Using Music As a Training Tool—Instructional Systems Development

Chapter . Turn Up the Audio

Imagine training without sound. For many people, it is impossible. Speech is their primary communication tool. Silence makes most people so uncomfortable that, when confronted with it, they will whistle, sing, or talk. Music may be the most powerful form of auditory communication. You find it everywhere: in homes, on televisions, in movies, in cars, in elevators, at stores, at work sites, in doctor's offices, and in nightclubs. People everywhere work, drive, eat, sleep, dream, and love to music.

Music is valuable in every known civilization, past and present. Most societies mark the important stages of a person's life with music. There are birth songs, birthday songs, coming-of-age songs, graduation songs, anniversary ...