This paper examines the experience and role of negative emotions in facilitating university students’ learning in world music courses. Based on a review of literature in music psychology and music education, we posit that negative emotions can engender a meaningful learning context. In this project conducted in an Australian university, we created a condition in which students were engaged in repeated listening to recordings of music from cultures different from their own, which they reported as sounding “unpleasant.” We then analysed how they overcame emotional responses through a listening exercise. The findings suggest that the students developed enhanced motivation and cognitive reflection by facing their own negative emotions through repeated listening. The article finishes with a discussion about the positive side of negative emotions and the negative side of positive emotions as they relate to music education.

本文探讨了负面情绪在促进大学生学习世界音乐课程方面的经验和作用。根据对音乐心理学和音乐教育文献的回顾，我们认为负面情绪可以产生有意义的学习环境。在澳大利亚一所大学进行的这个项目中，我们创造了一种条件，让学生重复聆听来自不同文化的音乐录音，他们认为这些录音听起来“令人不快”。然后我们分析了他们如何通过倾听练习克服情绪反应。研究结果表明，学生通过反复聆听面对自己的负面情绪，从而增强了动机和认知反思。