Weekly Online Lesson Online Lesson Archive Grade Level: 5-10 Subject: Art/Social Studies

The Musical Mind

Ever wonder why sometimes you can't get a certain tune out of your head -- like part of a song you love or maybe a catchy jingle from a television or radio commercial?

Or, why during the winter holiday season do so many people seem to spontaneously whistle or hum the chorus to "Jingle Bells?"

Well, last Friday, December 13, 2002, Science magazine published a study about the mind's musical side that may help piece together these "jingle on the brain" puzzles. More specifically, a research team at Dartmouth's Center for Cognitive Neuroscience explored the mind's memory for tunes by studying the brains of eight experienced musicians as they listened to clips of original music.

During the experiment, the test subjects listened to the music and were asked to pick out specific tones. They were also asked to detect notes played by a flute-like instrument among those of a clarinet that dominated the music. As they performed these tasks, machines monitoring them tracked which parts of the brain were active.

The researchers found that the brains of each of the subjects tracked the sounds in a slightly different way each time the music was played. This may be the reason the same music, at different points in time, may prompt different emotions.

The Associated Press quoted lead researcher Petr Janata saying that the fact that the brain is naturally wired to appreciate and remember music suggests that pleasant sounds were an important part of the human mind from the earliest of times. "It's not necessary for human survival, yet something inside us craves it," said Janata. "I think this research helps us understand that craving a little bit more."

As the holiday season unleashes an outpouring of music -- much of which you may only hear during this time of year -- this week's lesson will help you figure out what types of instruments are playing those songs. The lesson will also take you on a tour of how and why music styles have changed over the years, and you'll discover where you can gather some insight about your favorite musical styles and artists.

Each Instrument's Unique Voice

The best place to start your musical journey is at PlayMusic.org, created by the American Symphony Orchestra League. This site offers great pages to read, but if your computer has the Shockwave player installed you can also listen to the sounds of the featured instruments and play the interactive games. To start, roll your cursor over the characters on the home page, and click on the guy suggesting you "Take a seat with the orchestra" to join them on the Stage.

Here, you'll see the orchestra's four groups of instruments -- the Strings, the Brass, the Percussion section, and the Woodwinds. Browse through each family of instruments and read about the general characteristics of each group. Can you describe the main differences between the families? How do each of the group's instruments create sound? How are they typically played?

Next, spend a little more time within each group and explore each instrument listed at the top of the page. On each individual feature page under the heading, "Listen to the Music," click on the green forward play arrow to hear a sample of its sound. After hearing all the members of a family, can you tell the difference between them by sound as well as sight? Out of what types of materials is each made? How is one instrument shaped compared to another, and how might that affect the sounds that resonate from them?

Those instruments are particularly well-known for playing together in orchestras, but they're certainly not the only instruments played over the course of music's long and rich history.

For a look at instruments popular around the Renaissance period, check out A Guide to Medieval and Renaissance Instruments, created by students at South Hamilton Community School in Jewell, Iowa. Tour through the gallery's list, choosing at least three or four instruments to read about and listen to their sound clips. Some may be recognizable, like the Lute or Harp, while others, like the Serpent or the Zink, may seem a bit bizarre.

To which group does each instrument you picked belong -- Strings, Brass, Percussion or Woodwinds? How was each instrument developed and how were they used for music making at the time? Have any of those instruments evolved into modern forms?

The Life of Music

But instruments aren't the only crucial elements of music's essence. The composers and musicians who create the music and play the instruments have always been strongly influenced by the people, events and cultures of where they live.

You can catch a glimpse of these relationships at the Essentials of Music site. Here, you'll discover the life of music during six Eras -- the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Baroque, the Classical, the Romantic and the Twentieth Century. As you visit each of these time periods, explore their Historical Themes, Musical Context, Styles and Composers. Read how music evolved over time, typically reflecting changes in society and culture.

How would you summarize the character of the musical style for each different era? What exactly influenced these styles? What types of instruments seemed to lead the style of the times? How did music's role in society change?

So what about today's musical styles? Check out the All Music Guide, where you can browse by type of music and read the brief description of each style - from Classical to New Age. Visit a style or two you like and one or more you are less familiar with, making sure to review the Main Types within each category. How did each style and type develop as its own brand of music?

How many different styles of music do you enjoy listening to, and what are the primary instruments those musicians play? Can you describe why you don't like other styles as much? If so, are your reasons "objective," like the song topics are generally boring or that you prefer the vibrations of an electric guitar over an acoustic guitar? Or, are your reasons more "subjective," meaning you just don't like how the music makes you feel or not feel?

Go check out the artists featured on the main page of each music style, or search the database for specific artists, like your top three favorites. Each entry gives background information about the musicians, which usually includes descriptions of their talents, unique styles and often reveals which other artists were inspirational to their work.

What are the styles of music played by your favorite artists? In what ways have those musicians added their personal creativity to the style - in other words, what exactly makes their songs distinctive? Do their songs reflect anything about their local or regional cultures, personal histories or beliefs? Which artists do you resonate with the most and why? Which songs of theirs do you remember best?

As your favorite artists release new music, how do you feel about the songs when you hear them for the first time? How do those feelings change as you listen to each song more frequently? Have you ever found yourself associating a song to a specific event, person or other memory?

Over the holiday season, try paying attention to different types of music you hear. Can you pick out the types of instruments playing each song? How do you think each instrument, as well as the collection of instruments, affects people's moods and emotions? How does that compare to each song's lyrics? In what ways do you think hearing holiday songs played repeatedly during the same time every year may affect different people and our society as a whole?

© Copyright 2002
Learners Online, Inc.