2.11 What are some careers in biomusicology?
Provided by Kenan Fellows Program.
There are many STEM careers emerging in the field of biomusicology.
Learning outcomes
By gathering information in books, from interviews, and on the Internet, learners will identify several career possibilities in the field of biomusicology research.
Teacher planning
Time required
This is a one-week, project-based assignment. It can also be divided into segments to correspond with the lessons throughout the unit.
Materials needed
Secrets of Sound: Studying the Calls and Songs of Whales, Elephants, and Birds by April Pulley Sayre
Technology resources
Computers with Internet access
Teacher background information
The following information on biomusicology is an excerpt from Wikipedia and includes citations from “An Introduction to Evolutionary Musicology,” The Origins of Music, edited by Wallin, Merker, and Brown.
Biomusicology is the study of music from a biological point of view. The term was coined by Nils L. Wallin in 1991. Music is an aspect of the behaviour of the human and possibly other species. As humans are living organisms, the scientific study of music is therefore part of biology, thus the “bio” in “biomusicology.”
Biomusicologists are expected to have completed formal studies in both biology or other experimental sciences and musicology including music theory. The three main branches of biomusicology are evolutionary musicology, neuromusicology, and comparative musicology. Evolutionary musicology studies the “origins of music, the question of animal song, selection pressures underlying music evolution,” and “music evolution & human evolution.” Neuromusicology studies the “brain areas involved in music processing, neural and cognitive processes of musical processing,” and “ontogeny of musical capacity and musical skill.” Comparative musicology studies the “functions and uses of music, advantages and costs of music making,” and “universal features of musical systems and musical behavior.”
Applied biomusicology “attempts to provide biological insight into such things as the therapeutic uses of music in medical and psychological treatment; widespread use of music in the audiovisual media such as film and television; the ubiquitous presence of music in public places and its role in influencing mass behavior; and the potential use of music to function as a general enhancer of learning.”
Activities
This lesson uses the 5E instructional model, which includes five phases: engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate.
Engage
Ask students what kinds of science or music careers there are in the field of biomusicology. Record careers on a chart.
Explore
Read the book Secrets of Sound: Studying the Calls and Songs of Whales, Elephants and Birds. Discuss the different types of jobs that biomusicology scientists have.
Explain
Have students research a scientist working in the field of biomusicology and write a brief report on the career. The reports should include the animals studied, where the research is being conducted, how the scientist collects data, and the benefits and challenges of the career.
Elaborate
Create a display board and present projects to class.
Evaluate
Provide students with a rubric before they begin their report with guidelines for research and presentation. Evaluate reports according to this rubric.
Critical vocabulary
- biomusicology
- the study of music from a biological point of view
- scientist
- a person having expert knowledge of one or more sciences; a person who studies or practices any of the sciences or who uses scientific methods
- musician
- a composer, conductor, or performer of music
- biomusicologist
- a scientist-musician who studies the field of biomusicology
North Carolina curriculum alignment
Guidance (2001)
Grade K–5
- Goal 4: Acquire the skills to investigate the world of work in relation to knowledge of self and to make informed career decisions.
- Objective 4.01: Document the variety of traditional and non-traditional occupations.
Music Education (2001)
Grade 4
- Goal 8: The learner will understand relationships between music, the other arts, and content areas outside the arts.
- Objective 8.02: Identify ways in which the principles and subject matter of other content areas taught in the school are related to those of music.
Grade 5
- Goal 8: The learner will understand relationships between music, the other arts, and content areas outside the arts.
- Objective 8.02: Identify ways in which the principles and subject matter of other content areas taught in the school are related to those of music.
- 1 Second and third grade lessons
- 2 Fourth and fifth grade lessons
- 2.1Where is sound in our environment?
- 2.2How can we represent sounds that are in the environment?
- 2.3How do animals create sound to communicate?
- 2.4How can we view and distinguish sounds?
- 2.5How sound is like a wave: Investigating animal echolocation
- 2.6How does an animal's environment affect the frequency of its sound?
- 2.7How does sound travel in different environments?
- 2.8What sounds do whales use to communicate?
- 2.9What are the reasons animals use sounds?
- 2.10How is dolphin communication similar to human communication?
- 2.11What are some careers in biomusicology?
(Image source. More about the photograph)
Learn more
- Wild Music In the research section of the Wild Music website, your students can learn about scientists and research in the field of biomusicology.
- Sheyna Wisdom Listens to Whales In this interview from the Journey North website, students can read about one researcher's whale sound project.
Related topics
- Share:
Credits
By Debra Hall and Crystal Patillo.
Provided by Kenan Fellows Program.
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