.forum - week one.
It's true that people listen to music while they play video games and ride the bus and cook dinner for their children. But should we really be that concerned?
I remember one day in high-school my science teacher encouraged students to never listen to music while doing homework. He described the way that we (humans) can only focus our brains toward a certain amount at any time, and any amount focussed toward music in the background was a waste. A wasted portion of our attention span, or "chunk" of our brain - that could be focussed on something else, like chlorophyll I guess. This is an interesting point of contention because I do not believe that the answer that as "black & white," that is to say, while this may be true for some it may not for others. Unfortunately we are not robots and do not really understand the full capabilities and attributes of our brains, but depending on the said brain different responses to music could be evoked. It is from this philosophical standpoint that I tend to lean kindly toward visuals with music.
.sources.
Whittington, Stephen 31.07.08, "Technology Theory & Culture." Forum of EMU, University of Adelaide.
6.8.08
Listening to music while doing something else... like err breathing?
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2 comments:
QUOTE: "A wasted portion of our attention span, or "chunk" of our brain - that could be focussed on something else, like chlorophyll I guess."
Nice one!! Actually your comments (and Will) got me thinking a bit more on this whole issue, because it does seem entirely legitimate that some are able to fully enjoy/appreciate/incorporate music while doing something else.... I guess it's just the idea that if we can, for example, sit down and devote our full attention to one thing (like studying chlorophyll) then why can't we or shouldn't we do the same for music? But then like you said, I guess some just don't need to. Maybe it just comes down to multi-tasking ability. Who knows.
For me listening to music with focus involves cutting down on the extraneous noise coming from... where-ever. I do this by either turning up the volume or stopping the other sound. Listening to music through ANC headphones is one of the best ways to do this- that's not to say that one cannot run a marathon while doing so. Sure it's true that it's possible to sit and listen, focussed on the music and nothing else, however what are you really focussed on? I can sit down and listen intently to music and find my attention grabbing onto certain things like rhythm, drum sounds or maybe melody but more often I prefer to let the entire thing wash over me without consciously 'analysing' the sound.
Which makes me wonder if I should listen to more music when I am asleep?
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