Blog Posts

Reflections

End of Course Review

Content

I've learned a lot through the research process. In regards to the specific content, I have learned the answer to my research question. There are, in fact, musical patterns amongst the stars. Additionally, I learned these patterns may imply a deeper understanding of ancient musical development. If I have the opportunity to study this further, then I hope to examine patterns that may apply to not only the stars, but to other celestial bodies.

Product

Creating my paper, presentation, and preparing my oral defense was a long process. I learned that it is better to not procrastinate while completing these tasks, and that it is important to manage time effectively. I intend to use these skills throughout my college career to manage my time to the most efficient extent. Without this skill, it would not be feasible to continue this project in the future.

Process

By far, the most important skill I acquired was learning to adapt. I had initially started my research project in an entirely different direction, though I ended up studying the stars and the music that can be associated with them. I intend to continue using what I learned in college to help make the research process easier. I learned that I am a perfectionist who spends way too much time working on little details. I learned to manage my time better significantly.

Acknowledgements

Thank you

Thank you to...

My parents: I am thankful for the support and practice that my parents have given me.
My friends: I am eternally grateful for my boyfriend and close friends who encouraged me throughout this intense research process.
My instructors: Mr. McBride and Mrs. Dobos, thank you for your guidance and support throughout our classes.
My teachers: For being so understanding and lenient with my lack of time.

My Project

Here's a peek at my project's results!

Abstract

The British Royal Observatory states that the ancient Greeks developed art and stories behind patterns in the sky, and they are still known to this day as our modern constellations. Everyone knows about constellations in one way or another, but have you tried looking at them through a musical perspective? Have you ever thought that perhaps the ancient Greeks intended the constellations, their art, and music to be one in the same?

In order to fully understand my research, it is important to note some key terms in both music and astronomy.

Constellations: These are patterns depicted by invisible human-made lines between stars that create a shape to resemble various images. Next is Magnitude. Magnitude is essentially a measure of how bright a star is. The brighter the star, the lower the magnitude.

Finally, the spectral type. This is a classification system for all stars based on their temperature and luminous intensity. Luminosity, although similar, is not the same as the star’s magnitude-- or brightness. It represents a value that shows how many times brighter than our own sun the star is. Now that we understand the characteristics of stars, let’s move on to some basic music terms…

Notes: A note is a symbol in music that can be altered to represent different lengths, sounds, and patterns. Here’s an example of a note, I’m sure you’ve all seen one before. Here is a whole note, a half note, a quarter note, and an eighth note. The whole note is the longest in this set while the eighth note is the shortest.

Pitches: The pitch of a note is how high or low the note sounds, as depicted by their note names. In my research I used two octaves, or 16 notes. Dynamics: Dynamics are what determine the volume of the note, how loud or quiet it is. In music, this is depicted by forte, meaning loud, mezzoforte, meaning medium loudness, and piano, meaning soft or quiet.

Patterns: There are many different “patterns” or rhythms throughout music, but I will explain them as I reveal the patterns I found in my data.

I chose to correlate the Spectral Types with the musical aspect of my project. I evenly distributed about 16 notes and their frequencies among my data and then compared those frequencies to existing notes. Evenly distributing these --(for the human ear to accurately understand patterns)-- frequencies among the various spectral types, I am able to transform the spectral types into compositions. Essentially, This means that the hotter the star and bigger the star, the deeper the note. I chose to correlate the Spectral Types with the musical aspect of my project. I evenly distributed about 16 notes and their frequencies among my data and then compared those frequencies to existing notes. Evenly distributing these --(for the human ear to accurately understand patterns)-- frequencies among the various spectral types, I am able to transform the spectral types into compositions. Essentially, This means that the hotter the star and bigger the star, the deeper the note. Doing this resulted in the knowledge that there are, in fact, musical patterns throughout the sky.

Links:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IOTvoppH42wKP-uPK8CsrtKYSiyok5lUqkRxkcxtRoA/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nuYG6Db8uyKkIoc2CvNKisVCYb6wBgvuTkF8IwCda9o/edit?usp=sharing

What's next?

I am going to attend CU Boulder for Honors Aerospace Engineering program. I don't have a senior graduation announcement, but I hope my plans for the future include both space and music.

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