While the holidays are especially known for parties, partying is an activity we all like to do all year long. And, as most partygoers will confirm, great music is an essential part of any good party. It is crucial, therefore, that those looking to throw a good party assemble a great musical playlist. While one could hire a DJ to do this for him or her, assembling the playlist one’s self is an easier, and often more affordable, alternative. For those taking on the task of developing their own musical selections for a party, a Visual Mind Mapping tool can be incredibly instrumental. With Visual Mind Maps, party throwers can literally “map out” their entire musical selection in one intuitive and spatially constructed format. Party hosts can also add graphic images and colors to their map to make it more associative and the playlist easier to recall. Visual Mind Maps can, thus, make organizing the music for one’s party a simple, creative, and successful endeavor.
What are Visual Mind Maps and How Are They Created?
A Visual Mind Map is “a means of organizing information that allows individuals to create diagrams, pictures, and other graphic visuals in order to show the relationship between ideas or other types of information”. With a Visual Mind Map, the creator makes use of colors and symbols to construct the map and represent his or her ideas in a non-linear format. When creating a Visual Mind Map, the individual usually begins by showing the key concept or main idea of the information as a graphic image, located in the center of the map. Any themes surrounding the main topic are shown on “branches” that are attached to the central image. Subsequent themes of less importance are then attached to these branches using “child branches”, and so on. The resulting diagram is a “mind map” of the information and ideas presented that includes the images, visual graphics, and colors the individual associates with each of the themes and ideas.
Creating a Party Playlist Using a Visual Mind Map
A man throwing a New Year’s Eve party for friends and family has decided to save money and act as his own DJ for the party. In need of a way to organize his personal CD collection into a music set that will keep his party in full swing, he decides to use a Visual Mind Map. He begins his map by placing an image representing his party playlist in the map’s center. He then divides the map into different sections, representing the different “phases” of his party, via “branches” that he attaches to the central image. On “child branches”, the gentleman lists songs from his collection that he feels would most make sense during each party “phase”. He lists the CDs on which each song is found, as well as the track number of the song, on the map’s “twigs”. Throughout his Visual Mind Map, the man includes pictures and colors to make his playlist easier to conceptualize and remember. When he has finished assembling his party’s playlist using the Visual Mind Map, it resembles the attached Map diagram.
Assembling the Playlist for a Successful Party
On the night of his party, the man has no trouble assembling the musical playlist for the party. He simply consults his Visual Mind Map, and selects the appropriate CDs containing the songs on his list. He then cues up the appropriate tracks for the first “phase” of his party, the guest arrival, and pushes play. The man’s guest are greeted with music specifically selected for their arrival, and are treated to more great music as the party progresses. Throughout the night, the man keeps the musical rotation going by adding the next group of CDs, already organized and waiting, to the cue. He is, thus, able to relax and enjoy his party, needing to slip away for only brief intervals to change the music. His party a success thanks, in large part, to the great music he’s chosen, the man realizes the time and money Visual Mind Mapping has saved him.
