Week #3: How does music persuade?

(Week 3: March 30- April 5)

Goals, overview. The Jaws theme can make Bambi appear evil. That is because music is one of the most manipulative media within the overall multi media collage. Music easily escapes our judgmental mind, slipping below our conscious radar, skewing how we feel about what we experience. Even Aristotle recognized this when he said in his book Politics that 'music possesses the power of producing an effect on the character of the soul.' The goal of this activity is for you to better understand how this happens.

Activities. Go to my digital storytelling site that addresses the power of music in media. The specific place you are directed to provides links to three movie sequences. They are only 30 seconds long and are identical – except for the music that accompanies them.

Follow this process:
  1. Turn the sound off on your computer and play Movie Sequence One. Take a moment and jot down what you think “the story is” that the clip describes.
  2. Now turn on the sound and play the clip again. Note how the story has changed because of the music. Make some notes about how the story has changed for you.
  3. Play Movie Sequence Two, and note how the story changes for you.
  4. Play Movie Sequence Three, and once again note how the story changes for you.
Compare HBO and network television. Now watch television, and become hyper vigilant of the music. Imagine how the scene you are watching would take on a different meaning if the music were eliminated or changed. Watch an episode of an HBO series, and then one from a network TV series. A primary difference between them is that HBO uses far less music during dialogue, as well as during action. Any ideas as to why that is? Now watch a news cast on a major network. What role does music play?

Forum discussion question: Based on your activities this week, how do you view the role of music in news reporting, or other forms of journalism (vs. entertainment)? Respond to this question, as well as at least two other posts from colleagues. Also, respond to two other posts from colleagues. Discussion concludes over the weekend.

Post on your blog, using the heading “Power of Music.” Post a minimum of 2-3 paragraphs about the persuasive nature of music, including addressing how your perspective may have changed because of this activity. What are your “take-away” realizations as a result of this activity? As always, feel free to note any biases you suspect in the materials you used. Also, be vigilant about using visually differentiated text in your presentation. Remember: blog posts need to be completed by Sunday evening.

Resources and link
Books
* Aristotle quote from Barker's 1948 translation of Politics (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1948), as cited in A Brief History of Citizenship, by Derek Heater (New York University Press, 2004).
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