Music

This listening assignment consists of listening to radio stations KCSM and KDFC. You can download the apps for each station or stream them, listen on your home radio if you have one, or use your car radio. The important thing is that you listen in segments of two hours, for KCSM and for KDFC. Write a double spaced 8-page response detailing the time you listened, the names of the pieces you heard and the names of the performers. Your commentary about what you hear is how you will earn the points. Start by giving your personal impressions, “Did you like what you heard? Did you recognize any of the melodies or instruments?” This listening assignment will be 8 total pages, double spaced. Four pages for the classical station and four for the jazz station.

The three-page concert paper will be based on attendance at a live concert. (No rock, pop or rap, please. If you are unsure of the suitability of the concert, please run it by me.) Due dates are listed in the syllabus section. For this assignment, try to think like you are writing a critique for the next days New York Times. You should discuss what you heard and saw at the concert such as the pieces heard, music background, the instruments used, how the pieces struck you emotionally, the audience reaction, or anything else that was an important part of the experience. Proper use of musical terms and spelling count. Please include any sources for background information used. (Citations in whatever format you choose. Just be consistent.) Also, remember to include when and where you attended this event. I will have a discussion forum where upcoming concerts can be posted by students. Please submit papers as either a WORD document attachment, or cut-and-paste. No WORKS documents, please.

Paper should be 12 point font double-spaced. Must cite sources within paper (example: Smith, 2020, p.1). All sources MUST be cited. Paper will be written on the topic of World Drumming drumming traditions of Bodhran in Ireland. You will need to discuss ways in which the drumming tradition relates to spirituality, gender, enculturation, and connections to other expressive arts (song, dance, drama, etc.). Be sure to describe the origin of the instrument, the construction of the instrument, the techniques for playing the instrument, and especially the cultural context in which the instrument is played. Please include an introduction and a conclusion.

Wall-E opening (three videos): WALL·E – Put On Your Sunday Clothes (Links to an external site.) https://youtu.be/jL6pGfS6aho   WALL·E – 2805 A.D (Links to an external site.) https://youtu.be/82zngsgHE2o   WALL-E – Home (Links to an external site.) https://youtu.be/IgNOlznn914   How is music helping to tell the story throughout these three clips, in the absence of almost all spoken words? Include discussion of: How visuals and music either sync or “run counter; The ironic use of music and what it communicates to the viewer; Music’s role in defining space within the film (consider the perceived source of the music, if there is one), enhancing mood, commenting on the visuals or action; Anything else about the use of music significant to the storytelling. See Presentation 13 for appropriate vocabulary for film music.

The dances in the videos below were clearly inspired by the music, and choreographed to match the details of the music. For that reason, the dances are almost like physical, visual versions of the music. Using examples from these videos, discuss this close relationship between music and dance. Be sure to talk about the general mood or feeling of each video, as well as specific details from each performance.   "THE SPIDER" amazing dance by Milena Sidorova (OFFICIAL VIDEO) https://youtu.be/JItkRLVlf-c #Samsung Norway: Official release Samsung Galaxy S5 (live) by Strawhatz https://youtu.be/0KUnXpwmrqQ   NOTE: Dance starts at 1:50 West Side Story – America – Official Dance Scene – 50th Anniversary (HD) https://youtu.be/0HS7qeQvNJU

Choose a piece of music under ten minutes in length. This can be a piece of Western classical music (e.g., a movement from a Beethoven symphony), a popular song, an excerpt from a film score, an excerpt from a video game score, or anything else you enjoy listening to. Write a coherent and unified essay (~300-500 words) describing the music in as much detail as possible, using the vocabulary we have cultivated in this class. You must include a discussion of melody, harmony, rhythm/meter, tempo, timbre/orchestration, texture, and form. You may also wish to draw a connection between this piece of music and a historical style or genre we have discussed in class. Post the essay to the Turnitin portal on Blackboard. Be sure to include a link to the song.

An introductory paragraph should include information found in each video’s description about the venue, performers, and concert date. This is required information for your paper. The remainder of the paper should be a description of the pieces performed in the concert as well as an evaluation of the performers. You are free to address these together or in separate paragraphs, however you prefer. Use specific stylistic descriptions: what era does the music originate from? What are some characteristics of that era’s music you hear in the performance? Did the performers or conductor have an especially impactful interpretation of the music (or a particularly bad one)? The concert review should be your review of the concert–not an extended biography of the conductor or composer, or a history of the pieces performed. You are not required to reference outside material for this paper. The paper should primarily be your own description of the music and performance you have watched. If you do reference any outside information, however, you must cite it. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor – Overture to Hiawatha             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wseRcHM8mH8 Adolphus Hailstork – Nobody Know             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9kVANvvqno             Florence Price – Symphony No. 3             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C0Rgyo_qh0 Necessary info – 10 points Ensemble – 4 points Place – 3 points Date/time – 3 points Discussion of Pieces – 40 points Discussion of Performance – 30 points Writing Quality – 20 points Total: out of 100 Length: -10 points if paper is too short Missing Youtube concerts: -20 for one missing concert, -30 for two missing.

For this section, we read Weinstein’s “Heavy Metal Under Attack: Suicide and Aggression,” the Senate Committee on the Judiciary’s “Children, Violence, and the Media: A Report for Parents and Policy Makers,” and Rosen’s “It’s Easy, but Wrong, to Blame the Music.”  In addition, we discussed ethos, pathos, logos, and other rhetorical strategies. Now, it’s your turn to contribute to the debate. Does violent media, music in particular, lead to youth violence?  Your “thesis” should revolve around this debate. Use the essays and at least one more recent outside source to argue either for or against your position, or to concede/refute.  Is it possible that some music could have a negative impact on some who listen?  Should musicians and/or music executives self-police their creations and contributions to society?  Remember, several of these essays were written in response to the Columbine shootings, so they are a bit outdated; however, the controversy remains relevant in light of more recent violent acts, such as the shootings at Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, Parkland, El Paso, etc. Do not try to address all of these questions in this essay; rather, use them as ways to start thinking about your claims or how you feel about this controversy.  Too, this is a controversial topic, and while you may be passionate about the same, remember your audience and curb your tone and diction accordingly. You are required to use at least one scholarly source in addition to one of the scholarly sources provided in class (for a minimum of two cited sources).  We will be using MLA Format, which includes in-text citations as well as a Works Cited page.

Watch the movie then write a synopsis like we’ve talked about many times. Some background,details about the music/performance, and finally your impressions. https://youtu.be/3SxzS4mtH9o?list=PLOE7LucsCbS_x6zMDAtb2D-8s6JhDKyoM This is a URL To write a concert / music report for this class please observe the following guidelines: The report should be in 3 parts or paragraphs: Opening, Body, and Closing. In the Opening, give the clip name and link. Also, give context/background information, so the reader knows what you are writing about. In the Body is where you will give details about the performance/documentary, musician(s), instrument(s), song(s), and music (rhythm, melody, form). In the Closing give your impressions and opinions. When writing, keep it simple. Avoid long sentences, complicated words, slang, and cliches. Use your own words. Research from the internet, but only always use your words. Do not copy sentences or phrases from the internet, or if you occasionally must, give the original source link.

On the internet or your phone, listen to TWO of the following early Rock and Roll songs from the list below: Bill Haley, “Rock Around the Clock” Elvis Presley, “That’s All Right” Elvis Presley, “Mystery Train/”I Forgot to Remember to Forget”  Elvis Presley, “Jailhouse Rock” Little Richard, “Tutti Frutti”  Chuck Berry, “Johnny B. Goode”  Chuck Berry, “Brown-Eyed Handsome Man” U Buddy Holly, “That’ll Be the Day”  Buddy Holly, “Bo Diddley”  After listening to your TWO selections, answer the following questions in a word document: o Define the musical term: Rock and Roll.  o Share a brief biography of each of the two bands/artists you chose. o Name the members of each of these bands.  o Who were the songwriters of the songs that you chose? Was there any controversy surrounding the song if the performing artist was not the original song writer?  o What are the lyrics of each of the songs that you chose?  o What are the ideas being addressed in each of these songs?  o What is the date that the original music was written? What is the date that this original recording was made/released?  o Has anyone else recorded the two songs you have chosen? If so, find one YouTube recording of “covers” of each the two songs you have chosen if they are available. If nothing is available, please indicate that as well. o List the instruments you hear in these recordings. Are each of these songs the same or different instrumentation?  o What was your favorite thing about the performances/recordings? o What emotions did the performances/recordings make you feel when you heard it?