The Effects of Pre-listening Information on Music Appreciation in Junior and Senior High School Students: Emphasis on Lyric-tone Congruency

This study examined how pre-listening information influences music appreciation among 107 Japanese junior and senior high school students. Two songs were used: The Italian Sogno, where musical tone aligns with lyrics, and the German Im wunderschönen Monat Mai, where they do not align. Participants were assigned to three groups differing in the amount of prior information: none (“No Information Group”), brief lyric explanations (“Lyrics Explanation Group”), and detailed explanations including lyrics, background, and acoustic features (“Lyrics and Background Explanation Group”). When lyrics and tone were incongruent, the No Information Group’s emotional valence ratings aligned more with the tone than did those with prior information; this effect was absent in the congruent condition. Open-ended responses showed the No Information Group focused on surface features like the languages of lyrics rather than thematic content. These findings highlight the educational value of emphasizing lyric understanding in Japanese music education.