<HTML>Kat,
I think this is an interesting idea!
You are really getting close to humans' ability for abstract thinking. Art, using our hands for painting, etc, is an extention of language. Watch very little children learning to write or coloring in pictures and see what their mouths are doing as they use their hands. Or try talking without using any gestures. Music and math are also linked in our brains. Listening to Mozart can improve math scores on tests.
There were studies done of talking primates and the ability of primates to learn language. I don't know if anyone ever studied their ability for music.
I think self-awareness may be a distinction between humans and other primates, but how evidence of this survives in the fossil record is the problem. When art survives, i.e., cave paintings, there is a clue. Also notches carved in something can be evidence of counting. But going way back, items made by 'people' might not survive.
Joanne</HTML>
