During the term, we will be studying the history and literature of music, mainly Classical. Now is your chance to teach me about your music! Select a song or any musical work that you enjoy and tell me everything you can about it. The project is twofold: a paper and a youtube link. The paper needs to follow the guidelines below: 1. cover sheet with name, date, etc. 2. Times font, 12 size 3. double-spaced 4. one-inch margins top, sides, and bottom 5. at least five-six full pages of text (not including cover page)
The paper should also include the following areas of discussion (not necessarily in this order): 1. cultural and/or historical significance of this particular song 2. importance and significance of the performers (include a bio) 3. importance and significance of the type of music 4. aspects of melody, rhythm, harmony, timbre, etc. in individual songs 5. significance of the text and its relationship to the music 6. any programmatic aspects or messages 7. form of the song 8. the use of improvisation in the song 9. why you like it 10. where is this music going – how is it evolving?
For this assignment, you should choose a song that you enjoy listening to. The purpose of this assignment is to get you to apply the skills and knowledge that you’ve acquired to the music of your choice. Though our class focuses on mostly classical music, the listening skills that you acquire in Music 111 can and should be utilized with all types of music. As you become a better listener you will understand (and therefore appreciate) all types of music.
As we have discussed in class, it is very important that your paper not only show a good understanding of the subject matter, but also demonstrate proper usage of the English language in a style appropriate for a college-level written assignment. Finally, your paper plus accompanying youtube link (to be inserted in the text at the conclusion of the paper) must be emailed to me by Thursday, May 6 at 10:00 am. You may turn in your assignment earlier however, I will not accept any late papers or those less than 5 pages in length. I look forward with great anticipation to learning from your work. Have fun with this assignment!
