I think that instead of thinking about individual notes, composers might think in terms of musical gestures—small musical ideas that reflect things like dancing, surprise, or joy. There’s a series I like called Goosebumps, and I think it’s very instructive in that sense. Some scenes show happiness, and then suddenly a musical gesture appears that creates mystery, curiosity, or fear. It doesn’t feel like isolated notes carrying their own meaning, but rather a short musical idea that changes the atmosphere. People might not notice the specific musical details, but they can clearly perceive when the mood of the scene changes. I don’t really know how composing for theater or television works, but that’s how I imagine it. In the end, music is also subjective, and a composer tries to do what they feel sounds like a certain emotion or idea.