What is it about?
Here we played pieces of classical music to students to see whether they reminded them of any aspects of their undergraduate degrees. We found surprising memories triggered such as celebrations associated with major key symphonic pieces, and library study associated with solo instrument repetitive tempo music. We suggest music can be used as an additional tool to elicit or trigger narratives for exploration in a way other methods can not do so.
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Why is it important?
We feel it is important as it accesses surprising memories that may not be accessible by other means that can then be used as a foal point for further discussion and comparison. We did not find these memories triggered or elicited by the traditional interview that preceded our use of music.
Perspectives
This was a very surprising study and one with great potential for further work in accessing memories that may lie untapped or not revealed by more traditional methods. It was fascinating to see how music almost transported participants to other places and times that could then be talked about. It was also fascinating to see how participants themselves were often surprised and puzzled by how the music did this.
Dr Nick Pilcher
Edinburgh Napier University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Da capo: A musical technique to evoke narrative recall, Psychology of Music, July 2014, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/0305735613480257.
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