I Love Muzak
“This is really the kind of music one isn’t supposed to hear, the sort that helps
to fill the empty spots between pauses in a conversation.” Composer Aaron
Copeland
Oh my. I’m so embarrassed. I never thought I’d say this. Not in a million year. Not as
a serious musician. Certainly not as a science-based Learnertainer. But here it is …
nevertheless … I love Muzak.
To explain my statement, we have to start at the beginning: silent films.
A true silent film is a jarring experience because of its lack of warmth.
Camouflaging this silence is one of the important functions of film. Nearly every film
features music over a third of its length. And in a Hollywood environment where
moneymaking sequels matter more than quality, many mediocre films are made
palatable by the addition of popular music. It is also safe to state that like dynamics
hold true in real life. We have proof: Muzak
In 1922 Brigadier General George Owen Squier noticed this function of film music
and decided to apply music to the silences of daily life. In the process he founded
the Muzak company. His idea worked so well that an estimated 100 million people
will be exposed to Muzak on the same day you read this.
One of the reasons for Muzak’s success has to do with its pacing. Muzak selections
are carefully matched to the hour of the day. Peppy melodies and hyper rhythms in
the morning, light pop at lunchtime, mellow songs for mid-afternoon, classic pop at
dinnertime and higher energy selections in the evening.
Additionally, all of Muzak’s programming is arranged into quarter-hour blocks. The
music is designed to match the energy cycles of listeners. At the beginning of a
programming block, the music starts softly. From that point forward, it builds until,
at fifteen minutes, it reaches its peak in volume. It then starts over, repeating this
cycle every fifteen minutes.
Muzak’s researchers state that this “Stimulus Progression” effectively counters
worker fatigue. Various studies have validated that the Stimulus Progression in work
environments:
• Increases output;
• Reduces stress;
• Enhances concentration; and
• Improves morale.
Muzak’s research even suggests that likeability is largely irrelevant, that it is
possible to achieve increased productivity by playing music that ignores employee
preference but focuses on the function the music is designed to serve.
Trainers, presenters and educators obviously do not want Muzak playing throughout
a learning event. Movies don’t feature continuous background music either. Instead,
program leaders can selectively use music to camouflage silence at specific
moments in any program. What follows are some examples that make you too love
Muzak.
Play music when many people converse at once - The noise made by large groups
tasked with talking simultaneously can be deafening. Music can take the edge off of
the sound. In a crowded room, music acts much like lemon to a plate of fish.
Lemon, when sprinkled on the fish, cuts the odor. Music, when played softly in the
background of discussion periods, cuts the noise.
Play music during small group discussions - In small group discussions learners
who are sitting near, and in some cases, next to each other are placed in different
groups. Music, when used in these situations, functioning as a masking agent, adds
a layer of sound that prevents learners from eavesdropping on other conversations
and allows them to focus on their own group.
Play music during solo reflection periods - When learners are asked to reflect on a
subject any sound can disrupt their thoughts. Much as silent film theaters used
house bands to cover up crowd and projector noise, light, slow, reflective music
serves as a buffer between individual coughs and whispers. An additional bonus is
the fact that slow, reflective music helps learners think.
Play music during creative visioning exercising - New Age or Impressionistic music,
used during brainstorming exercises, provides learners with musical anchors they
can attach their thoughts to.
Play music while practicing repetitive tasks - Repetitive tasks are made easier by
music. If you exercise you may already know this to be true. Our bodies have a
rhythm. Our heart beats, we breathe in and out and our blood pulses, all in time.
Some amazing feats have been accomplished by tying tasks to music. African slaves,
for instance, used work chants to survive the backbreaking work of picking cotton.
The workmen who built the transcontinental railroad sang as they drove spikes into
the rails. The soldiers who fought for our freedom sang as they marched hundreds
of miles.
If your trainees are required to learn repetitive tasks, music with a steady beat can
help. Studies demonstrate that music helps learners:
• Repeat monotonous tasks with higher levels of interest
• Work longer;
• Elongate attention spans;
• Improve task concentration;
• Increase task speed; and
• Build consistency.
Simply select a piece of music that pulses at a speed complementary to the task at
hand.
Play music during breaks - The lack of an audio signal during breaks can undercut
any comfortable atmosphere you may have built. Instead of allowing this silence to
linger, select and play music appropriate to the instruction that just occurred. If
your learners are all keyed up and you feel the need to calm them down, play some
slower, reflective music. If the just ended segment required intense concentration,
play up-tempo music to help your learners unwind. As the break reaches its halfway
point, switch music. Play selections more appropriate to the segment you will soon
begin. One minute before the break ends, turn the music up to indicate that the
learners should return, and then, turn it off when you are ready to start.
Play music during reviews - Giorgi Lozanov, the father of Suggestopedia and
accelerated learning created what he called concerts. Lozanov believed that
suggestion is more easily accepted when a student is deeply relaxed, both mentally
and physically. To achieve this level of relaxation in his learners, his reviews would
include deep breathing exercises, a comfortable and relaxed position, a calm,
pleasant atmosphere, a background of classical music, and the recitation of critical
information.
Lozanov would recite, or have the trainees recite the key learning points
accompanied by slow Baroque or early Classical period music, pulsing at a rate
parallel to that of the human heart, around 60 to 80 beats per minute. By placing
key review points into a PowerPoint presentation timed to music, any trainer can use
this relaxation technique.
As the applications listed above suggest, Muzak, drawing inspiration from film
music, has pointed the way towards effective learning. So, reluctantly, in spite of the
way Muzak annoys me, I must state … unfortunately … I love Muzak.
Visit Lenn on line at www.offbeattraining.com.
Blog with Lenn at http://offbeat-online.blogspot.com/
Lenn Millbower, BM, MA, the Learnertainment® Trainer is an expert in applying
show biz techniques to learning. He is the author of the ASTD Info-Line, Music as a
Training Tool, focused on the practical application of music to learning; Show Biz
Training, the definitive book on the application of entertainment industry
techniques to training; Cartoons for Trainers, a popular collection of 75 cartoons for
learning; Game Show Themes for Trainers, a best-selling CD of original learning
game music; and Training with a Beat: The Teaching Power of Music, the foremost
book on the application of music to learning. Lenn is an in-demand speaker, with
successful presentations at ASTD 1999-2005 and SHRM 2006; a creative and
dynamic instructional designer and facilitator formally with the Disney University
and Disney Institute; an accomplished arranger-composer skilled in the
psychological application of music to learning; a popular comedian, magician and
musician; and the president of Offbeat Training®, infusing entertainment-based
techniques into learning to keep ‘em awake!
