A) Matt Snow and Clayton Edwards
B) Dear Parents,
Each student in our eighth grade band class has been asked to complete a simple
composition assignment. In this assignment, students “will compose and arrange music within
specified guidelines.” Students will also be using media analysis techniques to break down the
components of commercial jingles to better understand how they function as media constructs.
Through this analysis students will not only “understand relationships between music, the other
arts, and content areas outside the arts,” but also “understand music in relation to history and
culture.”
During class we will reference several well known jingles such as McDonald’s “I’m
lovin’ it” and Campbell Soup’s “Mm mm good.” We will not only analyze the musical aspects,
but the lyrical and suggestive nature of the jingles. Through the analysis students will learn to
“recognize the power of media to influence.” This understanding of the construction of media
gives students a better awareness of the necessity for critical thinking when interpreting various
types of media. Some of the jingles analyzed in this lesson use lyrics which loosely, if at all,
relate to the product being sold. Understanding the reasons why involves taking on a new,
analytical perspective. This perspective reveals, among other things, that many advertisements
are not geared towards selling a product, but rather selling a lifestyle which is made out to be
appealing. The McDonald’s slogan, for example, is not necessarily implying that people love the
food and the service. In watching an entire ad it becomes apparent that McDonald’s typically
portrays customers as living a very healthy lifestyle and thus loving life, not necessarily the
product.
Since most jingles have some musical quality, we will be analyzing the construction of
that music in this lesson. We find that most jingles are quite short and fairly easy to remember.
By asking the students to think of the reasons behind these qualities, we can come to the
conclusion that many viewers subconsciously memorize jingles. Thus it is important to ask how
the musical nature of the jingle makes them so memorable. Looking at possible answers helps
lead students to develop a more critical approach to interpreting the media they are exposed to in
every-day life. This also exposes students to the fact that the music and “the arts are often
embedded in our daily life, so much so that we often don’t even notice it.” Looking at the nature
of the music created and the joyful nature of the pitches used in jingles opens up the topic of why
some sounds make people happy and other sounds make people sad or scared. This concept
exemplifies how “the arts have been an inseparable part of the human journey.” Furthermore, it
allows students to “describe how information and ideas are influenced by prior knowledge,
personal experience, and social, cultural, political, economic, and historical events,” which is an
extremely important when analyzing media constructs in our everyday lives.
Also through analyzing the media for this projects students will learn to “[analyze]
nonverbal communication and [make] informed judgments about cultural products and issues.”
This nonverbal aspect of this assignment is drawn from the jingles which have no lyrics. By
asking questions which require critical thinking skills, and through the composition project itself,
students will be able to expand upon their ability to “[make] decisions creatively when no
prescribed answers exist.” Our goal is to not only teach students how to think for themselves,
but how to question what they see and hear in the world around them.
C) Music with Lyrics:
McDonald’s - “I’m lovin’ it.”
Maybelline - “Maybe it’s Maybelline.”
Campbell’s Soup - “Mm mm good.”
Just Lyrics:
Mazda - “Zoom-zoom”
Staples - “That was easy”
Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes - “They’re great!”
Just Music:
Intel
NBC
D) Commercial jingles / slogans
E) See uploaded files
F) 1. All media are constructions.
Media products are carefully crafted constructions, the results of many decisions, conscious and
unconscious.
What are the benefits of using non-naturally occurring sounds? It’s made to be pleasing
to the ear and is catchy since you wouldn’t hear something like that in nature. Technology
allows for easy creation and playback of a jingle.
In what ways do the lyrics relate to the music and the product? The lyrics make you feel
good, which give a positive association to the product, even if the product is not specifically
mentioned. The music is also pleasing, adding to the overall positive impact of the message.
2. The media are commercial entities.
All media products are shaped, in terms of both their form and their content, by commercial
considerations.
Who is the target audience? In the case of McDonald’s, any consumer who wants instant
gratification via food. Anyone who wants a fast car.
What makes this appealing to a broad range of people? It sends a happy message.
Everyone eats and most people drive cars. It targets a person’s ideal lifestyle, not just their
response to a product.
How is this appeal effective in reaching the goal of creating a jingle? It relates to people
on multiple levels with a quick, memorable expression, which is the purpose of a jingle.
Who does it exclude? It excludes people who don’t speak English, are deaf, or are not
interested in the product and therefore disinterested in the message of the jingle.
3. Media communicate values and ideology.
All media products contain implicit and explicit value messages and assumed truths about the
nature of human beings and the world in which we live.
What assumptions are being made about the consumer based on the jingle? The
consumer’s life is not perfect and could be improved by the product they are marketing,
because the consumer deserves “only the best.”
4. The media have social and political implications.
The mass media have the potential to affect out behavior as individuals and citizens in a variety
of ways.
Have you ever contemplated the meaning of a jingle before? No
What do the words in some of the example jingles imply or represent? Food tastes good.
Fast cars are better. It represents an ideal style of life.
Have you ever found yourself randomly humming a jingle? Yes
Do you know what triggered it? No. Yes, the mention of the name of the product or a
similar tune to that of the jingle.
In what ways could the jingle influence you upon remembrance? It could make you
happy, or annoyed that it’s stuck in your head. It could make you hungry or excited. With the
make-up jingle it could make you feel less than pretty.
5. Media forms are related to content.
Different media represent reality in different ways: the form of a given piece of media shapes the
message it sends.
If you were deaf and could only read the words of the jingle, would they make sense to
you? Yes
Would you interpret them differently? How? Yes. You wouldn’t hear the music so it
might not get stuck in your head. You would be forced to think about it more literally.
6. The media have aesthetic qualities.
Familiarity with the aesthetic dimensions of media can lead to deeper understanding and greater
enjoyments.
How does the use of intervals make or not make an effective jingle? Use of major keys
because they sound happy. Avoid dissonance to make the listener feel happy.
How do the melodies make you feel? Warm and fuzzy. Conclusive.
How do the lyrics make you feel? They make us feel good about the product and our lives.
It feels like the product will my life better.
7. Audiences are involved in the process of creating meaning.
What a viewer makes of a piece of media depends on his or her past experiences, viewing skill,
and current state of mind.
What emotions can be manipulated or touched on by a jingle? Desire, hunger, selfesteem, nostalgia, etc.
What groups of people could be effected by nostalgia? Older people with fond memories
of a product from childhood.
McDonald’s has had an unusually high number of jingles since its conception. How
does consistency hurt or hinder a jingle? Consistency increases the likelihood of creating
nostalgia in people later in life. New jingles break the monotony of the old and create
numerous subconscious references to a product. The Intel jingle sounds fresher because it
has synthesized sounds and different interval choices.
If you heard a jingle from the 50’s, would you know that it was dated? Yes, because
recording technology has become better along with the development of more musical ideas
and timbres.
Has the idea of a jingle changed and developed over time? Yes, jingles have become
shorter and are created to be easily recallable after only one listen. It creates a quick and
positive association with a product.
What qualities (if any) “date” a jingle? The length, style, timbre, quality, melody, etc.
G) Each student is to compose their own jingle, including lyrics, which could be used to aid in the
marketing of a product, store, or service of their choice. All stores and services ideas should be
student created. DO NOT use pre-existing entities. Compositions should be no more than five
seconds in duration. The goal is to create a catchy musical idea that is easily accessible and
promotes the sale of the product, store, or service selected, as seen in the examples above.
The Maelstrom Blender