Why we love repetition in music - Video Activity

This lesson is based on the Ted Video Why we love repetition in music - Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis available at TedEd. Some of the questions of the task were copied from the TedEd platform.
It is suitable from an intermediate level onwards, specially teenagers and young adults.

Vocabulary - Before watching the video, check the meaning of the following words and expressions:

Chorus (of a song):

To rely on:

Mere:

Exposure:

Tapping to the beat:

Brute force:

Compelling:

Humming / to hum:

To shift:

Satiation:

Speech:

Loop:

To engage:

Musical earworms:


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While watching - Now watch the video and answer the multiple choice questions:

When repetition was added to excerpts from challenging contemporary art music:

A Listeners found the music more enjoyable, interesting, and artistic

B Listeners found the music more unpleasant, boring, and random

C Listeners found the music as enjoyable, interesting, and artistic as they had originally

D Listeners noticed that repetition had been added



When people hear a segment of music repeated:

A They're more likely to turn off the track

B They're more likely to relax

C They're more likely to turn up the track

D They're more likely to move along while listening



The semantic satiation effect refers to:

A The shift in feelings about a word's semantic meaning after it's been repeated many times

B The shift in ability to pronounce a word after it's been repeated many times

C The shift in attention from a word's meaning to a word's sounds after it's been repeated many times

D The shift in attention from a word's sounds to a word's meaning after it's been repeated many times



After you've heard a piece repeated a lot:

A You're able to anticipate what note is coming next

B You're able to compose it yourself

C You're able to explain it to someone else

D You're able to title it accurately



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Discussion:

Have you ever disliked a song at first, and then come to like it? Why might that be?

Do you think artists use repetition on purpose? How would they do it?

What is the strangest thing you can make sound musical by repeating it?

Repeat the word strawberry many times. Which parts of it sound strange?





Feel free to leave a comment with your answers!