Music Writing

MUS 1001 Final Playlist/Paper Directions Step 1: Create your playlist theme

• Theme:

There are an infinite number of ways to organize your playlist. Picking your

theme first will help everything else fall into place. Your playlist needs a theme

or storyline. This theme will help you organize the music and help you organize

your written paper.

o Idea: Some students pick a chronological playlist that includes songs they associate with key milestones or people in their lives. Storying your life

through music can be quite a powerful experience.

o Idea: Still others seek to organize their playlist around a certain evolution of mood (end of semester de-stressors, etc., songs that make me smile,

empowerment and motivation playlist etc.).

o There is no wrong way to pick a playlist once you have an organizational strategy in mind. It’s about your music and your life!

• Title:

o You’ll want to give your playlist a creative title that reflects your theme. (Do not call it MUS 1001 Final Project! You are far more clever than

that.)

Step 2: Pick only 8 songs for your playlist

• While you may use songs previously posted this semester in the listening lounges, you may NOT have more than one song by the same artist!

Step 3: Choose an order for the music that tells your story

• For example, if your playlist was about songs that you associate with special people in your life, you'd want to decide the order that make it flow best to tell the

story you depict.

• Make sure your playlist has a beginning a middle and an end that makes sense to your theme.

• Think about flow and transitions. How does one song leave you emotionally and where does the next song begin? You want to consider the emotional curve for

your listener and message that leaves them with.

Step 4: Posting your Playlist on YouTube

• When you've got it, find your songs on YouTube and order them as a playlist. o You do not need to upload any music. o Remember to use your creative playlist title. o For help, click the following link Making a YouTube Playlist o Be sure to set your Playlist to “Public” so peers can listen in!

Step 5: Share your Playlist Link on Moodle

• Copy your YouTube playlist link in the Final Playlist Lounge post and offer two peer responses. (Worth 100 points.)

o Be sure to include some conversation in the Final Playlist Lounge to talk about your theme for your peers. It’s our last chance to talk about and

share music together!

o You do not need to upload any music or clips. The link is all you need. Make sure your link is embedded as clickable words, not the long URL.

Make sure it is set to PUBLIC so it plays for your peers.

• Please get your link posted well before your paper is submitted so peers can have a chance to hear your ideas early.

o Remember to actually listen all the way through a peer’s playlist before commenting with a peer response.

o Please use specific song titles in your peer responses to show you truly engaged.

o

Step 6: Getting ready to write your Paper: Consider the rubric

Worth 400 points

Points Criteria

80 Playlist

Thoughtful 8 song playlist chosen to reflect the title and theme, with playlist

correctly uploaded (set to PUBLIC) so it is playable & properly sourced at the

end of your paper in your reference list.

80 Song Discussion

Relate each song in your playlist with your theme and personal connections to

the song. Why did you pick the song? Why did you place it in this order?

80 Musical Analysis

Describe each song in your playlist with musical observations including but

not limited to: Pitch, Steady Beat, Tempo, Meter, Rhythm, Dynamics,

Melody, Harmony, Timbre, Texture, Form, and Articulation.

Use class musical vocabulary that you want us to notice for each song.

Music helps bring the message and you’ll want to help us hear that and think

about how the music contributes to the message, meaning or mood.

80 Aesthetic Philosophy

Relate each song on your playlist with Aesthetic Philosophy Literature &

Quotes as a point of agreement or departure with your own Aesthetic

Philosophy as a Listener. You must cite at least three authors in your paper

from the Powerpoint or Aesthetic Philosophies resource folder.

40 Format

At least 10 pages including Cover page, and Reference page (including all

song sourcing and literature quoted) double spaced and proper use of

capitalization and punctuation.

40 Time management

(Submitted on time, preferably as early as possible in the date range.

Late work will only be accepted for partial credit based on the rubric above

up to 360 points within 24 hours of the deadline. No late work beyond that

point will be accepted for credit.

So how do I research the Aesthetic Philosophies?

1. First, open the Resources Folder on Moodle. a. Start with the Aesthetic Philosophies Powerpoint as an overview to help

you consider some philosophical ideas about music listening.

i. What kind of listener are you? ii. Do you resonate with any of these philosophies described in the

powerpoint? (Referentialist, Expressionist, etc.)

iii. Did you find any authors represented in the powerpoint whose words resonate with your own perspective as a listener? Think

about quotes you could use as a point of agreement or departure as

you articulate your philosophical stance as a listener.

2. Next, After viewing the Powerpoint, please read the following from the Resources Folder:

a. Reimer – (2002) Philosophy of Music Education Read p. 6 & 7 in the red box - Simple vocab & concept summary

b. Dewey – (1934) Art as Experience Quotes – Use to help consider for yourself a position about what constitutes art, what constitutes experience

and what constitutes an aesthetic experience.

c. Langer - (excerpt from Reimer) “Art and Feeling”. Useful recap of Formalism, Referentialism, Expressionism, etc.

d. You may consult as many authors or references as you would like from the resources folder, but these three are required and music be cited as a

point of agreement or departure in your paper.

e. Consider also including ideas from Levitin, Demers, the Music Instinct Video or the Art of Listening Video that we watched and journaled about

or anything else you've read or heard this semester.

Step 7: How to Organize your Paper

When you write your paper, first introduce me to yourself as a listener.

o Talk me through your broad aesthetic philosophy and how it relates to your playlist theme.

Next, walk me through your playlist theme and the songs one by one in detail.

o Relate the music on the playlist to your experience (that's what makes the paper phenenominological) as a listener and write what matters to you and

what happens to you during each song on this playlist.

o Explain the personal connections and musical observations that are significant to you, just like we have done in the lounges.

o As you go, weave some of the literature from the aesthetic philosophies folder quoting those things you find most resonant to help describe your

experience as a listener.

o There’s no wrong way to organize your paper as long as you talk about yourself as a listener, the music you’ve chosen and the literature you’ve

read.

Let this project be fun and free, like making a photo collage...only with music and

aesthetic philosophy!

Step 8: Format FAQs

• Does it have to be in a particular style format? o No. Whatever you are most comfortable with is fine with me (MLA,

APA etc.).

o College level writing with proper spelling, punctuation and grammar is expected.

o Please use paragraphs and headings to better organize your fine ideas.

• How long does it have to be? o While there is not a specific word count, most excellent papers come in

around 10 pages of content. Longer is fine.

• Should I use a creative title on a cover page and double space? o Yes.

• Should I include a works cited page? o Yes. o I have included a reference citations list in the Resources folder to help

you cite the literature. Please only cite the references you actually quote.

• Should I source all 8 songs on my works cited page as well? o Yes.

• May I format my song sourcing like we did in the listening lounges?

o Yes. But not in the body of your paper. Only in your reference list that begins on page 10.

• Do I have to include links to stream and purchase? o No.

• Should I put my playlist link in my paper too? o Yes.

• How should I submit my paper? o Save your paper as a .doc or .docx or .pdf file format only and upload it as

an attachment in Moodle.

o Please do not upload and copy and paste your paper into the Moodle text box.

o The paper will not be shared with your peers. Like journal assignments, I will offer feedback to you privately.

o

I will experience your playlist and paper simultaneously and respond to you privately

with feedback via Moodle.

Your final course grade will be available to you on Moodle after your paper has been

scored.

Your musical journey ends here only for the semester. A lifetime of listening awaits!

And remember, if you have any questions, I’m only an email away!

With imagination and curiosity

you already have everything you need to succeed!