Literature, ethnomusicology, rhetoric, and philosophy may sound like disparate areas of study, but they are linked by one common invention, or thought process.

All the areas have developed ways to delve deeper into things that many people take at face value. Where the normal person sees a solid, homogeneous structure, people in these disciplines see the intricate, diverse inner-workings. This ability to glean something new and unseen from things we encounter in life, teasing out the intricacies not available through casual pondering, is something each field has worked out on its own, but they've all come up with the same result. The literary scholar finds deeper meaning in texts, bringing unrealized beauty out of the page. The ethnomusicologist gathers information from songs that isn't heard by the average listener. The rhetorician pulls hidden meanings and agendas from a speech others take at face value. The philosopher pulls invisible truths from our very existence.

With the power of all of these techniques combined, we can start to unearth and document the secrets of how music effects our lives.

Photo Credit: David de Groot