A. Dance / C. Music · Music and Dance

Music: How Culture and the Media Shape What We Hear

C3.1 C2.1About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can explain how my culture and community shape the music I know and like.
I can describe how the media (streaming, radio, film, games and social media) affects my awareness and appreciation of music.
I can explain why Canada has Canadian content rules for radio.
I can write a detailed personal response to a piece of music.

Words to know

culture
The shared beliefs, language, traditions, food, art and music of a group of people.

streaming
Listening to music over the internet without downloading it to keep.

algorithm
A set of computer rules. Streaming apps use algorithms to choose songs to recommend to you.

Canadian content (CanCon)
Rules that require Canadian radio stations to play a certain amount of Canadian music.

soundtrack
The music that goes with a film, TV show or video game.

appreciation
Understanding and valuing something, even if it's not your favourite.

Remember from Grade 5

In Grade 5 you looked at how music is used in film, advertising and trends, and at how drums are used in traditions around the world.

This year you'll ask a bigger question: why do we know and like the music we do? Two big forces shape it: culture and the media.

Culture shapes our ears

The music you hear as a young child, at home, at family celebrations, at a place of worship or in your community, starts to feel normal to you.

Much of the music on Canadian radio uses major and minor scales and the I, IV, V chords you learned. To many listeners, that sounds "normal".
Other traditions use different scales and even notes between the keys of a piano. For example, Arabic music uses scale systems called maqamat (singular maqam), and Indian classical music uses ragas. To someone who grew up with these, they sound natural and beautiful.
Language matters too: you may connect more with songs in your family's languages.

None of these is "better". They're different. Learning about other music can grow your appreciation.

A small radio and a pair of headphones on a kitchen table by a window. — The music we hear on the radio and through our headphones shapes what sounds "normal" to us. AI-generated image

The media shapes what we hear

Streaming apps use algorithms to suggest songs similar to ones you already played. That's handy, but it can keep you in a "bubble" of the same styles.
Radio in Canada follows Canadian content (CanCon) rules. Most commercial radio stations must make sure that at least 35% of the popular music they play is Canadian. To count as Canadian, a song has to meet at least two of four MAPL conditions: Music composed by a Canadian, Artist (main performer) is Canadian, Performance recorded or broadcast live in Canada, Lyrics written by a Canadian. The goal is to help Canadian musicians be heard.
Film, TV and game soundtracks introduce millions of people to orchestral music, electronic music and songs they'd never have chosen.
Social media can make a song viral overnight, often only a short clip of it, and sometimes decades after it was released.
Awards and festivals: the Juno Awards celebrate Canadian music, including categories for Indigenous artists, and festivals bring many styles to local communities.

The MAPL test for Canadian content. A song needs at least 2 of the 4 conditions. Song 1 meets M and L, so it counts; Song 2 meets only A, so it does not.

Each square is one song. On most commercial radio stations, at least 35 out of every 100 popular songs played must be Canadian content.

Influence	Can increase awareness by...	Can limit awareness by...
Streaming algorithms	suggesting new artists similar to ones you like	showing you mostly the same styles
Radio and CanCon	making sure Canadian artists are heard	playing mostly the most popular hits
Soundtracks	introducing orchestral, electronic or world music	linking music only to one scene or character
Social media	spreading songs from anywhere in the world quickly	focusing on short clips instead of whole songs
Family and community culture	passing on songs, languages and traditions	making other styles sound strange at first

The same influence can widen or narrow what we hear.

A detailed personal response

A detailed response goes beyond "I liked it." Use these five parts:

First impression: How did it make you feel at first?
Describe: What did you hear? Use music words: tempo, dynamics, timbre, texture, form, metre.
Interpret: What do you think it's about or what mood does it create? Why?
Connect: Does it remind you of something in your life, your culture or other music?
Evaluate: Would you recommend it? To whom? Why? Give reasons.

Worked example

Example: Let's see how the media shaped a listener

Amira, 11, mostly listens to pop. One week she hears a fiddle song on a Canadian radio station, a cello piece in a movie soundtrack, and an old song that's trending on social media. How did the media affect her awareness and appreciation?

Radio (CanCon): because of Canadian content rules, she heard a Canadian artist she didn't know. Her awareness grew.
Movie soundtrack: she heard a cello in an emotional scene. Now she connects the cello's warm, low timbre with sadness and love. Her appreciation of orchestral music grew.
Social media: she heard only 15 seconds of the trending song. Her awareness grew, but she didn't know the whole song or its artist until she looked it up.
Algorithm: her streaming app usually suggests more pop. If she plays the fiddle song, the app may start suggesting more fiddle music.

The media widened Amira's awareness (new styles, Canadian artists) but some influences (short clips, algorithms) can also narrow it. Choosing to explore on purpose helps.

Worked example

Example: Let's write a detailed personal response

Write a response to an orchestral piece from a movie soundtrack that begins softly and builds up.

First impression: It gave me goosebumps by the end.
Describe: It started pp with only strings playing long notes (thin texture). Brass and drums joined, the dynamics grew to ff, and the tempo stayed slow and steady.
Interpret: I think it shows a hero finding courage, because it grows from quiet and alone to big and powerful.
Connect: It reminds me of how I felt before my first hockey tournament: nervous, then brave.
Evaluate: I'd recommend it to anyone who likes adventure movies, because the build-up is exciting even without the pictures.

A detailed response has feelings, music words, an interpretation with reasons, a personal or cultural connection, and an evaluation.

Just for fun

A streaming algorithm can act like a friend who says: "You liked ONE song about pizza? Here are 400 more songs about pizza!" That's why exploring on purpose matters.

Hands-on activity

My music map

You need: paper, coloured pencils, and a grown-up to help you look up music safely.

Draw yourself in the middle of the page. Around you, draw where your music comes from: family, friends, school, community events, radio, streaming, games, movies, social media.
For each source, write one song or style you know because of it.
Ask a grown-up or grandparent: What music did you grow up with? Where did you hear it? Add their answer to your map.
Listen to one piece from a style or culture that is new to you. Write a five-part detailed response.
Look at your map: which influence is the biggest? Is anything missing that you'd like to explore?

Your turn

Give two ways culture shapes the music you know and like.

What does a streaming algorithm do?

What percentage of popular music on commercial Canadian radio must be Canadian?

What does MAPL stand for? How many parts must a song meet to count as Canadian?

Name one way a soundtrack can increase your awareness of music.

List the five parts of a detailed personal response.

More practice: warm-up

What is culture?

What is a soundtrack?

What is streaming?

Which Canadian awards celebrate Canadian music?

Is music from another tradition "wrong" if it sounds unusual to you?

More practice: on your own

Why do you think Canada created CanCon rules?

How can a streaming algorithm put you in a "bubble"? How can you get out?

A song goes viral as a 15-second clip. Give one positive and one negative effect on listeners.

Rewrite this response to make it detailed: It was cool.

How might a grandparent's music taste be different from yours? Why?

Challenge

Write a five-part detailed response to a piece of music from a culture or style that is new to you. Include at least four music words.

Is a song by a Canadian singer, with music and lyrics written by Americans and recorded in the United States, "Canadian" under MAPL? Explain.

"The media only narrows our taste in music." Do you agree? Give evidence for both sides and your conclusion.

Check your understanding

Quiz

A streaming app recommends songs using ___.

Commercial Canadian radio must make at least ___ of its popular music Canadian.

In MAPL, the L stands for ___.

Music from another tradition that uses different scales is ___.

Which is part of a detailed personal response?

Which influence can introduce you to orchestral music you'd never choose yourself?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Students identify and describe ways in which awareness or appreciation of music is affected by culture and the media (C3.1) and express detailed personal responses to musical performances (C2.1).

How to help at home:

Share the music you grew up with and where you heard it. Your child's "music map" is richer with family stories.
Listen to a radio station, a playlist made by a person, or a concert together, not only algorithm suggestions.
Supervise online listening and searching, and check age guidelines for apps.

Common difficulties:

"That music is weird." Model respectful words: "different from what I'm used to."
Responses without music words. Keep a list of words handy: tempo, dynamics, timbre, texture, metre, form.
Seeing media as all good or all bad. Ask for one way it widens and one way it narrows what we hear.