【一起听英语】你的音乐细胞有多少（在线收听）

怎样才算是一个有音乐细胞的人。不单单是会弹乐器哦

Yvonne: Hello, I'm Yvonne Archer, this is 6 Minute English – and I'm delighted that

Rob has joined me today! Hello Rob.

Rob: Hello Yvonne, nice to be here.

Yvonne: To start the New Year, BBC Radio 3 ran a Mozart festival, playing 12 days of

the genius' classical music. Now, many people believe that we need to be

musical to enjoy classical music. So Rob, what makes someone musical in your

opinion?

Rob: Hmm – well, I don't think it's just about playing musical instruments. I think

it's somebody who appreciates and understands the rhythm of a piece of music

or a song.

Yvonne: OK – that means that you'll probably find today's question quite interesting.

Are you ready?

Rob: Absolutely.

Yvonne: Listen to these two pieces of music, and, ignoring the pitch – that's the key

they're played in – tell me whether they're

a) exactly the same or

b) different 

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2011

Page 2 of 6

Insert 1: BBC Learning English music test

Yvonne: Well?

Rob: Hmm, it's tricky but I do think they're different. Yes, a different beat in the

second piece of music there.

Yvonne: OK, we'll find out whether you're right or wrong later on, Rob. Now that's the

sort of question you might be asked in BBC Radio 3's online test to find out

about people's musical abilities.

Rob: Hmm - that sounds like fun.

Yvonne: It does. Dr Lauren Stewart of Goldsmith University is one of the scientists

running the Radio 3 project. So, is the traditional description of musical people

as people who can play a musical instrument or who've had formal music

training a good one?

Insert 2: Dr Lauren Stewart

We think that this is far too narrow, and even just being immersed in our very musical world

engenders people with a very sophisticated level of musicality that they probably aren't even

aware of. So if people can choose the right music for a social occasion, know how music

affects their moods and emotions - we say that that's already a sophisticated skill.

Yvonne: Dr Lauren Stewart says our view of what makes someone musical is too

narrow – it's just too limited. So many people who don't play a musical

instrument or haven't had formal music training could actually be really

musical too. 

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2011

Page 3 of 6

Rob: Mm, and she also says that we're 'immersed' in a 'very musical world' – we're

surrounded by lots of music – and that can also make us musical.

Yvonne: I agree with her. We do live in a very musical world. Even the BBC Learning

English office is musical – think of all those musical ring tones on our mobile

phones.

Rob: Yes, they can be great fun – but they can also be very annoying too! Anyway,

Dr Stewart says all that music helps to engender us with music skills – music

skills that become a natural part of who we are.

Yvonne: We also heard how lots of us probably have a very sophisticated, or advanced,

level of musicality, but we don't even know – we're not aware of it. Rob, can

you tell us how Dr Stewart explains 'musicality' please?

Rob: Mm, certainly. Well, a part of musicality is an understanding of how music can

change the way we feel – how it can affect our moods and emotions. And it

takes a sophisticated level of musicality to be able to choose music for a social

occasion, such as a wedding.

Yvonne: So being musical isn't only about playing an instrument, getting the beat, all of

that kind of stuff. And even if we think we're tone-deaf – totally incapable of

humming a few notes in a tune – we may still do quite well on that test.

Rob: That's good to know! So we'll have a go later on then, Yvonne?

Yvonne: Definitely! 

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2011

Page 4 of 6

Rob: But I wonder whether some people are simply born musically gifted?

Yvonne: Well, that's what the scientists running the project hope to find out. And as

BBC Radio 3 presenter Petroc Trelawny explains, there's also another reason

why they want as many people as possible to take that online test…

Insert 3: Petroc Trelawny

Actually, maybe it'll debunk some of the myths about music being frightening and

alarming. I think people are often put off by classical music because they think they're

gonna make a fool of themselves. This, hopefully, will prove that we've all got it in us.

Yvonne: So Petroc Trelawny hopes the test results will prove that we're all born with

musical abilities. But he also hopes the test will debunk some of the myths –

the stories that aren't true - about music being frightening and alarming. Rob,

what does Petroc mean by 'debunk'?

Rob: He means to destroy and break down the ideas that make people afraid of

music, especially classical music. And I agree that many people are put off by

classical music – they don't even listen to it - partly because they think they

won't understand it.

Yvonne: And that's a real shame, isn't it? Because I think it's perfectly possible to listen

to music that's totally new to us or isn't from our own culture, and still enjoy it

in our own way. Now, earlier Rob, I asked you whether two pieces of music

you'd listened to were the same or different. Here's a brief reminder of what

you heard: 

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2011

Page 5 of 6

Insert 5: Extract from BBC Learning English music test

Rob: I do think they're different.

Yvonne: And Rob, you were wrong.

Rob: Oh dear, I'm a failure!

Yvonne: Sorry. No! You're still musical in my eyes.

Rob: That's good!

Yvonne: So, why not go to BBC Radio 3's website to find out how musical you are?

Join us again soon for more "6 Minute English".

Both: Goodbye!