Research Symposium Program - Individual Details
5th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, April 17, 2025
Bella Coleman She/her C - 7 R - 3
BIO
My name is Annabella Coleman, and although I do not wish to pursue music in my career, I believe music is important in everyday life, especially for teenagers. My passion for the artistry of music was what inspired this topic for my research project. As an involved band kid, I have always been affected tremendously by classical music and live performances; I wondered if my peers felt the same, or if they were more emotionally connected to digitally made music. I am very excited to see the results!
How Does the Use of Acoustic Vs. Digital Instruments in Recorded Music Affect Teens’ Emotional Response to Music?
Authors: Bella Coleman, Doedy DealStudent Major: None as of now (I am a junior in highschool)
Mentor: Doedy Deal
Mentor's Department: AP Research Mentor's College: J.R. Arnold High school Co-Presenters: None
Abstract
Music is all around us, whether it is digitally made with computer systems or produced acoustically from an instrument. Music is well-known for its therapeutic effects, such as producing a sense of "mental clarity", but will these emotional effects differ based on the instruments used? (McCraty et al. 1998). This is the nature that inspired my investigation on how the use of acoustic versus digital instruments in recorded music affect teens' emotional response to music. Using a true experimental methodology, I created a survey with various audios, which was given to high school students. I also created an observational checklist for each participant, which addressed the physical presentation of the participant's emotions during each audio. After obtaining 23 participant answers, the highest likert scale number response for each audio was then compared to the other audio that was the same piece, just different instruments. The qualitative results were then compared to the participant responses to ensure that the results seemed to correspond. It was shown that majority of the participants were generally more impacted by the acoustic instrumental audios than the digital instrumental audios, which was concluded from a more agreed response on the emotion that was being implemented by the music and the higher overall intensity of the acoustic instruments.
Keywords: Music, Acoustic instruments, Digital Instruments