The topic which these persons discussed is their relationship to Music in regards to their personal driving habits.
Music as a
Distraction
Mr. Sasabe wrote that he was speeding because of being distracted by the music in his car.
He mentions that he has been caught speeding twice. Maybe he was listening to the music
and not watching out for police. If you want to speed, you should try to be more aware of
what is happening on the road. If not, then you might get caught like Mr. Sasabe. He
mentions not having the radio on while driving and reported that he felt much calmer. I
have driven cars before that didn't have a radios and believe me I did not feel calmer.
Music has a calming effect for me. Growing up driving in Hawaiian traffic having
music playing has always had a soothing effect.
Chris Burlem says that music irritates him while in traffic. He reports that he has better concentration and is more relaxed when the radio is off. All I can say is, to each his own, but I feel that if he tries to find a style of music that he likes he may find it relaxing
Music as a Cause
Mr. Miyoshi expressed an opinion of how perhaps different types of music may have various
effects on people. He brings up a good point about physiological changes which may occur
while listening to faster, more upbeat music. Some of these changes might include things
such as elevated heart rate and increased adrenaline flow. He states that this may make us
more aggressive while driving. I think he might have a point but it would ultimately
depend on the individual. He also states that he feels more calm (surprisingly to him)
when the music is off while driving. He also brings us the fact that if you are
listening to music that makes you upset, then you could, in turn, drive more aggressively.
I have to disagree. I try not to listen to music that will upset me. I don't really think
that anyone does. Music is for enjoyment. Why would anyone intentionally listen something
aggravating when they could just change the station.
Mr. Shintani writes that he listens to more powerful music when he wants to drive fast. Personally, I can drive fast when I am listening to Patsy Cline or Nat King Cole. I think if someone wants to get somewhere more quickly then they will probably drive faster. This brings up a question I have been wondering about. Does fast music make you drive faster or does driving fast make you turn on more upbeat music? He also says that classical music reduces violence. This may be true in some cases. I have to say though that is someone cut me off or caused an accident, I would still be just as mad no matter what kind of music I was listening to at the time.
Brian Haimerman wrote about the psycho-physical effects of Rock n Roll music. He reiterates Mr. Miyoshi's statement about heart rate and other physical reactions such as elevated blood pressure. He is taking a class on the History of Rock n Roll. This sounds very interesting.
Music for Relaxation
Kristen Evert wrote that she likes her music loud when she is driving. She says that
if the information on music and driving is true, then she should be considered a maniac on
the road. She explains that she is not at all like this. She reports being passed rather
than doing the passing and also doesn't go more than 10mph over the speed limit. I
can definitely see her point because I love loud music when I drive. The louder the
better. But, I also consider myself a very safe driver.
Mary Ford writes that she has become more assertive with age. I think that maybe this is true for other people as well. As we get older, we gain more self-confidence and begin to exercise our individual rights and preferences more often. At least, this is true in my case. She suggests listening to relaxing tapes such as "Rain Melody". I think this is a great idea for better general mental health.
Tami Hashimoto states that music relaxes her when driving. She can tolerate other drivers better due to this relaxation technique. I totally agree with her. If a good song is on, I am more likely to smile at others and sing along while in traffic. There is nothing else I can do about the traffic so I may as well have a little fun.
Wilfred Lee says that driving fast while listening to classical music just doesn't work. I have to disagree because for me, I can drive fast when listening to Classical music. I sort of go into a trance and become harmonious with the road.(sorry, I don't mean to sound so corny) Anyway, some classical music is very upbeat. Maybe people should be more informed before making stereotypes.
Well now, back in 1969 we moved to Hawaii Kai and had to commute to town attend school I remember the DJ "J AKU HEAD PUPULI" who was the highest paid DJ in the USA. Anyway this was my fathers favorite station to listen to in the morning traffic jam on Kalanianiole. It was a mix of upbeat music and constant jokes. As a teenager I had loud home speakers in the back of the hatchback which I also used when my friends and I had bonfire parties on the beach, ah the good ole days. I listen to an eclectic combination of music styles stretching across Classical, Jazz, New Age & Rock. Music and driving for me are two things that go hand in hand. When I was younger, I listened to music pretty much the same way I listen to it now. Every chance I get. Now I do have an aversion to talk radio, some talk with jokes ok but It mainly has to be music for me to enjoy and relax.
Searching Usenet for Music
discussions
I foud a few Newsgroups that had some postings on music and cars.
uk.music.rave, alt.music.fleetwood-mac, uk.media.radio.bbc-r1
Searching the Web for Music sites
http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ps/broch.htm MSC in music psychology at Keele. This describes a course in music psychology. Music affects people's lives in a lot of different ways. This sounds like it would be an interesting course to take.
http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~muswlw/SRPMME/psymus.html This describes a service where people can submit papers concerning any psychological aspect of music. I think this would be useful in making more information available on this subject. It is a great idea.
http://www.w2.com/hands.html This site talks about a new company called Hands on Music, Inc. This company specifies which music will sound the best in automobiles. I wish them good luck and I hope that the idea takes off.
Browsing the Generations For Music and Driving
Holly Ishikawa's
Report 2 on- Music and Driving
She went into more extensive research by interviewing 5 people from different age
groups. She hypothesized that a person's age effects how they react to certain kinds
of music. She found that it doesn't really matter to people aged 46-55. People in
the 17-29 age group were more influenced by what they listened to. They would listen to
different types of music depending on their mood. She states that she enjoys music
while driving because she is not as lonely. She enjoys listening to instrumental music.
She did this as a child and feels relaxed when this kind of music is playing.
Ms. Ishikawa makes her report more interesting due to her own personal research. I liked this about her report. It made her data seem so much more realistic. I agree with her about enjoying music in the car. I'm not sure it would make me less lonely because I actually enjoy my time alone in the car. Instrumental is OK for a little while but I like to sing along. I would have to change to songs with words after awhile.
Mr. Ne III's
I tried to access this report but all I could bring up was his opinions on the e-mail
discussions in the instructions for that report. After that, it says that his navigation
table starts here, but I wasn't able to click on to anything.
Czarina Naranjo's
She reported that she agreed with all the issues which were brought up by others. She says
that fast music makes her more confident and she drives faster due to this. She also
agrees that she is calmer and more relaxed when listening to more mellow music. She
states that she like to sing along and could not drive safely without any music on. She
feels that music keeps the person driving more awake. They might have quicker
reaction time because of this.
Ryan Shintani's
He reports that he finds it hard to be aggressive when listening to classical music. When
he listens to rock music with a fast beat, he drives faster and pays less attention to
what is happening on the road. He says he gets caught up in the music. He tells of an
account of where he is driving and listening to music. He got pulled over for going 90mph
in a 50mph zone. He said that he didn't realize he was going that fast. I am sorry, but I
find this a little hard to believe. I drive 90mph, quite often, and in my opionion
no one could "accidently go 90mph unless they are on some mindaltering drug. If
he had said that he was going 70 or maybe even 80 mph then that would seem more believable
to me. Anyway, if you are on the road, you and only you are responsible for the way that
you drive. I feel that anyone who tries to blame their bad driving on music shouldn't be
driving.
Grace Lumabao's
She says that the effect of music on driving is different for individuals. She says that
she listens to mellow music because she likes it and it puts her in a better mood. When
she is in a good mood, she is less likely to let other driver's actions bother her.
ERIC search results for Music and Driving
Turner, M.L., Fernandez, J.E., and Nelson, K. The effect of music amplitude on the reaction to unexpected visual events. The Journal of General Psychology, Jan 1996, v123, n1, p51 (12).
Fost, D. Let the music play. American Demographics, July 1995, v17, n7, p24(1).
Spinney, L. Pump down the volume. (the effect of music on driving) New Scientist, July 19, 1997, v155, n2091, p22 (1).
Youngjohn, J.R., and Others. Test-Retest Reliability of computerized, Everyday Memory Measures and Traditional Memory Tests. 1991, v90.
Congress 102nd; National Issues; Turn It Down: Effects of Noise on Hearing Loss in Children and Youth. Hearing before the Select Committee on Children Youth, and Families. House of Representatives, One Hundred Second Congress, First Session. 1991, v143, n150.
Ogata, S. Human EEG responses to classical music and simulated white moise: effects of musical loudness component on consciousness. Perceptual and Motor Skill, June 1995, v80, n3, p770 (12).
Compared to
Other Reports
Brandon Suetsugi's report was interesting but it seemed as of he was just listing several
sources. I liked his background color.
Jennifer Lee has a good start. I really liked the format. She made it more interesting to look at.
Flordeliza Finta's has a more complex format. It seemed as I was reading her reports though that I read them somewhere before.
Susan Ganahl made a really good start. Her presentation was kind of like Brandon's. Maybe she should spice it up a little.
Conclusion
I think that maybe future generations should be giving only one topic at the beginning of
the semester and conduct extensive research on it. Possibly use surveys to get a
better idea of what a larger population thinks. Perhaps you could have radio stations let
their listeners call in with their reactions. My advice to them would be to start
early because the research is a pain in the you know what. It will take much longer than
you think. I wish I knew then what I know now. But hindsight is 20/20. Overall, don't
quit. If I can do it, so can you.
And Follow these simple intructions,
they will make this class be more relaxed and enjoyable:
First, slam your home page up
with minimum of toys and formatting.
Second, for all the other reports focus on all the reference
searching ASAP, copying the information and making notes when needed. Pick, from the
past generation a report that you like & with only minor changes, post it as your
report ( you will have time later to replace their typed information with yours!).
Third, write your report in a simple text editor like
"notepad". Using this .txt file cut and paste.
Finally, when this is done play with the formatting adding
your own special touch to your page.