Heartbeat

Music can trigger powerful physiological responses. Music can elicit a remarkable

range of emotions, from elation to the deepest sorrow. As well as provoking a mental

response, it also has characteristic effects on the body.

Music can give us the ‘thrills’, ‘chills’ and

‘shivers’. Heart rate and skin conductance may

change. The hairs on the back of our neck really

stand up.

These effects arise from the action of

hormones. Music activates areas of the brain such as

the insula, which seems to maintain how the body

‘feels’. Music thus conveys a sensation that affects our whole body. Music may affect

levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can influence the immune system.

How music affects mind and body. Moved by music Magazine. Issue 10, June 2009. Page 4

Vocabulary

Trigger: to make something happen very quickly, especially a series of events

Elicit: to succeed in getting information or a reaction from someone, especially when this

is difficult:

Elation: a feeling of great happiness and excitement

Sorrow: a feeling of great sadness, usually because someone has died or because

something terrible has happened to you

Thrills: a sudden strong feeling of excitement and pleasure, or the thing that makes you

feel this

Chills: a feeling of coldness

Shivers: a slight shaking movement of your body caused by cold or fear.

In groups of four, write an essay about national musicians:

You can use the following questions as a reference to guide your essay

* Why should Costa Rica promote national musicians?

* Is music a way to express the national identity? Why?

* What is the effect of musical heroes on people’s feelings and behaviors?

* What kind of topics does the music use in their lyrics?

* Do musical heroes have an influential role within societies?

When you finish, exchange your compositions with another group and give

each other feedback

In groups of four, write an essay about national musicians:

You can use the following questions as a reference to guide your essay:

* Why should Costa Rica promote national musicians?

* Is music a way to express the national identity? Why?

* What is the effect of musical heroes on people’s feelings and behaviors?

* What kind of topics does the music use in their lyrics?

* Do musical heroes have an influential role within societies?

When you finish, exchange your compositions with another group and give

each other feedback