Music in Everyday Life

Abstract

The power of music to influence mood, create scenes, routines and occasions is widely recognised and this is reflected in a strand of social theory from Plato to Adorno that portrays music as an influence on character, social structure and action. There have, however, been few attempts to specify this power empirically and to provide theoretically grounded accounts of music's structuring properties in everyday experience. Music in Everyday Life uses a series of ethnographic studies - an aerobics class, karaoke evenings, music therapy sessions and the use of background music in the retail sector - as well as in-depth interviews to show how music is a constitutive feature of human agency. Drawing together concepts from psychology, sociology and socio-linguistics it develops a theory of music's active role in the construction of personal and social life and highlights the aesthetic dimension of social order and organisation in late modern societies.

Promoting well-being through group drumming with mental health service users and their carers

“…These results reinforce previous accounts of hedonic well-being through music-making (DeNora, 2000) and of group music learning as a means for engagement and accomplishment (Perkins & Williamon, 2014), extending the confirmation of these effects to a clinical population. In addition, our results highlight the potential of group drumming as a valid tool for promoting social well-being, suggesting that changes in well-being through music can go beyond the private individual level, and are sufficiently empowering to build strong connectedness and promote openness, agency, and social engagement, in line with suggestions by Wood et al (2013).…”

“…Research has centred around two main threads: (1) the impact of listening to music and (2) the impact of making music. Studies focused on listening to music have evidenced a positive influence on stress reduction (Pelletier, 2004), emotional regulation and personal mood management (DeNora, 2000; Hays & Minichiello, 2005; Sloboda, 1999), pleasure and the arousal of positive emotions (Gabrielsson, 2011; Laukka, 2007; Salimpoor, Benovoy, Larcher, Dagher, & Zatorre, 2011), social bonding (Nilsson, 2008), and enhancement of cognitive functioning after neurological impairment (Särkämö, Tervaniemi, & Laitinen, 2008). Additionally, listening to music has been linked to an attribution of meaning in daily life for vulnerable populations such as older adults (Hays & Minichiello, 2005).…”

Uma Cidade Entre Sonhos De Néon. Encontros, Transações E Fruições Com as Culturas Musicais Urbanas Contemporâneas

“…Esses indivíduos são, de forma mais significativa, homens com mais de 40 anos, aos quais não é possível associar gêneros musicais, apesar de apontarem a música como algo que os influencia no dia a dia por meio da banda sonora do eu (DeNora, 2000). Quanto às novas dinâmicas de cultura urbana, associam-na à periferia e avaliam como falso o regresso à baixa enquanto modo de vida, apostando na mistura de estilos e de gostos.…”

“Det aller største mor vet om…”: Om å gi videre et levd liv med musikk og å formidle for lite

“…Jeg har gjort dette ved å anvende en kombinasjon av to ulike teoretiske tilnaerminger. Gjennom det mer antropologisk orienterte perspektivet vektlegges hvordan musikken åpner for minner om tid og sted (DeNora, 2000;Ruud, 1997). Morens barndoms sted inneholder radioen som kulturell artefakt og opplevelsene knyttet til radioprogrammene i et livsverdensperspektiv (jf.…”