Author: Derek Recsei
Email: derek@webascend.com.au
Date: Jan 2008
Introduction
Of all our senses, the sense of sense of Hearing seems to be the one most closely linked with our emotions. This is even though our sense of Sight is so much most sophisticated.
I have recently been reading a book about music and the brain, called Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks. Whilst reading the different stories in his book, i was struck by how ubiquitous and unstoppable music seems to be. Even people who have been struck completely deaf, can often hear music playing inside their head, beautifully rendered and pitch perfect.
This got me interested. Why is music so important to many of us? What does it do for us when we listen to our favourite songs or pieces of music on our MP3 player or radio or HiFi system? This made me put together the questionnaire below.
Your Privacy
Your privacy is important to me. The reason for asking for your name below, is in case i want to contact you to ask a follow-up question. If i ever think it is worthwhile to publish the results of this survey, I will not identify individual respondents by their real name (unless i specifically ask you and get your written permission in advance to do so).
It is only one page and should only take a few minutes to complete. Please feel free to add any of your comments in the boxes provided. There is a big comment box at the bottom if you run out of space.
I'll aggregate all the submissions together once received and email you the anonymous summary of responses for your interest. Have fun!
Thanks, Derek
Results - 21st January 2008
18 people completed the survey - thanks to all of you!
Firstly, here are a selection of the comments made about listening to your favourite music:-
"Mostly a comfort thing"
"Works synergistically with exercise to relax"
"The point of music, like any art, is the emotional reaction"
"Music can often bring tears to the eyes but they're not tears of sadness"
"I find it hard to concentrate on both music and a task in hand - either I am listening and doing nothing else, or the music is tuned out by my brain"
"Can't concentrate with music on - find myself listening to the music instead"
"If I concentrate on good music, then the outside world will be blocked out, and I can become one with the music"
"I see the music or the performer playing it, or me playing it"
"What I really like to do is to 'look' into the mind and soul of the composer. What was he thinking, what was he trying to get at, when he composed the music?
"Mostly memories, or evoking a feeling of the first time i listened to that music, or really got into that music - who i was with, what we were doing"
"I connect with individual musicians and their lines - often different ones each time I listen to the same piece"
"If I concentrate on good music, then the outside world will be blocked out, and I can become one with the music"
Secondly, the graph below summarises your responses to the 8 different questions:-
