Soundtracking Everyday Life: The Use of Music in Redefining Situations*

In: Sociological inquiry: the quarterly journal of the International Sociology Honor Society, Band 48, Heft 2, S. 133-141

Abstract

As a result of technological advances, music is presently widely available as a means of modifying social occasions. As with other artifacts, the use of music requires technical knowledge. Leaving aside the more crystallized segments of this knowledge, such as musical therapy and movie soundtracking, the study sought to explore the functional correlation college students established between types of music and social occasions. The existence of a body of consistent, though uncodified, technical knowledge is confirmed. This knowledge prescribes types of music appropriate for social occasions, and specifies the particular effects that can be obtained and the role played by some of the music's elements.