#3 Text Set- Resources and Analysis

 Introduction:

The following collection of texts explore the concept of music and emotion. Why does performing music make us feel joy, sadness, or chills? How does the music we listen to impact who we are? High school choir students can dive into these texts to learn more about what they sing and hear every day in and outside the classroom. The texts range from educational studies to National Geographic articles to podcasts on Spotify, all covering a variety of difficulty levels and nuances of the topic itself.

Print Source #1: National Geographic

Hughes, Virginia. “Why Does Music Move Us So?” National Geographic, 2012, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/why-does-music-move-us-so.

Summary: “Why Does Music Move Us So?” analyzes the reasons humans associate emotion with music, and how these experiences are felt universally. It first covers a study between music and motion conducted at Dartmouth University. After strong connections were found, the study was taken to a rural village in Cambodia with extremely different cultural and musical traditions. Again, the similarities were shocking, and demonstrated the global, human relationship between music and our hearts and souls.

Text Complexity Analysis:

Quantitative Measures: Storytoolz average grade level: 11.1, estimated lexile 1135 (mid to upper high school), The length of this text could be a bit long for a high school task. I might cut out some of the introductory paragraphs—some of the information and language is a bit inappropriate, and it is not all needed for understanding the article. Additionally, the Storytoolz site determined that the Gunning fog index, or grade level required to get sufficient understanding with a single read-though, is 13.3. This also supports my desire to cut the article a bit for the classroom. I agree that it belongs in the upper high school Lexile range; I think the study itself is easy enough to grasp with basic understanding of music and emotion, but the language surpasses academic and enters the scientific complexity younger students may not be accustomed to.

Qualitative Measures: For qualitative features, this text is fairly low on the purpose and structure rubric, but high on the language and knowledge demands criteria. I think this supports its upper high school rating as well. It does not contain many graphics but does have several sound recordings that support the information described in the study and overall improve reader understanding. The scientific language is high-level, however. It also requires some general knowledge of world music, and musical studies. For example, the study discusses psychological debate about music’s purpose: “Some scientists say music is just a side show, an evolutionary byproduct of our communicative behaviors that didn’t evolve for any specific, adaptive purpose.” This statement alone is extremely loaded both in meaning and language and is crucial to grasping the closing argument of the article. Another example is this introduction to the study’s international expansion: “The Kreung culture (like every known human culture, in fact) plays music, but it’s very different from what we’re used to in the West.” Although it gives some additional information on how this culture practices music differently, the text requires some awareness of Western music’s heavy shadow over world music experiences. Even the term “world music” is a blanket phrase for anything outside the White historical dialogue. When I use this text in my own classroom, I hope my students have this awareness established and can appreciate the connection of human experience across these global barriers. 

"Happy Music"

Vocabulary terms: transgressions, dirge, cognitive, glean, spatiotemporal, rigorous, dissonance, crux

Task and reader complexity: In an assignment context for reading this article, students would be exploring what is largely new information for their learning. While we may have discussed music and emotions in the context of performance expression and musical meaning, a scientific study connecting psychology and music expands those ideas. The task itself is rather straightforward: the student absorbs the information of the study and draws simple conclusions about feelings and music. They may also gain more knowledge about the musical experiences in vastly different cultures, with the study’s comparison to Cambodian music making. In summary, while the text itself may be at a high reading level, the task accompanying it does not deepen this difficulty.

Other Print Sources:

Lamont, Alexandra. “Emotion, engagement and meaning in strong experiences of music performance.” Psychology of Music, Keele University, 2021. (Pp. 1, 4-5). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0305735612448510.

Multimedia Sources: TedX Madrid

Rhodes, James. “Music and the Inner Self.” YouTube, uploaded by TEDx Talks, 28 September 2016, https://youtu.be/QUUFb-1hBtw.

Summary: James Rhodes delivers an insightful Ted Talk on the connection between music and the inner human experience. By taking time to slow down and listen to music, we can strengthen our ability to listen to the world around us, trust ourselves, and know our minds. He also delves into the meaning of art, and the importance of making music accessible to everyone—not just the wealthy, educated, or grown.

TedTalk Resources

Text Complexity Analysis:

Qualitative and Quantitative Measures: Because this text is presented in a video format, I believe it is easier to comprehend than the print articles provided. Its aural nature advantageously lends it to both visual and auditory learners, providing closed captions for reading, and a speaker for both physical expression and inflection. The language demands and sentence structure are both academic and colloquial, likely ranging from tenth to twelfth grade in Lexile score. There is frequent cursing, so I would likely aim for higher grades in high school. Additionally, these features place it in various columns of the Text Complexity chart provided by Achieve the Core. Its purpose is straightforward, but its structure is a bit looser and requires attention to storytelling and inferences. The language is clear but contains subject matter that requires basic knowledge of human psychology and music, much like our other texts.

Vocabulary: extrovert, introvert, predicated, interiority, mindfulness, vital

Task and Reader Complexity: This text is related to the topic of music and emotions very directly, but it applies it more globally. It could be used to introduce the topic, as it asks listeners to look inside their minds for a few minutes and experience the feeling of being lost in a piece of music. It also provides a wide context of music listening, reinforcing that all people can listen to and appreciate music, not just those who identify as “musicians.” This can especially resonate with high school singers. They are all music students for their own personal reasons: some have been lifelong musicians, some have a casual interest in music, and others may be involved for social reasons but fell in love with the art. I think this strong relatability increases the text’s relevance and accessibility despite its complexity. Exploring this topic is important for people to better understand and appreciate how music impacts others, but this resource especially makes people aware of themselves.

Other Multimedia Sources:

“Why Does Music Move Us?” YouTube, uploaded by It’s Okay to Be Smart, 8 May 2013, https://youtu.be/nT3O93-nxDc.

Marriott, Sue, and Ann Kelley. “TU44: Your Brain on Music.” Spotify, Therapist Uncensored Podcast, October 2017, https://open.spotify.com/episode/0xc7FlcRd6bjV5ZHXUMB0Y?si=3CO3oOBE QwaA4yZPVYU5Hw.

Culturally Relevant Sources: Music in Film

“The Emotional Impact of music in Movies.” Enhanced Media, 26 February 2019. https://enhancedmedia.medium.com/the-emotional-impact-of-music-in-movies-3fd49f254c13.

Summary: This article summarizes the connections between music and the mind as they relate to motion pictures. There are physical similarities between the brain’s reaction to music and motion, and this relationship deepens the emotional impact of films and their scores. It also briefly explains the common associations of feelings and different types of music. Overall, it demonstrates the power of pairing music with life and art.

Text Complexity Analysis:

Quantitative Measures: The quantitative scores given to this reading by Storytoolz were very surprising to me. They are all outside of the high school range, with an average grade of 20.4. The sentence structure and vocabulary are not too sophisticated, and the text itself is approximately a four-minute read for an average reader. The vocabulary is also not as complex as the National Geographic article I examined, and the content of music and film is more in the pop-culture rather than scientific realm. I believe it could be comprehended by late high-school students after one or two reads, perhaps accompanied by peer discussion. Paired with the right scaffolding or writing-to learn activities, this text would not be unrealistic for a classroom of accomplished choral students ready to explore music and emotions further.

Qualitative Measures: Using the chart provided by Achieve the Core, I would place this text in the Middle-Low category in qualitative text complexity. I believe its purpose and structure is straightforward, and most students would have experience with noticing or consuming music from popular movies. For example, the Harry Potter series is a strong example of exquisite musical scoring and creating an artistic world both visually and through sound. There are some required musical vocabulary demands, such as recognizing major and minor tonalities. The text explains that “different types of melodies, keys, chord progressions, time signature changes, etc., can produce a very different response in our brains.” For a non-musical or less experienced musical person, these words can be an onslaught of overwhelm. However, I believe this minor misunderstanding does not impact the ability to comprehend the article as a whole. In our Western music curriculum, the skill of identifying major and minor keys is acquired by late elementary school. With enough context in musical, emotional, and filmographic areas, students could very easily consume this text and grasp its purpose.

Vocabulary: pivotal, audiovisual, enticing, aforementioned, tonality, melancholy, hypnotic

Final Scene, The Breakfast Club
Provided by Musical Essence

Task and reader complexity:

This article is an example of a culturally relevant piece relating to music and human emotions. The inclusivity of this text is broad because of its informational nature and detachment from characters. People are only described in a general sense—it is intended to be universal, not exclusive. This relatability is paired with the popular culture of films and their music. Students can likely draw personal connections to this text, and I could use that to drive the purpose of reading it. For an in-class activity, the reading could be proceeded by a quick-write about students’ favorite film scores, or specific scenes in films that would not be the same without music. I think of The Breakfast Club, Dirty Dancing, Star Wars, and Harry Potter, but my students could have an entirely different collection. This would be a great catalyst for discussion. Additionally, it would deepen the importance of the reading and give students a chance to apply their learning at a higher level. Although the text is quantitatively ranked as quite advanced, the accompanying tasks could increase its accessibility, activate prior knowledge, and solidify the purpose of using this article for learning about music and emotions. 

Other Culturally Relevant Sources:

Porter, Scott. “The Undeniable Emotional Impact of Music in Film.” Premium Beat, 2 October 2016, https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/the-undeniable-emotional-impact-of-music-in-film/.

Beauchemin, Molly. “How Mental Health Became Pop Music’s Unlikely Muse." Grace and Lightness, 20 March 2020, https://graceandlightness.com/pop-music-mental-health/. 

Wrapping Up:

Those of us that listen to, create, or appreciate music at any level have an awareness of its impact on human emotion. Whether it leads us to look inward, outward, or onward, it touches us even if only for a moment. In addition to exploring these resources, I invite you to inspect your favorite albums and playlists and reflect on how they make you feel. Do you turn to a specific track in times of stress or sadness? Is there a go-to anthem that pumps you up? Finally, curate a playlist that moves you through a variety of emotions, beginning with the melancholy and ending with the uplifting. See if it changes your mindset as you really listen, and keep that playlist for the next time you need to be lifted up. A great conference session I once attended recommended this strategy for mental wellness in the music classroom. Appreciate your playlists, movie soundtracks, or advertisement jingles, and have a great week!