Week 11: The Perception of Emotion in Music ; Schubert & McPherson

The Perception of Emotion in Music

The main point of this chapter is about how children ‘perceive emotion in music rather than the emotion a child experiences in response to music’ (p. 194).

• Referentialism (Meyer) – the meaning in music comes from direct associations with the situations, mood and so forth in the music: something outside the music is connected and associated with the music. (acculturation, conscious or unconscious exposure)
• Absolutism (Meyer) – the meaning in music comes from within the structure of the music itself, without any need to make references to something outside the music.


‘Basic emotions’ include happiness, sadness, anger, joy, surprise and fear
‘Secondary emotions’ include embarrassment, shame, guilt, envy and pride (these are more culturally specific)

Infants ‘are born with basic kinds of mechanisms that enable them to interpret the emotional meaning of sounds in the environment, and, in particular, from their caregiver’ (p. 199).

The chart on p. 202 succulently describes the authors’ approach to emotions for 0-18+ years of age. ‘Schematic’ is similar to Meyer’s ‘absolutism,’ and ‘veridical’ is similar to Meyer’s ‘referentialism.’ The authors state that people oscillate between these two approaches throughout their childhood and adolescence.

The authors note the importance of exposing children to new musical styles during developmental periods where schematic connections dominate, as children will be more open to hearing new music. One such opportune period is from about 8-12 years old (see the chart on p. 202).

This is a relatively simple, straightforward chapter with good information for a DEVELOPMENTAL approach to the perception of emotion in music.