Origins of Music

Step 1

  • What is sound? Sound are vibrations that travel through the air or another medium that are heard when hitting an eardrum. 

  • What is the difference between hearing and listening? Hearing something is sound simply hitting your eardrum, but listening is processing those vibrations and making interpretations of it. 

  • What is music? Music is vocal or instrumental sound that comes together to produce an art form, or an expression of emotion.

  • What is the difference between sound and music? Sound is simply vibrations that creates noise, but music sparks an emotional response. 

  • Does music have universal characteristics? I believe that a universal characteristic of sound would be the fact that people can communicate thoughts and emotions through the tone/vibe of a song, as music is also known as a universal language. 

  • What is the purpose of music? There are many purposes of music for different people, but I believe a very important purpose is to spark an emotion in people, whether that is to make someone feel good, or to make them feel emotional or sad, which in turn creates a connection with the performer and listener. 

  • What is it about music that people enjoy? I think people enjoy music for the purpose of it making you feel good, but also if a song it catchy people may enjoy listening to it over and over again because it triggers happy thoughts. 


Peer Quiz: 

Step 3

A: 

  • First Impression Kind of funny... they used the sound of screaming pain to create music and sound. 

  • Adjectives Loud, funny, primative

  • Theories on how music was born From this video, music was born from a human scream and the beat of a rock hitting them. 

  • Natural resources used rocks and pain 

  • Changes in pitch to reflect changes in mood It was just screaming 

  • Use of rhythm to create special or interesting musical effects there was a chief caveman who conducted the people hitting each other

  • Emotional responses triggered from sound panic and pain 

Step 3

B: 

Use the following to guide your responses for each of the videos A-H

  • First Impression It was cool to see an ivory flute, especially one of the first recorded instruments 

  • Adjectives Fascinating, innovative for its time, simple. 

  • Theories on how music was born people used their natural resources to create simple instruments that created music. 

  • Natural resources used Ivory 

  • Changes in pitch to reflect changes in mood N/A

  • Use of rhythm to create special or interesting musical effects N/A 

  • Emotional responses triggered from sound N/A

Step 3

C: 

Use the following to guide your responses for each of the videos A-H

  • First Impression I thought it was interesting how small the flute was, and how they used animal femur to make it. 

  • Adjectives Creepy tonality, fascinating, ancient

  • Theories on how music was born Neanderthals used stone tools to carve out animal bones to create musical instruments. 

  • Natural resources used Animal bone, stone tools 

  • Changes in pitch to reflect changes in mood The tonality of the flute playing was super creepy and atonal, and gave me creepy vibes.

  • Use of rhythm to create special or interesting musical effects It was very lagato and eerie. 

  • Emotional responses triggered from sound Like I said, it made me feel anxious and creeped out because of the tonality of the instrument. 

Step 3

Use the following to guide your responses for each of the videos A-H

D: 

  • First Impression So cute!!

  • Adjectives Beautiful, cute, more tonal than the rest 

  • Theories on how music was born Cave people used natural resources to create music

  • Natural resources used Rocks, sticks, and wood. 

  • Changes in pitch to reflect changes in mood The notes have a very uplifting tone 

  • Use of rhythm to create special or interesting musical effects The rhythm is more staccato and fast

  • Emotional responses triggered from sound It made me feel really happy

Step 3

E: 

Use the following to guide your responses for each of the videos A-H

  • First Impression The people of paraguay are very innovative and use the limited things they have to create instruments

  • Adjectives innovative, earth friendly, creative

  • Theories on how music was born N/A

  • Natural resources used Trash from the city and surrounding area

  • Changes in pitch to reflect changes in mood N/A

  • Use of rhythm to create special or interesting musical effects N/A

  • Emotional responses triggered from sound N/A

Step 3

Use the following to guide your responses for each of the videos A-H

F: 

  • First Impression WOAHHH

  • Adjectives SUPER AWESOMEM, cool 

  • Theories on how music was born using the land and resources around them to create instruments 

  • Natural resources used Ice!

  • Changes in pitch to reflect changes in mood N/A

  • Use of rhythm to create special or interesting musical effects N/A

  • Emotional responses triggered from sound N/A 

Step 3

Use the following to guide your responses for each of the videos A-H

G: 

  • First Impression Ummm.. Vegetables?? 

  • Adjectives Crazy, funny, innovative

  • Theories on how music was born Using things even including foods 

  • Natural resources used vegetables 

  • Changes in pitch to reflect changes in mood 

  • Use of rhythm to create special or interesting musical effects

  • Emotional responses triggered from sound

Step 3

Use the following to guide your responses for each of the videos A-H

H: 

  • First Impression How the heck did they create something that specific with so many outside variables of failure? 

  • Adjectives Incredible, difficult, perfect

  • Theories on how music was born

  • Natural resources used Wood

  • Changes in pitch to reflect changes in mood N/A 

  • Use of rhythm to create special or interesting musical effects N/A

  • Emotional responses triggered from sound N/A 

Step 3

While viewing the DVD, comment on the following questions

a. Can music make us smarter? (music effects on the brain) The brain of a musician is actually physically different due to the neuroplasticity of the brain. People with musical training have been seen to have a "thicker" cortex. The corpus colosseum is also different, which is the area that connects the two sides of the brain. It lets both sides of the brain communicate, like the motor and auditory. Musicians who have been playing longer have a thicker corpus colosseum. Learning to play an instrument early on can actually also make you smarter in the long run, as playing works motor and cognitive skills. It was also found music can help other skills, like language and math.

b. Can music heal? Our hearts have a unique ability to sync up to the beat of the music if you listen to it for a period of time, which is proof music can have an affect on the body. Some patients with chronic neurological issues have actually been able to be transformed through music. The Rhythm of music helps Parkinson's patients because the parts of the brain for motor and auditory skills are activated while listening to music. There is also long and short term memory improvement in patients who learn music, and it also improves movement in stroke patients, as well as speech. 

c. Does music serve an evolutionary purpose?  Darwin believed that music served a sexual purpose, and if the male had musical talent. they could attract a female mate. It also helped with culture building, which was a very important part of survival. We also know that music serves an evolutionary purpose as it is present in our DNA, which means it must serve some sort of purpose. 

d. Does music belong to humans only? Some people believe music is solely an adaptation of language itself; however, we can see that Neanderthals had music and instruments, but there is no evidence that they had spoken language. Birds can actually dance to the beat of music, and they also have more of a complex vocal chord system than other animals. Even whales have an organized series of vocal patterns. 

e. Where do goose bumps come from in response to music? Those who reported chills had a denser volume of brain fibres that connect the sections that process auditory information and emotions. More fibres means you have more efficient processing between the two sections, which is a trait most commonly present in people to are a part of musical practice. 

f. What are common musical elements found in lullaby's? They have falling pitch contours, they are quiet, and have a narrow pitch range with much repetition. 

g. Can music physically change the brain? (refer to part A) 

Music is the Universal Language of Mankind

      Poet and Harvard professor Henry Wadsworth Longfellow famously said, “Music is the universal language of mankind.” It is no secret that music has been deeply rooted in cultures all around the globe from the beginning of mankind, and had also been found to be engraved in our evolutionary background. Our species has ran into many feuds and differences between cultures, and we have seem to lack the understanding of people who may not have the same language or lifestyles as the other. However, it is shown in Darwin's theory is that music's evolutionary purpose is to aid in cultural building, and it allows understanding between groups of people who could otherwise not be able to relate to each other without the power tool of music. 

     Before we can understand music as a universal language, we must first understand emotion. Even though we may not be able to understand the words another human speaks from a different culture, humans have a unique ability to recognize tones and sounds that relate to our emotions, such as the sound of laughter, crying, and even more subtle tones such as the tones of voice used when we are happy or sad. This is where music comes in. Think about it; when you hear a major chord, you interpret the music as positive whereas if you hear a minor chord, the music feels negative. The tempo of a song also impacts how you feel; for example,  a slow song in a minor key makes you feel sad, whereas faster song in a minor key may make you feel scared or angry. And when played in a major chord with higher pitches, more fluctuations in rhythm, and a faster tempo, listeners typically interpret the music as happy. In the movie “The Music Instinct”, an expedition was organized in North Cameroon in Africa, where they sought out individuals in a very remote area who had never heard western music in their entire life, and did an experiment to see if they could recognize if a piece of music made them feel happy, sad or scared. It was found that these individuals who had never listened to this type of tonal music in their life could recognize a happy piece, from the more dissonant and sad pieces.

     Even though the scientists and indigenous people could not understand each other through their spoken language, they were able to connect with each other through the music. Somewhere written in our genetic code is something in our brains that allows us to recognize the musical emotions rooted in chords being played, which is a key component to being able to understand each other through music, and proves that music truly is a universal language as the study of music allowed these individuals to connect where they otherwise would not have without the medium of music aiding in their newly found friendship.