Compare and contrast what you’ve written about music and its function in your own life with one of the music traditions we’ve studied in class.

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For this assignment, you will examine your own life using one of the core concepts from this course: musical function, as theorized by Alan MerriamPreview the document. Be sure to follow the instructions below and on the course syllabus. (Failure to follow instructions will result in a lowered grade.) The minimum length of this paper is 2 full pages, the maximum is 3 full pages.

First, select an area of activity in your life from the following options: your social life, your culture, your religious or spiritual life, your political views, your sense of patriotism or nationalism, or your creative life. To help focus your thinking, you must choose one of these for your paper and name it in your first paragraph.
Then, explain in prose how music functions in that part of your life.
Use Merriam’s theory. Write about musical function using the theory we read about in the summary of Alan Merriam’s book (on Canvas as “Merriam’s Musical FunctionsPreview the document”) and which we’ve been using in class. You don’t need to write about all ten of Merriam’s functions. Try exploring just two or three in-depth.
Important: Use specific examples to support your points, referring to musical features as necessary. For example, name a particular song, not just a genre of music (i.e., The Beatles’ “Love Me Do” instead of just “rock ‘n’ roll”). This is important; a paper without specific examples is not a well-written paper.
Finally, compare and contrast what you’ve written about music and its function in your own life with one of the music traditions we’ve studied in class. How are the functions similar and/or different?
Throughout your paper, be sure to cite your sources — especially the textbook, where you can find information on the music traditions we’ve studied in class — using footnotes, not in-text parenthetical citations, according to the Chicago Manual of Style (Links to an external site.) and include a bibliography (which doesn’t count as one of the pages of your paper). If your paper lacks footnotes or a bibliography, your grade will be penalized.

What type(s) of music genres typically adhere to the score, and what genres typically don’t?

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What is a musical score, what types are there, and who follows it?
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In your final project, as in the polyrhythm and sampling assignments, you’ll be writing a score. Although some of you relied on garage band to create “scores” for the previous assignments, for your Final Project you’ll need to draw these out. This is because the score you will be writing will be performed by another group. (more on this later).

In this discussion topic, let’s discuss some of the following (we’re not limited to these!) Please don’t answer all the questions in a single post – instead, pick one to discuss per post so that others can add your thread.

Finally, use a meaningful Title so that others know what you’ve written about.

– when were some of the first scores written?

– are musical scores an accurate depiction of what you actually hear?

– what different types of scores are there?

– What type(s) of music genres typically adhere to the score, and what genres typically don’t?

– What is a Graphic Score?

– How have scores changed over the centuries?

– What significant changes to the generally accepted types of scores happened in the 20th Century?

– If you have any experience with music software like Finale, Sibelius, Noteflight, MuseScore, etc….what are the advantages and disadvantages of scores created by software vs. scores that are completely drawn out by a human being?

– your own topic.

What constitutes stealing ideas when it comes to music?

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Many composers “borrow” melodies – even classical composers incorporate folk or well-known melodies into their Symphonies.

What constitutes stealing ideas when it comes to music?

Post some examples of composers/writers/performers outright copying music without giving any credit to the original creator.

Let’s try to get a variety of genres—film soundtrack, classical music, jazz, popular styles.

 

Why do you think those instruments need to use the C-clef?

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On a piece of blank paper, draw a sequence of symbols for rests from left to right, and make the order very random. Then draw about a half dozen or more similar sequences under the first one, each with a different order of rest symbols. Don’t think too hard about it, just scramble them up. Then, start with the first line and recite the name of each rest’s relative duration: eighth, whole, quarter… (whatever the order is). Set a slow tempo at a steady beat for the first line. Then, for each succeeding line, increase the tempo until you are reading the lines as fast as you can (you can just say them in your head if reciting out loud becomes too slow). There is no right or wrong, it’s just helpful practice in musicianship

Exercise two

For this one, get with another student who is also learning about music notation. Each of you should draw symbols for rests on a piece of paper. Some should be correctly drawn, and some should contain some mistake. For those drawn incorrectly, it would be best to include only one mistake per symbol; don’t try to “trick” one another. For those drawn incorrectly, identify the specific mistake made. Draw a line to the mistake and provide a written description. Then, submit it to your instructor.

(AO L14)

The grand staff and the C-clef

Find an orchestral or band score in your library or elsewhere. Make a copy, and practice writing the letter names of the notes. Don’t worry about rhythms in this lesson; just set a steady beat and name the notes. Do the exercise using a variety of staves: treble, bass, grand, C-clef – whatever is used in the score.  Once you finish, submit your work to your instructor.

(AE L14)

Contemplating the flexibility of the C-clef

The interesting thing about the C-clef is that is it moveable, meaning that it can move up and down the staff in order to fit the range of the voice or instrument the music is written for. Today, the C-clef is only used for a couple of instruments.

  • Do you know which instruments it is used for?
  • Why do you think those instruments need to use the C-clef?
  • Why can’t their music be written in the treble or bass clef?
  • What do you think the benefits of having a third clef are?
  • Do you think having a third clef sign is a good thing or not? Why?

Create a post on the discussion board adding your opinions on these questions, and comment on at least two other students’ posts.

(AE L17)

Writing and recognizing time signatures

Knowing how to recognize time signatures and what they represent makes reading music easier. Attached is a worksheet for you to print out and fill in to help you with this musical task. There is also staff paper attached for you to practice writing time signatures yourself.

Remember that the top number is situated between the middle line and the top line of the staff and the bottom number goes between the bottom line and middle line. Again, neatness is important! Once you’ve finished both, post them to the discussion board and talk about how easy or difficult this was to figure out. Were any time signatures harder than the others? Comment on two other posts.

 

 

 

 

 

Discuss something you learned related to music and wellness through a social justice lens or from a culture different than yours

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Please provide the following in your initial paper. Use this to compare/contrast for your final individual reflection paper.
1. 2-3 pages length (cover page if applicable or reference page do NOT count towards this)
2. Times New Roman or Arial font
3. 12-size font
4. Double-spaced
6. Include your current definition of wellness and how it is similar or different from your original definition
7. Discuss something you learned related to music and wellness through a social justice lens or from a culture different than yours
8. Discuss what you learned about yourself through your journey of music and wellness this semester
9. Discuss what you will continue to do to focus on wellness beyond this class

What musical forms or structures did you notice? Was there a good balance of repetition and contrast in these pieces?

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The reports must be typed (double spaced, font size: 12, times new roman, cambria), and 3 pages or more in length.

*All citations must be in MLA, with proper footnotes and bibliography. Choose your style – but be consistent. Any reports and papers without proper citation will result in failing the class. Visit www.eturabian.com for details.

Include a description of the environment you saw the concert in. Was there something you learned about the culture from the performance or the performer(s)? Remember to include the following details:

Date of concert.
Name of Concert or Event attended.
Place of concert.
Type of concert.
The name(s) of performer(s), or group(s).
Title of the compositions and dances (if included).
Description of any visual effects (i.e., movement, dance, costumes, stage scenery, director, narrator, and so forth).
Description of music using specific musical terms (i.e., melody, harmony, rhythm, texture/instrumentation, dynamics, timbre, and form).
Why did you choose this concert? What did you like or dislike about this concert and its environment?
Choose one composition that you enjoyed the best and explain why (please add the title, composer, instruments/timbre, form, tempo, and anything else that may have added to your musical experience).
Carefully read through the list of what to look for below and make any additional observations.
What to Look For at the Concerts

Review the items below ahead of time, perhaps even bringing them with you! While it is important to be supportive of the performers and allow yourself to continue to simply enjoy the music, some added levels of appreciation and sensitivity can make your experience richer. Here are some things to consider and comment on in your paper. They will help you be more specific about your reactions.

One way to experience a work of art or a piece of music is to be completely innocent and receptive, and be aware, in effect, of how your body, mind, emotions, and spirit are transformed. You can essentially become the work and describe your experience. Describe the effect of this performance on your body, mind, and emotions.
A live performance can be a chance for the performer (and composer) to enter into communication with the audience. To what extent do you feel the performer or performers responded to what was happening in the room during the performance? (Maybe they didn’t!) Do you feel they were intimate and giving or simply going through the motions? Did they seem to be in familiar territory or were they “going for it,” digging deep into the material and discovering something as they played?
The performer’s state of consciousness has an effect on what is communicated. Did you feel the performer and/or conductor was emotional? intellectual? expanded? contracted? transported? fluid? enjoying? at ease? What were your clues? Were your clues physical, musical, or intuitive?
What visual elements contributed to the performance?
Were you expected to participate? If so, did you participate fully?
In the playing, were there sensitivity and variety in the dynamics? Did the tempo seem satisfying? Was the performer comfortable with periods of silence or very low volume? Did you feel that the music seemed to arise out of silence or was it purely active? If it was an ensemble, were the performers listening or communicating with each other? Was it different during solos (if any)?
Was vocal music a part of the performance? If so, what qualities of voice were part of the style?
What musical forms or structures did you notice? Was there a good balance of repetition and contrast in these pieces? What aspects were inventive or surprising? Which elements were attractive?
In terms of the characteristics that contribute to making you able to identify music as being from a particular culture, what elements stood out or seemed important? What made the music clearly from this culture? What else did you notice about the following elements: melody,…

What did you find most interesting about Harnish’s article?

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make sure you have read the article by David Harnish, “Teletubbies in Paradise.
please address the following questions:
What did you find most interesting about Harnish’s article?
What did you find most confusing about Harnish’s article? Or, what would you like to know more about?
According to Harnish’s article, about when did gamelan gong kebyar first appear?
Importantly, why was gamelan gong kebyar developed?
Finally, what do you think was the main point (or, the thesis) of Harnish’s article? How is that point related to gamelan gong kebyar? How is it related to Teletubbies?

Based on Schoenberg’s comments, what do you think Schoenberg believed art’s responsibility was?

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Schoenberg famously disliked Weill’s and Brecht’s music, saying that it showed “a lack of conscience” and “a disturbing lack of responsibility.” Based on Schoenberg’s comments, what do you think Schoenberg believed art’s responsibility was? Do you agree?

Please don’t use work cited page

write a 1-page prose summary, comparing and contrasting the features of the two pieces you analyzed.

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In this assignment, you will gain experience recognizing and describing musical features in a musical example from around the world and music in your own life. Be sure to carefully follow the instructions below and on the course syllabus. (Failure to follow directions will result in a lowered grade.) The minimum length of this paper is 3 full pages, the maximum is 4 full pages.
Select one musical example from the following list. All of these examples come from the Worlds of Music textbook; use MindTap to listen to your selection by navigating to the appropriate chapter.
“Nhemamusasa,” a Shona mbira piece [ALG], see WM Ch. 3
“Devi Niye Tunai,” an Indian Carnatic song [M], see WM Ch. 6
“Kosalia Arini,” an Indonesian piece [ALG], see WM Ch. 7
“Yangguan san die,” a Chinese qin piece [ALG], see WM Ch. 8
“Iluman Tiyu,” a Peruvian sanjuán [ALG], see WM Ch. 9
Listen to the musical example several times. Then, write a 1-page prose description of its musical features.
Be sure you focus on musical features (the internal qualities that can be heard in the sound of music). Do not write about musical functions (what people use music for) as we’ll deal with those in another assignment.
Avoid value judgments: Describing a piece’s musical features is not the same thing as deciding whether you like it, and this paper doesn’t ask whether it’s a “good” piece of music. Do not write about those issues. Instead, your task is simply to describe its sound in terms of musical features, using correct and appropriate musical terminology.
Check the facts: Consult the textbook to make sure you don’t write something factually incorrect about the piece or where it comes from. But don’t just copy the book’s words into your paper — that’s plagiarism. Instead, put your own observations and ideas into your own words, and cite the book (using the Chicago Manual of Style (Links to an external site.) footnotes plus a bibliography, which doesn’t count as one of the pages of your paper) if you use any of its ideas.
Next, select one song from your personal collection. It can come from any genre, style, country, or culture. Listen to it several times and write a 1-page prose description of its musical features. Be sure to continue following the guidelines above.
Finally, write a 1-page prose summary, comparing and contrasting the features of the two pieces you analyzed.
Check that your paper follows all the instructions here and on the course syllabus. Failure to follow directions will result in a lowered grade. Then, save your paper in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or PDF (.pdf) format and submit it via Canvas.

Are there particular moments when you think the music is used most effectively? Describe how.

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1. Embed a video that shows an excerpt of the film or video game (an excerpt that highlights the music). 2. Which type of music (discussed in chapter 68) is used (Underscoring – source music – leitmotif) ? Explain why. 3. Are there particular moments when you think the music is used most effectively? Describe how.

4. Imagine watching this movie or playing this game with the music removed. Describe how this might affect your experience of the movie or game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvZ_lrmhSuU