Abstract

The term musicking has been defined as taking part in listening, performing, practicing, or creating music. This brings about the question of boundaries for such a term: where does musicking begin and end? If this process envelopes both the creation and consumption of music, are there any aspects within those areas that do not qualify as part of musicking? Does the environment in which one listens to a song change its meaning and impact, and are the ambient sounds from that environment included in the musicking process? If musicking includes all music, regardless of intention, message, or purpose, are random sounds music? Are songs that exist for political purposes considered music if they can be manipulated and manipulating?

I will conduct a series of interviews determining the boundaries of the musicking process, from both performers and listeners. I will analyze the effects of environment on the listener’s perception and response to a song by changing the surroundings in which the music is heard, and examine the listener’s views on the boundaries of musicking when introduced to the impact of ambient sounds. In addition, I will use examples from counterculture and political music from the 1960s and today to determine if the intention of the artist matters when the environments in which these songs are played can be manipulated to change the way they are received. During these interviews, I will break down a popular song to its most basic rhythm and play those sounds for the subjects, and have them evaluate if such simple sounds are part of the musicking process.

I will employ the use of popular music in the settings in which they are normally consumed, change the way they are heard and mixed with other sounds, and determine the extent of the musicking process through these methods.