Origins of Music

Step 1

  • What is sound?

Sound is a combination of vibrations that move through either air or another medium that can be heard when it reaches a human or animal's ears.

  • What is the difference between hearing and listening?

Hearing is the act of perceiving sound by the ear and is involuntary. Listening however is voluntary, and something that you choose to do. Listening requires more concentration, because your brain is trying to process words and meaning from the sounds that you hear. 

  • What is music?

Music is made up vocal or instrumental (or both) sounds combined in a way to create beauty of form, harmony and to invoke or express emotion. 

  • What is the difference between sound and music?

Music is made of sound, but not all sounds are music. Music is also a deliberate and periodic type of sound that generally has intention behind it. 

  • Does music have universal characteristics?

Yes, music is read the same all across the world, and, while some of the instruments or techniques are different, the majority of styles transcend specific areas or countries. Music is often called the "universal language."

  • What is the purpose of music?

The purpose will vary from person to person, but for me the purpose of music is to invoke emotion into the listener in some way. It could have a positive mood, like making someone feel happy or excited, or have a negative mood, like making the listener feel sad or angry. It's not just positive and negative though, music can transcend the emotions of "good" or "bad".  

 

  • What is it about music that people enjoy?

People enjoy the simultaneous uniqueness and universality that music provides. It is something that everyone can relate to and enjoy, but it can also be honed to fulfill a certain niche for someone, based on what types of music they like to listen to. 

Music Quizlet: https://quizlet.com/322290240/basic-musical-terms-flash-cards/

A.

  • First Impression

This is funny, but probably has some historic truth to it. 

  • Adjectives

Funny, painful, excited (for them)

  • Theories on how music was born

Maybe not out of pain, but maybe out of hunting calls or ritual chanting that was eventually set to certain pitches. 

  • Natural resources used

Rocks!

  • Changes in pitch to reflect changes in mood

Getting hit with rock on foot, high pitched for pain, getting hit the stomach with rock, low for pain and pressure, mixed, but mostly high pitches for excitement. 

  • Use of rhythm to create special or interesting musical effects

Umm, the throwing of the rocks on the feet to reiterate screams, the rocks knocking on the ground and on the stomach to create a constant rhythm. 

  • Emotional responses triggered from sound

Not particularly skilled, the beginning was a little abrasive to the ears, but also funny. 

B. 

  • First Impression

WOAHHH.

  • Adjectives

Fascinating, cool, curious

  • Theories on how music was born

Again, maybe a hunting horn with a mouthpiece and a sound opening, and then added holes and different shapes for different pitches. 

  • Natural resources used

Ivory from bones or the horns of animals. It also looked like there might've been wood used as well. 

  • Changes in pitch to reflect changes in mood

Higher for more cheerful or energetic, lower for more serious and balladic (is that a word, I'm making it one).

  • Use of rhythm to create special or interesting musical effects

Use of shorter and longer notes to create variation in the sounds being heard. 

  • Emotional responses triggered from sound

I'm imagining almost the beginning of a documentary or movie where someone is standing in a forest or on a hill by themselves serenely playing their instrument before going back to their daily life.

C.

  • First Impression

This is cool, but very high pitched. 

  • Adjectives

High, Adaptable, Shrill

  • Theories on how music was born

Again, some ritual or hunting evolution. 

  • Natural resources used

The femur bone of an infant cave bear.

  • Changes in pitch to reflect changes in mood

Again, mostly higher pitched for happiness or excitement, and mostly lower pitches for melancholy or serenity. 

  • Use of rhythm to create special or interesting musical effects

Long and short notes combined with tempo to create variated sounds and moods. 

  • Emotional responses triggered from sound

Ahhh at certain points and oof at others. 

D.

  • First Impression

They seem to be having a good time and it's pretty cool. 

  • Adjectives

Cool, calming

  • Theories on how music was born

Hitting rocks with rocks or rocks with sticks. 

  • Natural resources used

Rocks.

  • Changes in pitch to reflect changes in mood

Lower pitches to establish baseline and overall mood, and higher pitches building off of that and adding variation. 

  • Use of rhythm to create special or interesting musical effects

Each area of the stone xylophone (ooo it rhymes) or stone marimba (storimba?) was played in a different rhythm, made the song feel more advanced and complete. Change of tempo towards ending. 

  • Emotional responses triggered from sound

Ahhhh (with contentment) and also like I want to go sit by a river in the woods, not sure why, but it reminds me of Dale Chihuly. 

E.

  • First Impression

Reminds me of when I went to see STOMP. 

  • Adjectives

Creative, cool, resourceful, optimistic

  • Theories on how music was born

Using tendons or extra animal parts to string to other pieces to pluck rhythms. Basically usng whatever was extra or on hand to make music. 

  • Natural resources used

Not really "natural" but reused, and garbage. 

  • Changes in pitch to reflect changes in mood

The same as the other ones, playing classical music in video. 

  • Use of rhythm to create special or interesting musical effects

Shorter and longer notes, changing tempo, changing dynamics (not really rhythm, but it adds to the effect). 

  • Emotional responses triggered from sound

Nice, familiar sound on not so familiar materials, interested. 

F.

  • First Impression

Woah, this is so cool (literally). 

  • Adjectives

Chilly, creative, innovative, resourceful (in a different way than the others)

  • Theories on how music was born

Maybe used ice for certain things, probably didn't make guitars from it though.

  • Natural resources used

Ice (water). 

  • Changes in pitch to reflect changes in mood

Changes from low to high to make more lively and also pickup in tempo. Also change from higher to lower to signify more melancholy tones. 

  • Use of rhythm to create special or interesting musical effects

Multiple instruments = multiple rhythms = more complete, full sound. 

  • Emotional responses triggered from sound

I want to know the rest of the song from the beginning, it makes me want to dance. The second one made me sad, and the third sounded mysterious.

G. 

  • First Impression

VEGETABLES. Not the first thing my mind goes to with instruments. 

  • Adjectives

Lil' weird, strange, creative, difficult

  • Theories on how music was born

Well, again, probably not common, but hollowing out vegetables to use as instruments. 

  • Natural resources used

VEGETABLES. 

  • Changes in pitch to reflect changes in mood

Higher pitches more of the focal point, my ears focused on the high pitches more. 

  • Use of rhythm to create special or interesting musical effects

The middle section with the rapid tempo and short notes created a sound almost like an insect buzzing, while the lower, extended notes were liken to a fog horn for me at least. All of the different rhythms at the end were crazy, but cool. 

  • Emotional responses triggered from sound

This sounds alien, and was kind of unsettling, but fascinating in a weird way too. 

H. 

  • First Impression

Super cool, again reminds me of Dale Chihuly. 

  • Adjectives

Peaceful, time intensive, difficult

  • Theories on how music was born

Knocking solid wood sticks on hollowed out or thinner, but wider, pieces of wood. 

  • Natural resources used

Wood. 

  • Changes in pitch to reflect changes in mood

Lively with pitch high (I see a theme), and more peaceful with pitch low. 

  • Use of rhythm to create special or interesting musical effects

Slower, longer tempo and notes for more serene, peaceful sound, and shorter, faster tempo for more lively and exciting sounds. Both had different effects on the ear. Not always even rhythmically with wooden ball, so gave a peculiar sound to a familiar song. 

  • Emotional responses triggered from sound

Serenity, but also a slight feeling of unease and apprehension. 

Step 3

  • While viewing the DVD, comment on the following questions

a. Can music make us smarter?

Yes, there are studies that suggest that taking music classes at an early age can improve many forms of cognitive ability including: improved vocabulary, improved visual skills, improved verbal language, improved motor skill, and improved processing of both musical and linguistic syntax. In addition to these positive effects, children who play instruments or are learning music read earlier and better, and have improved math skills, as well as improvement in other scholastic areas. 

b. Can music heal?

Yes! It is a fairly new practice, but music is being used to help people who have had brain damage or impaired motor function. Rhythm has been proven to help Parkinson's patients walk again or improve their movements, and music is also used on stroke patients to help them learn to speak again. Often in these cases, a patient will be able to recall a song or a tune easier than they would for words, so incorporating both speech and song greatly helps them. Music therapy can also be applied to elderly patients with dementia, even their impaired memories are able to recall music very well, and this recall helps them to improve both their long and short term memory. With a better understanding of music's effect on the brain, we may be able to develop techniques that will essentially "heal" the damaged area of the brain so that is functions normally again. 

c. Does music serve an evolutionary purpose?

It is believed that music's patterns were used in ancient humans to create connections between certain people, i.e. a lover singing to her mate before he goes hunting 

d. Does music belong to humans only?

No, music belongs to other animals as well, especially birds. Cockatoos can synchronize to rhythms, plain tailed wrens show synchronized choruses for the first time in animals, and there are melodic structures in zebra finch song. Whale song also contains organized serieses of patterns. Other birds and animals use music, often to attract a mate. 

e. Where do goosebumps come from in response to music?

Goosebumps are triggered in the brain after hearing a certain musical sound. So, music is taken in auditorily, is cognitively processed, which leads to a physical response in goosebumps. 

f. What are common musical elements found in lullaby's?

The common musical elements found in lullaby's are: quiet dynamics, falling pitch contours, narrow pitch range, very repetitive. 

g. Can music physically change the brain?

Music can physically change the brain. Music increases neuroplasticity in the brains of musicians. Additionally, the brain of a musician is physically different as well. The cortex is thicker in musicians, the frontal cortex is different as well, the corpus callosum is enlarged in musicians from an early age, more so than musicians starting later in life or non-musicians. With the information about the corpus callosum we can start asking questions about what in music brings this about. Musicians' brains also have improved auditory ability.   

Step 1

  •  Using unit resources thus far as well as your own experiences, embed websites, audio and/or images to support a written narrative on the validity of the following statement:  "Music is the Universal Language of Mankind."

Using the research that supports that music developed in humans before language, it can be said that music is the universal language of mankind. If Neanderthals communicated through music instead of speech, and this passed onto Homosapiens, then all of humankind would've had a common language, because we all came from the geographical location. Humans all originated in Africa and spread across the Middle East and Europe (and eventually the world) after their populations had somewhat stabilized.  It is a fact that geographical distance creates linguistic differences in different groups of people, so, it can be theoretically suggested that if music was our only language, it would have evolved differently in every permanently settled geological region of earth; in the same way that spoken language does. Also, this is seen today, that the basis of verbal language is the same across the world, in that small characters (letters), come together to make larger characters (words), and the combination of those characters creates verbal phrases (sentences). This is the same in music. There are smaller increments that make up larger ones, and together make phrases. While the execution and appearance of these languages and music may be different, the foundation stays the same.  Many spoken languages now have their roots in one language, i.e. the Romance languages all having Latin as their roots. Using this evidence of language, it can be suggested modern music evolved from one type of music that we all shared thousands of years ago. So, yes, it can be claimed and backed up, that music is the universal language of mankind.