Has a song ever changed your mood? Do you like to listen to a particular song or artist when you are happy or sad? Does it seem like some songs are written just for you and what you are experiencing in life? Music is closely tied to our emotions and can alter our moods or evoke particular feelings. Try watching a scene from a scary movie without the background music as a powerful example of how music can affect our emotions.
Scientists have studied the relationship between music and emotion. Read this article about a recent study that found that music evokes at least 13 emotions. Explore the interactive sound map to hear samples used in the study—simply move your cursor from place to place around the colorful map, and see if your emotions match those of other listeners from around the world!
Create Mood Playlists in SmartMusic
Encourage your students to explore the SmartMusic library in search of 5 songs that evoke an emotion or mood of their choice:
- Create a SmartMusic Playlist named after a mood or emotion, and include a description that describes some general music characteristics that might influence related feelings.
- Browse the SmartMusic library, opening various titles and listening for repertoire that evokes the chosen emotion.
- Add any relevant titles to your SmartMusic “Mood” Playlist.
- Share the playlist with your teacher.
