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The week in review

Let’s recap week one and look forward to what’s ahead when we meet again.
6.2
So here we are at the end of week one. It’s been a terrific start to the course. Good work, everyone. It’s been really fascinating reading your comments and seeing the differences in how people relate to music. Our aims this week, were to introduce you to the psychology of music, how expectations work, and really to get you thinking about emotions from a psychological angle. The example of the study with the Capilano Suspension Bridge should have helped you understand some basic principles about how our expectations influence our emotion. Additionally, you should now have a basic understanding of some of the core principles of music psychology, about how the brain processes music without our conscious awareness.
53.6
Next week we’ll draw these together and talk about specific songs, including “Bohemian Rhapsody.” One thing to remind you about. If you haven’t already, it’s not too late to post in the discussion sections in week one. We’d encourage you to interact with other learners in the course and to share your thoughts on what you’ve learned.

Let’s recap week one and look forward to what’s ahead when we meet again.

Thanks for joining us this week and we’re happy you’ve made it this far into the course. We hope you have enjoyed exploring the psychology and neuroscience backgrounds to

  • how we turn air vibrations into sounds we perceive,
  • what’s going on behind the scenes when we experience the emotions

Next week, we’re going to combine these insights into an understanding of how it all comes together when we have emotional reactions, like goosebumps, when we listen to music, and why some music might make us laugh.

Your task

For your final task of the week, please select the comments link and post what you have enjoyed most about the course so far. What has been the most meaningful or valuable for you this week? How might you put this knowledge or insight into practice?

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Music Psychology: Why Does "Bohemian Rhapsody" Feel so Good?

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