Hello readers,
Went out to the movies tonight, and so today's topic will be movie soundtracks' effects on human emotions and psyche.
Take a famous scene such as a scene from Jaws or Psycho. The famous two-note Jaws motif when Jaws is about to attack a victim and the screeching violins when Janet Leigh is murdered in Psycho are assumed to be indelibly tied to the scenes.Music on the screen acts to enhance the film as dialogue within itself that dramatically enhances a story's meaning.
Music tends to affect our mood drastically when watching visual material, and this is because it adds more dimension within the senses to allow us to explore more of the environment with the senses. Studies have shown that composed music tends to have a polarizing effect on listeners, while classical music exhibits much less emotional output. This is because the music is more than likely composed for that specific movie, and so the directors and composers can work together to manipulate the audience in a positive manner. Music on the screen acts to enhance the film as dialogue within itself that dramatically enhances a story's meaning.
To find more about this study visit the USC page.
Musically Yours,
Caitlin
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
Music's Changing Your Brain
Hello!
I was reading Music: It's in your head, changing your brain from the CNN website, and I wanted to bring this article to the attention of my readers. This provides concrete evidence that music molds and shapes our brain, and in many ways these formations are often in abstract ideas central to learning within the human mind.
The main reason that I found this article interesting is because we all know that feeling when a song gets stuck in our head. There is proof that there is neurological reasoning behind this concept. Throughout the article, scientists refer to the bits of songs as 'ear-worms', but I disagree with this term because it gives the sound bits a negative connotation. Like most songs for humans the melodies and rhythms are simple in the songs, and often it isn't the whole song, just a small section.This concept is similar to a record becoming skipped on a turntable, but instead of motors and gears the repetitive portions are the neural circuits within the brain. However, I disagree with this article in that they say that these sound bits destroy people in that they psychologically cannot handle the repetition. This is only in extreme cases, but the article makes it seem as if the condition is present in mass numbers of people. In fact, the article contradicts itself later by stating that music stimulates the reward centers within the brain, and this releases hormones that make us feel pleasant.
The article goes on to talk about music and its connotation with emotion. This was my favorite subheading of the article, and it's very much true. Within music education, this is used in music theory classes around the world to distinguish intervals with popular songs like 'Here Comes the Bride' and 'Happy Birthday". This is a powerful tool in education, and I personally believe that it should be used even more so than it is being used now.
As the author said, "It's more complicated than "A, B, C," but that's how amazing the mind can be."
Comment, I'd like to hear your thoughts. :)
Musically Yours, Caitlin
I was reading Music: It's in your head, changing your brain from the CNN website, and I wanted to bring this article to the attention of my readers. This provides concrete evidence that music molds and shapes our brain, and in many ways these formations are often in abstract ideas central to learning within the human mind.
The main reason that I found this article interesting is because we all know that feeling when a song gets stuck in our head. There is proof that there is neurological reasoning behind this concept. Throughout the article, scientists refer to the bits of songs as 'ear-worms', but I disagree with this term because it gives the sound bits a negative connotation. Like most songs for humans the melodies and rhythms are simple in the songs, and often it isn't the whole song, just a small section.This concept is similar to a record becoming skipped on a turntable, but instead of motors and gears the repetitive portions are the neural circuits within the brain. However, I disagree with this article in that they say that these sound bits destroy people in that they psychologically cannot handle the repetition. This is only in extreme cases, but the article makes it seem as if the condition is present in mass numbers of people. In fact, the article contradicts itself later by stating that music stimulates the reward centers within the brain, and this releases hormones that make us feel pleasant.
The article goes on to talk about music and its connotation with emotion. This was my favorite subheading of the article, and it's very much true. Within music education, this is used in music theory classes around the world to distinguish intervals with popular songs like 'Here Comes the Bride' and 'Happy Birthday". This is a powerful tool in education, and I personally believe that it should be used even more so than it is being used now.
As the author said, "It's more complicated than "A, B, C," but that's how amazing the mind can be."
Comment, I'd like to hear your thoughts. :)
Musically Yours, Caitlin
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