paper essay

Read the first and third chapters of Daniel Levitin's (2006) This is Your Brain on Music. Write a 250-500 word (1-2 page double spaced) response using the questions below to guide your thinking. Post your response here. Feel free to focus in depth on a limited number of questions, or elaborate beyond these questions if you have other thoughts or reactions. If you reference quotes, remember to properly cite the author and page number. 

• What do you consider to be "music"? What criteria do you use? Are they the same as Levitin's?
• Levitin implies several times that some of these fundamental elements of music are "innate" or universal. Do you believe him? What evidence do you have?
• Levitin believes that "timbre is now at the center of our appreciation of music," (p. 55). Do you agree? Why or why not?
• How does Levitin distinguish between the "mind" and the "brain"? Do you agree with his distinctions?
• Consider Levitin's definition of "hyperrealities" (p. 108). In what ways have you experienced one of these with music?
• On page 109, Levitin claims that the brain "imposes structure" on sounds we perceive. How does your brain learn what structure to impose?

Once you have discussed these questions, think of your favorite genre of music. If you had to select six songs to explain that genre of music to someone (like Levitin did on pp. 51 - 52), which six would you pick? Bring these six songs to class next week.