With the very limited experience I have in making music, this reading made me reflect on a short composition I did for another class called Music Devices. We had to create a piece in Ableton Live, and since I don’t really know music theory, my process was mostly trial and error, trying different sounds and instruments until something sounded decent. Even though the final result wasn’t “bad,” it didn’t really evoke much emotion for me. I feel like this may be the lack of embodiment that the reading was talking about. 

The discussion of African and African-American groove-based music helped me think differently about why some music feels more alive to me than others. I listen to a lot of Afrobeat, and this reading made me more aware of how repetition, rhythm, and subtle timing shifts contribute to its energy and emotional impact. It made me realize that what I often respond to in music might not be complexity or melody, but the sense of feel created through timing. I think the reading will mostly change how I listen to music, making me more attentive to small rhythmic details I previously took for granted.