Why We Like the Music We Do

Why We Like The Music We Do

Group 7

Why We Like the Music We Do

4/25/2008

Group 7

EDP 101A

By:

Christopher Bains

Nicholas DeBartolo

James Lawson

Brad Untrauer

Caroline Wardin

When you look around at a room of people everyone is different. One thing that a group of people have in common is the enjoyment of music. Music lets us create bonds with people that we might not have otherwise. The main question is why do we like the music we do? As a group we discovered why people liked the types of music they do. The genres of music our group concentrated on were pop, rock, emo, classical, and reggae. Researcher Alexandra Lemoni found that a year after children are born they recognize and prefer music that was exposed to them in the womb (Levitin, 2006). The auditory system of the fetus is fully functional at about twenty weeks after contraception (Levitin, 2006). Many researchers point to the teen years as the turning point for musical preferences.

Caroline: Audition is our most important link to the environment (Palladino & Davis, 2007). Researchers found that children, as young as two, begin to show a preference for the music of their particular culture (Levitin, 2006). In the beginning, children like to listen to simple songs, which have clearly defined themes (Levitin, 2006). Many songs that we listened to at the age of fourteen we still remember today. This is because fourteen is the age of discovery and music is emotionally charged (Levitin, 2006). To some degree, personality characteristics are associated with the kinds of music people like (Levitin, 2006). It is found that to a larger degree we like the music we do based upon chance factors (Levitin, 2006). Chance factors are the places we live, where we went to school, and who are friends are and what they were listing to.

Safety plays an important role in the music we listen to. As listeners, we are able to trust certain musicians, therefore we come back to them (Levitin, 2006). The reason we do not like some types of music is because it involves too many cord changes, or unfamiliar structure (Levitin). This will lead listeners to turn off that particular song. We also may not like certain types of music because we were not exposed to it when we were younger and it seems too unfamiliar for our particular taste.

For years people have been listening to pop music. Pop music, which is short for popular music, is generally appealing to teenagers. It is described as a watered down version of rock and roll with more rhythm and harmony and an emphasis on romantic love (Lamb, 2006). Pop music is very flexible because it is always changing to fit what is popular right now. Pop music is the type of music that sells the most albums, draws the largest concert audience, and is played most often on the radio (Lamb, 2006).

The reason so many people enjoy listing to pop music because it has many types of genres inside it. Over the years music changes and the genre pop music is able to keep up by allowing all types of music into its borders (Minsky, 1981). We also like to listen to pop music because as humans we strive to fit in, and since pop music is the most popular, we tend to like it in order to fit in with others. As humans we sometimes use music to understand the world (Minsky, 1981). Since pop music is based towards teenagers and young adults it hits the certain emotions which that group of people are feeling (Minsky, 1981).

I asked people who were interested in pop music why they like it. From almost everyone I heard the same answer. Many people said they hear it on the radio, in stores, on television, or with their friends. This makes me agree with Levitin’s point that we tend to like music that is familiar to us. Also I came to the conclusion that the types of music you like is affected by the mass media. I think that if you hear a particular song during your favorite show or movie you are going to be more likely to buy that album. Also most of the time music that is played in shows or movies is usually pop music. By having a visual image with the music it helps the listener draw a certain emotion with it.

The man that hath no music in himself,

Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,

Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils;

The motions of his spirit are dull as night

And his affections dark as Erebus;

Let no such man be trusted.

Brad: The above William Shakespeare verse was used in Peter J. Rentfrow and Samuel D. Gosling’s publication into the Psychology of Music regarding music-genre stereotypes among college students. (Rentfrow & Gosling, 2007) The verse explains that music reveals much about one’s personal identity. Music is a significant part of many people’s lives and it is apparent in many cases that the type of music one listens to reveals much about who the individual is personally. The publication describes what specific genres of music reveal about one’s personality, self expression, and other personable character traits. Their research findings have generalized some personality and character traits of people associated with listening to certain genres of music. Examples of genres of music used in the study include: hip hop, rock, heavy metal, punk, classical, rap, religious, jazz, dance, and country music. For the purpose of my section of the Group Investigation project, I will focus my efforts on individuals’ preference of rock music.

The publication mentions that their research found that people choose their preference of music to “reinforce and reflect aspects of their personalities and personal identities.” (Rentfrow & Gosling, 2007) This reinforcement and reflection can come in the form of physical attributes, such as clothing or jewelry, hair styles, or the way one decorates a room. For example, a student at Miami University would have a poster up in his dorm room or wear a shirt to class that would portray his favorite rock band. But the way someone behaves and their personality can also reveal their preference of music. According to the research, people who prefer rock music are often considered “individuals high in sensation.” Rock listeners are also considered as people with “high resting arousal and antisocial characteristics.” (Rentfrow & Gosling, 2007) The antisocial characteristics are meant to signify a more rebellious attitude that is associated with many rock songs. This type of personality contrasts to those who prefer more calm and sophisticated music, like classical and jazz. Research has also shown that urbanites prefer more contemporary rock, while suburbanites are associated more so with classical rock.

People will choose to listen to rock music for a variety of reasons. But more often than not, an individual’s preference in rock music will be based off that person’s personality characteristics; the personality does not change to fit a genre of music.

James: At one point, it was a style of rock music that was coined to describe several independent variations of music with common stylistic roots. Now it can commonly be associated for the term emotional. Emo is a type of genre that can be described for many alternative bands. It originated, according to Wikipedia, in the mid-1980s as a subgenre of hardcore punk. Emo is short for emotional due to the fact that bands that are linked to this subgenre are frequently bands whose lyrics are the essences of their songs. And inside these lyrics, there lies deep emotions that convey meaning and expression of the artists to the listeners.

A trend that tends to follow along with this style of music is a way of dress, actions, and life. Emo is also often associated with a certain fashion. The term "emo" is sometimes stereotyped with tight jeans on males and females alike, long fringe (bangs) brushed to one side of the face or over one or both eyes, dyed black, straight hair, tight t-shirts (sometimes with short-sleeves) which often bear the names of rock bands (or other designed shirts), studded belts, belt buckles, canvas sneakers or skate shoes or other black shoes (often old and beaten up) and thick, black horn-rimmed glasses (Radin, 2005).

According to Levitin, the teen years are the turning point for musical preferences. Also, it is around age of ten or eleven is when most children take on music as a real interest (Levitin, 2006). It is interesting to note that through the ages of 11 to 15, which is the 4th stage in childhood development and known as the Formal Operations Stage, is characterized by abstract thinking (Palladino & Davis, 2007). This would explain how a teen might see the dress and actions that goes along with this genre of music and generate their own opinions. This stage of adolescence is when boys and girls are coming into their own and developing their identities. This is a big part of the emo scene. It gives these teens a chance to stand out from the rest of the crowd and be seen as something unique. Kids at this age also tend to face emotions that they have never felt before as they hit the stage of puberty and the development that goes along with it. They have feelings they have never dealt with before. This is what makes emo music popular with this age group. The songs they write about are situations that these kids are facing for the first time in their young and inexperienced life and this music is something they feel they can relate to. They are influenced by the idea that there are others out there who have faced the same challenges that are greeting them head on, and they can take comfort from this.

Levitin states that as adults, the music we tend to be nostalgic for, the music that feels like it is our music, corresponds to the music we heard in our teen years (Levitin, 2006). This is where my attachment to emo music stems from. I can say that I have grown out of my taste for this style of music, but when I hear a song from when I was in high school, I immediately reflect to that time. It can be as simple as a line in a song and I can instantaneously think of time as distinct as riding in a truck with some friends. I love the feeling I get when a song that, at one time, I knew every word to, comes on the radio. It keeps my memory sharp and where I came from and the friends I grew up with me in my heart. The music genre is properly named emo, for it draws emotion in people.

Christopher: Classical music is another type that people tend to enjoy. It can both relax and stimulate the mind and senses. The general public listens to classical music to either relax after a long day at work or school or to inspire them before giving a presentation or playing in a championship game. It is mostly used for recreational purposes but some people use it because they believe that it can make them smarter. Scientists have delved deep into the schema of the human brain to understand how the brain reacts to classical music and to answer many questions like that.

Many parents across the country have elected to play classical music to their child in the womb up until a few years after birth. This idea about classical music has been misconceived as the Mozart Effect and The Royal Society of Medicine concluded that “there is no enhancement of general intelligence” (Jenkins, 2001). The Mozart Effect is actually the ability of classic music (like that from the composer Mozart) to improve the spatial reasoning in the brain. Spatial reasoning is the ability of the brain to complete problem solving tasks like putting together jigsaw puzzles or assembling Lego’s. According to the book, Building Baby’s Brain: The Role of Music, “The classical music pathways in our brain are similar to the pathways we use for spatial reasoning” (Bales, 1998). So, once people start listening to classical music, their spatial pathways are “turned on”, allowing for them to more easily solve problems. Unfortunately, this effect is only temporary, lasting about an hour or so after turning the classical music off. After that, it begins to fade to normal and the spatial pathways begin to “turn off”. There is a way to extend the longevity of these spatial pathways. Children who begin playing instruments at an early age and play classical music, in particular, can have these spatial pathways “turned on” for longer periods of time and aids in spatial reasoning development in the brain.

What makes classical music different from that of, say, country or hip-hop? Classical music is more complex than other kinds of music and even young children are able to recognize patterns and pieces of classical songs they have heard before. Specifically, classical music releases neurons in the brain, helping the body relax and focus. Three groups of college students were tested to help prove this hypothesis. Each group took intelligence tests. But, the first group listened to one of Mozart’s sonatas before taking the test and averaged a 119. The second group listened to a relaxation tape and averaged a 111. The third and final group did not listen to any kind of music and averaged a 110 (O’Donnell, 1999). Just to clarify, these tests proved that listening to classical music improved the way the test takers understood and solved problems. The music did not increase their intelligence.

This could also be a clue as to why many people enjoy classical music. As previously mentioned, children can recognize it very early in their life. Besides the voices of their parents, children are probably most comfortable around classical music. Thus, because it has been engrained in our memory the longest, we feel a deep connection to it, the same way we feel a deep connection to our parents. Also, classical music releases neurons in the brain. These allow the brain to relax and, more importantly, focus. This explains why those previously mentioned test subjects did so well on their intelligence tests. So, this theory has been proven true, but listening to classical music does not increase one’s intelligence. Overall, most people use classical music in the more recreational sense, to cool down after a long day and to generally unwind.