MUSICAL DIFFICULTIES AVOIDANCE ANALYZER

Use the following questions to avoid some of the difficulties associated with music.

Yes No

>Is your usage of music less than 40% of total class time? ______ ______ >When you use music, do you have specific reasons for doing so? ______ ______ >Is your placement of music integrated into the whole? ______ ______ >Is the music usage appropriate to the learning situation? ______ ______ >Is your music selection based on need, not on favoritism? ______ ______ >Does your music match the cultural norms of your learners? ______ ______ >Are the song’s lyrics appropriate to the learning situation? ______ ______ >If using songs with lyrics, do you want the song to be noticed? ______ ______ Total (8 maximum) ______ ______ The higher the Yes column score, the more you will avoid difficulties associated with the use of music.

The Godfather ballads, the wonderment of the Star Wars theme, the adrenaline rush the

“James Bond Theme” brings forth, and the horror of the knife slashes in Psycho are ex- tremely, and intentionally, emotional moments.

Many composers have commented on the connection of emotion and music. For in- stance, Wagner stated: “What music expresses, is eternal, infinite and ideal; it does not express the passion, love, or longing of such-and-such an individual on such-and-such an occasion, but passion, love or longing in itself.” Arthur Schopenhauser offered an almost identical observation: “[Music] does not express this or that particular or definite joy, this or that sorrow, pain, or horror, or delight, or merriment, or peace of mind; but joy, sorrow, pain, horror, delight, merriment, peace of mind themselves.”88_{Fellow composer}

Elmer Bernstein added: “Of all the arts, music makes the most direct appeal to the emo- tions. It is a non-plastic, non-intellectual communication between sound vibration and spirit. The listener is generally not burdened with a need to ask what it means. The lis- tener assesses how the music made him feel.”89

From a completely different field, educator Robert Sylwester added, “Music doesn’t even need words to communicate emotion.”90

Music is perhaps the most emotional element of a film. You may not notice the music when you cry at a film, but the music has reached you in a deep, meaningful, moving way. Perhaps because music is free of the specificity that accompanies words, music is free to feel.

Heightening Emotional Reactions in the Learning Environment

Music can be emotionally beneficial in the learning environment. Although music is not a substitute for good instruction, music is a way to penetrate the info-fog. In Music for

the Movies, Tony Thomas made this statement: “Music comes to bear when helping to

define the meaning of the film by stimulating and guiding an emotional response to the visuals. Directly and pervasively appealing to the subconscious. . . It is this unique ability to influence the audience subconsciously that makes music truly valuable to the cinema.”91

I suggest that although Thomas was speaking about Hollywood, the same dynamic applies to your classroom. Composer Jerry Goldsmith explained how when he commented that “The function of a score is to enlarge the scope of a film.”92_{The function of music}

in the classroom is to enlarge the scope of the learning. Music speaks to a level deeper than words. It adds an extra track of information that layers meaning for your learners. In Elmer Bernstein’s words: “. . . part of the fun of being a film composer, (is) that you are reaching people at a subliminal level, where they are relatively defenseless. That’s an

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exciting thing because you can make people feel a certain way, even though they may not understand why they feel that way.”93

CUE CARD: Music speaks to a level deeper than words.

Part of the fun of using Show Biz techniques is the ability to reach people at a subliminal level. For once you break through the cognitive info-fog, true learning occurs.

1_{Crofton, Ian, and Fraser, Donald, eds. (1985). A Dictionary of Musical Quotations. New York: Schirmer.} 2_{Ayto, John (1990). Dictionary of Word Origins. New York: Arcade.}

3_{Sylwester, Robert (1995). A Celebration of Neurons: An Educator’s Guide to the Human Brain. Alexan-}

dria, VA: ASCD.

4_{Blacking, John (1987). A Common Sense View of All Music. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.}

5_{The 1995 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia (1995). vr. 7.0.2. Grolier Electronic Publishing.}

6_{Bruney, Charles (1935). A General History of Music from the Earliest Ages to the Present Period. London:}

Oxford University Press.

7_{Jourdain, Robert (1997). Music, the Brain, and Ecstasy: How Music Captures Our Imagination. New York:}

Avon Books.

8_{Ellis, Catherine J. (1985). Aboriginal Music: Education for Living. St. Lucia: University of Queensland}

Press.

9_{Grolier (1995).}

10_{Keil, Charles (1979). The Song. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.} 11_{Grolier (1995).}

12_{Berg, Charles Merell (1976). An Investigation of the Motives for and Realization of Music to Accompany} the American Silent Film 1896–1927. New York: Arno Press.

13_Ibid. 14_Ibid.

15_{Burt, George (1994). The Art of Film Music. Boston, MA: Northeastern University Press.}

16_{Prendergast, Roy M. (1977) Film Music, A Neglected Art: A Critical Study of Music in Film, 2nd edit.}

New York: W. W. Norton.

17_{Lozanov, Giorgi (1978). Suggestology and Outlines of Suggestopedia. New York: Gordon & Breach.} 18_{Grout, Donald, and Palisca, Claude (1996). A History of Western Music, 5th edit. New York: W. W. Norton.} 19_{Ortiz, John, Ph. D. (1997). The Tao of Music: Sound Psychology, Using Music to Change Your Life. York}

Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser.

20_{Sacks, Oliver. When music heals body and soul. Parade Magazine, March 21, 2002.}

21_{Rawson, Hugh, and Miner, Margaret, eds. (1986). The New International Dictionary of Quotations. New}

22_{Prendergast, Roy M. (1977).}

23_{Millbower, Lenn (2000) Training with a Beat: The Teaching Power of Music. Sterling, VA: Stylus.} 24_Ibid.

25_{Meyer, Leonard (1996). Emotion and Meaning in Music. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.} 26_{Millbower, Lenn (2000).}

27_{Schopnenhauer, Arthur (1966). The World as Will and Representation, Vol. I. New York: Dover.} 28_{Millbower, Lenn (2000).}

29_{Grout, Donald, and Palisca, Claude (1996).} 30_{Berg, Charles Merell (1976).}

31_{Smith, Jeff (1998). The Sounds of Commerce: Marketing Popular Film Music. New York: Columbia}

University Press.

32_{Smith, Jeff (1998).} 33_{Burt, George (1994).} 34_Ibid.

35_{Millbower, Lenn (2000).}

36_{Thomas, Tony (1997). Music for the Movies, 2nd edit. Los Angeles, CA: Silman-James Press.} 37_{Burt, George (1994).}

38_{Prendergast, Roy M. (1977).} 39_Ibid.

40_{Burt, George (1994).}

41_{MuSICA Research Notes, 2/1 (Spring, 1995): <www.musica.uci.edu>.} 42_{Millbower, Lenn (2000).}

43_{Prendergast, Roy M. (1977).}

44_{Lanza, Joseph (1994). Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy Listening, and Other Moodsong.}

New York: Picador USA.

45_{Thaut, M., and de l’Etoile, S. (1993). The effects of music on mood state-dependent recall. Journal of} Music Therapy, 30/2:70–80. Thaut, M. (1989). The influence of music therapy interventions on self-

rated changes in relaxation, affect, and thought in psychiatric prisoner-patients. Journal of Music Ther-

apy, 26/3:155–66.

46_{Lanza, Joseph (1994). Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy Listening, and Other Moodsong.}

New York: Picador USA.

47_Ibid. 48_Ibid. 49_Ibid.

50_{Borling, J. (1981). The effect of seductive music on alpha rhythm and focused attention in high-creative}

and low creative subjects. Journal of Music Therapy, 18/2:101–08.

51_{Blood D., and Feriss, S. (1993). Effects of background music on anxiety, satisfaction with communica-}

tion, and productivity. Psychological Reports, 72/1:171–77.

52_{Prueter, B. and Mezzano, J. (1973). Effects of background music upon initial counseling interaction.} Journal of Music Therapy, 10:205–12.

53_{Devlin, Hilton J., Sawatzky, D. Donald (1987). The effects of background music in a simulated initial}

counselling session with female subjects. Canadian Journal of Counseling, 21(2–3):125–32.

54_{Miller, Leon K, and Schyb, Michael (1987). Facilitation and interference by background music. Cana-} dian Journal of Counseling, 21(2–3):125–32.

55_{Wolff, Florence I. (1989). An investigation of the effects of background music on learning of vocabulary}

and grammar and in public speaking. Journal of Music Therapy, XXVI(1):42–54.

56_{Mezzano, Joseph and Prueter, Bruce (1974). Background music and counseling interaction. Journal of} Counseling Psychology, 21:page nos.

57_{Routhieaux, R. L., and Tansik, D. A. (1997). The benefits of music in hospital waiting rooms. Health} Care Supervisor, 16(2):31–40.

58_{Stratton, V. N. (1992). Influence of music and socializing on perceived stress while waiting. Perceptual} and Motor Skills, 75(1):334.

59_Ibid. 60_Ibid.

61_{Storr, Anthony. (1992). Music and the Mind. New York: Ballantine Books.}

62_{Adaman, Jill E., and Blaney, Paul H. (1995). The effects of musical mood induction on creativity.} Journal of Creative Behavior, 29/2:95–108.

63_{Wlodkowski, Raymond J. (1999). Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn: A Comprehensive Guide for} Teaching All Adults. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

64_{Millbower, Lenn (2000).} 65_{Storr, A. (1992).}

66_{Blood, D. J., and Ferriss, S. J. (1993). Effects of background music on anxiety, satisfaction with com-}

munication, and productivity. Psychological Reports, 72/1:171–77.

67_{Morton, L. L., Kershner, J. R., and Siegal, L. S. (1990). The potential for therapeutic applications of}

music on problems related to memory and attention. Journal of Music Therapy, 27/4:195–208.

68_{Ibid. Thaut, M., and de l’Etoile, S. K. (1993). The effects of music on mood state-dependent recall. Jour-} nal of Music Therapy, 30/2:70–80.

69_{Blood, D. J., and Feriss, S. J. (1993). Effects of background music on anxiety, satisfaction with com-}

munication, and productivity. Psychological Reports, 72/1:171–77.

70_{Morton, L. L., Kershner, J. R., and Siegal, L. S. (1990).} 71_{Millbower, Lenn (2000).}

72_{Lozanov, G. (1978).}

73_{Sylwester, Robert (1995). A Celebration of Neurons: An Educator’s Guide to the Human Brain. Alexandria,}

VA: ASCD.

74_{Chicago Tribune, October 24, 1999.}

75_{Sylwester, Robert (1995).}

76_{Knowles, Malcolm (1984). The Adult Learner: A Neglected Species. Houston, TX: Gulf Publishing.} 77_{Smith, Jeff (1998).} 78_{Millbower, Lenn (2000).} 79_{Thomas, Tony (1997).} 80_Ibid. 81_Ibid. 82_{Burt, George (1994).} 83_{Burt, George (1994).} 84_{Thomas, Tony (1997).}

85_{Sacks, Oliver. When Music Heals Body and Soul. Parade Magazine, March 21, 2002.} 86_{Lanza, Joseph (1994).}

87_Ibid.

88_{Schopenhauer, Arthur (1883). The World as Will and Idea, vol. 1. R. B. Haldane and J. Kemp, eds. Lon-}

don: Trubner. 89_{Burt, George (1994).} 90_{Sylwester, Robert (1995).} 91_{Thomas, Tony (1997).} 92_Ibid. 93_Ibid.

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LESSONS

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