The Sound of Propaganda

The Sound of Propaganda

Abstract

This culminating experience project explores how modern systems of influence shape public perception and how composition and improvisation can encourage greater awareness of these mechanisms. Rather than examining the history of propaganda, the project focuses on how influence operates in contemporary society through mass media, digital networks, recommendation algorithms, and information systems. Drawing on the works of Walter Lippmann, Edward Bernays, Yochai Benkler, Robert Faris, and Hal Roberts, as well as psychological research on the illusory truth effect, the project examines how engineered persuasion, network amplification, and algorithmic reinforcement shape perception, often in ways that remain largely invisible. It’s aim is not to promote a particular viewpoint, but to encourage critical reflection on how information is produced, circulated, and consumed. The research combined the study of literature on propaganda, public opinion, networked communication, psychology, and artistic philosophy with an original creative process. These concepts were translated into four original compositions for jazz ensemble. The first three explore different mechanisms of contemporary influence, while the final composition responds by exploring awareness and the possibility of independent thought. The music is unified through tetrachordal structures, multi-tonic harmonic organization, loops, windows as a way of transitioning between musical ideas, improvisation, and a sonic palette that reflects the character of each composition. By connecting theoretical research with artistic practice, this project demonstrates how musical composition can engage with complex social and political ideas, encouraging listeners to reflect more consciously on the information environments that shape contemporary society.

Publication Date

7-1-2026

Campus

Boston Campus

Keywords

propaganda; global jazz

The Sound of Propaganda

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