I’VE ATTACHED THE LESSON BELOW AND NUMBERED THEM ACCORDINGLY
For the “good taste” of music I’m choosing Daniel Johnston – “Some Things Last A Long Time”. For the “bad taste” of music I will let you choose the song.
DROPBOX LINK OF THE LESSON:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/b28v8opnmbi5c5tnx6njj/Lesson-6.zip?rlkey=p6c2sgtge2thol8l4rwt5u5xo&st=xvodaxb3&dl=0
INSTRUCTIONS:
Choose two pieces of music: one that you believe is generally considered to be a piece of music in “good taste” (by whatever community or taste-makers you decide), and another you believe is generally considered to be a piece of music in “bad taste.” Find at least one piece of evidence that these pieces are indeed considered (by some, at least) to be in “good” and “bad” taste, respectively—for example, you might draw upon reviews from Pitchfork, Metacritic, Allmusic, or any other reputable source you choose.
SOME GUIDELINES:Do not choose (1) something that you have written yourself; (2) a song that was discussed in this week’s lesson (e.g., Rebecca Black’s “Friday”); or (3) a work of classical music.
Keep in mind that the task is not to choose something you like and something you don’t like; it’s to choose something you believe is in good taste and bad taste. (Arguably it’s pretty common to like a song that you believe to be in “bad taste”; we usually call them “guilty pleasures” or something like that.) So focus on taste, not how much you like or dislike it.
Then choose two of the authors we examined this week and analyze those two pieces of music from each of their perspectives (i.e., what would Author A say about Song 1 and Song 2? what would Author B say about Song 1 and Song 2?).
What would they say about this music?
On what, if any, points would they agree? Disagree? Are there any aspects of the author’s views on taste that are not helpful or applicable to the song you’re discussing?
Be sure to ground your assertions in what we know of those authors’ views! For example, don’t write simply “Author A wouldn’t like this song—it’s bad.” Instead, describe what in Author A’s understanding of taste would lead you to make that conclusion on Author A’s behalf.
There is no set minimum length for this essay, but experience suggests that it is challenging to fulfill the expectations of this assignment in fewer than 750 words, and all but impossible in fewer than 500. Likewise, there is no upper limit—you may write as much as you wish, but 1500 words should be adequate in most cases.
