, at the age of three, he was diagnosed utilising ADI-R and ADOS with a form of Autism Spectrum Disorder called High Functioning Autism (DSM, IV/Rev.) (APA, 2000). Although he is partially sighted, his behaviour is comparable to a visually impaired person in terms of mobility and orientation. He has completed the eight-level piano examination in an Italian Conservatory, which involves, among other things, having to play piano sonatas by Beethoven, Bach (Well Tempered Clavier), Romantic Studies. He has also taken Harmony and History of Music examinations. His relationship with the keyboard, in terms of fingering, gesture and control, shows that he has studied the instrument, is very proficient and has mastered the technique. The task in which GN was involved was to create a sound track to a story of the snow told by the researcher; the story was a description of the snow in a winter landscape. The first part of the story was describing the vicissitudes of a wolf and a bird in a snow wood; all the images utilised in the story were familiar imagery for GN, as some of them could recall him his preferred cartoons and the famous childhood repertoire (Peter and The Wolf). Utilising this type of verbal inputs GN was playing not at his usual level of musical knowledge: improvising very de-structured musical fragments and showing an infantile musical attitude. It seems to have inhibitions and regressions; basically this type of images do not activated his musical knowledge and any type of creativity; he was not able to recognise himself as the author of this musical story. GN was unable to integrate conceptual stimuli with music. His musical behaviour showed typically autistic traits, such as lack of creativity and stereotypical behaviours. Conversely, in the second part of the story, when the researcher was describing that inside the wood there was a small house and inside the house a jazz pianist playing the piano, his musical performance changed completely, bringing back to the performing level expected from him. Different mental imagery provoked diverse musical attitudes; in fact GN’s performance became expressive and produced a finely structured musical piece: he was playing as a professional pianist. He recognises himself with the imagery of the jazz pianist in the house, described by the story, his musical image was been activated through the content of the story. This projective identification with the pianist activated his evolved musical skills. The fusion between thought and concept allowed him to leave stereotypical behaviours employed during the first part of the story. In other words, only with the projective identification there is an integration of the two parts of the self: conceptual and musical.