Musical form goes deep into our subconscious. We feel regular four bar/eight bar phrases almost without thinking. Actually, definitely without thinking.
I helped film a video of some people dancing today, and the song had a pre-chorus with an odd phrase length. Six bars instead of eight, I think. The dance move changed when the chorus hit, and the two music teachers, having heard the song, knew it was coming.
But the three smart non-musicians in the video, not knowing the song well, assumed that it would be two regular four-bar phrases. I caught them miss a step at the chorus, and they probably didn’t even know why. Their subconscious recognized the four-bar phrase.
There’s lots of ways we can use this knowledge – as composers, knowing when to meet and when to subvert subconscious expectations. As conductors, knowing why our musicians might be having trouble with a phrase that goes against their expectations. So many implications when you remember just how deeply we feel form.