Tentative Topic: Music
Tentative Research: Does anyone not like music?
Rationale: Music has such a huge impact on our culture. I was wondering why people like music so much and why it moves us. Most things in the world you either like or dislike, but music seems to be something that everyone can enjoy. Are there actually people in the world that don't listen to some form of music? If they exist, what kind of personalities do these people have?
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Clay, this is a really interesting question you're posing. It seems to me that music is a cultural universal. In fact, I'm not aware of any cultures that "don't like" music, per se (but I'm happy to be proven wrong! :)However, I think some forms of music might be so different from western forms of music that we might not even recognize them as music (for example, gamelan music in India has little in the way of western melodic structure--there's lots of dissonance and no clear, consistant rythmn). You say you're "wondering why people like music so much and why it moves us." This is a great--and very complex!--question, and as you research, perhaps an even more specific question will take shape (which might be necessary, given you have just 5-7 pages to explore your topic). Perhaps you might look into the scientific literature on music and how it affects our physiology/brain chemistry to get an unexpected perspective on your topic. There's also all sorts of information out there about the relationship between music and emotion, or the place of music in cultural and religious rituals. Might you consider "localizing" your question a bit, and asking about the impact of music on your generation (and how new technologies like the iPod have made music--historically a more community-oriented experience--a more solitary affair?) Do you think there are drawbacks to walking around with earphones in all day, shutting out the noises of the world around us? How does this use of music differ from the experiences you have leading worship at church? Are these two kinds of listening fulfilling different needs? (Just some questions to get you thinking :)
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