Music in Everyday LifeThe power of music to influence mood, create scenes, routines and occasions is widely recognised and this is reflected in a strand of social theory from Plato to Adorno that portrays music as an influence on character, social structure and action. There have, however, been few attempts to specify this power empirically and to provide theoretically grounded accounts of music's structuring properties in everyday experience. Music in Everyday Life uses a series of ethnographic studies - an aerobics class, karaoke evenings, music therapy sessions and the use of background music in the retail sector - as well as in-depth interviews to show how music is a constitutive feature of human agency. Drawing together concepts from psychology, sociology and socio-linguistics it develops a theory of music's active role in the construction of personal and social life and highlights the aesthetic dimension of social order and organisation in late modern societies. |
Contents
Formulating questions the music and society nexus | 1 |
Musical affect in practice | 21 |
Music as a technology of self | 46 |
Music and the body | 75 |
Music as a device of social ordering | 109 |
Musics social powers | 151 |
164 | |
177 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
action active actors Adorno aerobic exercise aerobic music aesthetic materials aesthetic reflexive afford appropriate artefacts articulation associated behaviour bodily body cha-cha-cha class members company music concept conduct configured connotations constitution construction conventional cultural dance DeNora described device emotional energy engage entrainment environment Enya ethnographic example experience expert systems feeling focus forms Frith gestures going ical identity in-store interaction interview intimate John Sloboda karaoke kind latch Leonard Cohen linked listen Lucy matter McClary means medium mood move movement music provides music therapy music's effects music's powers music's role music's semiotic force music's social musical materials musical practice neonatal neonatology numbers organization parameters particular perceived perspective physical play pop music production relation relationship relaxing resource respondents retail rhythm rhythmic scenes self-identity sense session shops situations sociology sociology of music song sounds specific Star-Spangled Banner structure style tape temporal things TIA DENORA tion warm-up women