Jump to main content

Background Bop: Do Different Businesses Play Different Tempos in Background Music?

1
2
3
4
5
328 reviews
Log In

This feature requires that you be logged in as a Google Classroom teacher and that you have an active class in Google Classroom.

If you are a Google Classroom teacher, please log in now.

For additional information about using Science Buddies with Google Classroom, see our FAQ.

Summary

Areas of Science
Difficulty
 
Time Required
Long (2-4 weeks)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Very Low (under $20)
Safety
No issues
*Note: For this science project you will need to develop your own experimental procedure. Use the information in the summary tab as a starting place. If you would like to discuss your ideas or need help troubleshooting, use the Ask An Expert forum. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions and offer guidance if you come to them with specific questions.

If you want a Project Idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk (*) at the end of the title.

Abstract

Walk into a fitness club and what kind of music do you hear? Slow, sparkling, relaxing music? Or driving, "up-tempo" songs that are designed to encourage you to move? Fitness clubs and other businesses, like restaurants and grocery stores, use background music to set the mood and to determine how fast they want their customers to move. The tempo of the background music is a key component to the environment that businesses want to create. Tempo is an important number or word inscribed by a composer at the start of a piece of music to tell the players how fast the piece is to be played. Direction for the tempo in modern music is typically given in beats per minute, or bpm, while classical music pieces from centuries ago typically have their tempos written in Italian words, like adagio (66–76 bpm), allegro (120–168 bpm), or the very fast presto (168–200 bpm). In this music science fair project, you'll investigate the tempo of music at different types of businesses.

You'll first need to practice taking the beat of different songs. Start by playing a song and tapping or clapping out the beat for 10 seconds, and then multiplying by 6 to get the beats per minute for the song. You can tap or clap out the beat yourself, or use a free software tool, like the one listed in the Bibliography, below. Once you feel comfortable measuring the tempo of a piece of music, then you'll need to go to many different types of businesses to collect your data. You can measure and record the beat while you're in the business, or record the music in the businesses, and evaluate them at home later.

You can look at and compare the average beats per minute for stores like: general grocery stores, specialty high-end food stores, men's department stores, women's department stores, toy stores, fast-food restaurants, fine dining restaurants, gyms, shoe stores, sporting goods stores, car showrooms, and malls. You can compare the range (maximums and minimums) in beats per minutes for each of these types of stores, too. Rank the store types from lowest average beats per minutes to highest. Are there any surprises?

Bibliography

This source provides a software tool for measuring tempo in a song:

  • AnalogX. (2001). TapTempo. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
icon scientific method

Ask an Expert

Do you have specific questions about your science project? Our team of volunteer scientists can help. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions, offer guidance, and help you troubleshoot.

Careers

If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring these related careers:

Career Profile
Why people take certain actions can often feel like a mystery. Psychologists help solve these mysteries by investigating the physical, cognitive, emotional, or social aspects of human behavior and the human mind. Some psychologists also apply these findings in order to design better products or to help people change their behaviors. Read more
Career Profile
Any time there is more than one person in a room, there is potential for a social interaction to occur or for a group to form. Sociologists study these interactions—how and why groups and societies form, and how outside events like health issues, technology, and crime affect both the societies and the individuals. If you already like to think about how people interact as individuals and in groups, then you're thinking like a sociologist! Read more

News Feed on This Topic

 
, ,

Cite This Page

General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.

MLA Style

Science Buddies Staff. "Background Bop: Do Different Businesses Play Different Tempos in Background Music?" Science Buddies, 28 Jan. 2022, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Music_p033/music/background-music-businesses-tempo?class=AQWwJvHEMlDTCzBuuXhBW-hBrGXnJdDontlqnvTfkfENh-HjAkm321UPzuaO_fFztPRsFZZdJxZpmmepvwykfyxIwRReZ8yXAEHJpgdLgWtXYLbtBE-q_LcyQGF9tjYzmbY. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

APA Style

Science Buddies Staff. (2022, January 28). Background Bop: Do Different Businesses Play Different Tempos in Background Music? Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Music_p033/music/background-music-businesses-tempo?class=AQWwJvHEMlDTCzBuuXhBW-hBrGXnJdDontlqnvTfkfENh-HjAkm321UPzuaO_fFztPRsFZZdJxZpmmepvwykfyxIwRReZ8yXAEHJpgdLgWtXYLbtBE-q_LcyQGF9tjYzmbY


Last edit date: 2022-01-28
Top
We use cookies and those of third party providers to deliver the best possible web experience and to compile statistics.
By continuing and using the site, including the landing page, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
OK, got it
Free science fair projects.