Help

What Do You Hear When You REALLY Listen? 

(part two)

Essay of approximately 450 words (400 words minimum): 

You may write more than 450 words - this is not a limit but the suggested guidance for approximate essay length 

However, your essay must be a minimum of 400 words

Please identify your video VERY VERY clearly … simply naming the music is not sufficient, since there can be many videos of the exact same music … this can affect your listed timings, which might not match at all … there also might be very significantly different performances by the very same musicians … 

Also note that I do not want you to send links … instead, please describe ‘IN WORDS’ which video you are reviewing, so that I can easily find it

*Also note, Please DO NOT include in your word total your explanation/description of which video you are reviewing

Please note that there is no grace period for submitting essay assignments. All essay assignments must be submitted by the due date, and by 11:59PM on that due date. Late essays, and late Final Projects will receive no credit and no grade points.

***Please note the following REDUCTION IN ESSAY GRADE POINTS (from 50 possible points total): 1. MINUS 10 points (out of 50) for selecting a YouTube video that is NOT on the "List of Possible Topics and Artists" below. PLEASE NOTE THE 'ARTISTS' allowable on this list. SELECTING A CATEGORY (e.g. LATIN), BUT SELECTING AN ARTIST NOT ON THIS LIST WILL RESULT IN THIS LOSS OF GRADE POINTS. 

2. MINUS 7 points (out of 50) for not specifying EXACTLY which video you are reviewing. 3. MINUS 5 points (out of 50) for sending a link of ANY TYPE with your essay, or as part of your essay, or in any form, active or inactive (non-functioning). PLEASE DO NOT SEND LINKS, either active or inactive. 

*All Essays MUST be uploaded into Canvas as .doc or .docx files. *I DO NOT ACCEPT EMAILED ASSIGNMENTS.  *Emailed essays, or essays sent through any system or method other than uploading into Canvas will receive no credit and no grade points.

 

Select ONE piece of music from the following:

(note: this piece should be LESS THAN 10 minutes long, and parts of larger works are completely fine, e.g. a song from a collection of songs, or from a musical, etc.)

*YOU MUST SELECT FROM THE ARTISTS LISTED BELOW. SELECTING A CATEGORY (e.g. LATIN), BUT SELECTING AN ARTIST NOT ON THIS LIST WILL RESULT IN LOSS OF GRADE POINTS AS EXPLAINED ABOVE.

***List of Possible Topics and Artists: 1.  A piece of Latin music. This piece must be composed or performed by one of the following:

Enrique Jorrin Tito Puente  Tito Puente Jr. Orestes and Israel López Arsenio Rodriguez Rubén Blades Carlos Santana Machito and the Afro-Cubans Michel Camilo Celia Cruz Gloria Estefan Buena Vista Social Club Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán Mariachi Los Camperos

 ... or ...

2.  A piece of traditional Irish music. You will need to study the next Unit, Unit 9, if you choose to write about traditional Irish Music. This is Chapter 9 in the textbook. This piece must be composed or performed by one of the following:

Seamus Ennis

Sean Ó'Riada

Paddy Moloney and The Chieftains

Planxty

Altan

Eileen Ivers 

IMPORTANT NOTES: 

*Please do NOT use a piece of music that we have already discussed, and do not use a piece of music that is on the Spotify lists referenced in the textbook (e.g. please do not use 'Oye Como Va') PLEASE find something new to you, which is NOT already referenced in this course.

*The music must be available on Youtube, so that I can listen to it. 

Note: ***Please DO NOT send me Youtube links! Instead, please clearly name the piece and the performer(s) in your paper, with enough precise detail so that the video can easily be located on Youtube (such as where/when the performance took place, the main artists and/or guest artists in the performance, is it the official video, the duration of the video, etc.). And Importantly:

Please list many exact timed examples of specific musical events/concepts in your video.

List MANY specific musical details (focus on the MUSIC). A specific musical detail might be 'trumpets enter with an important melody at 1:23 of the video' ... this is just one possible example of a type of specific detail, and essays need MANY of these types of specific (timed) references ... listing just two or three examples like this, even if accurate, is not sufficient ... Please list MANY specific musical details with exact and accurate TIMINGS. These details should cover a wide range of musical concepts studied in this course.

Additional Information:

- please submit your essay in essay form, rather than listing numbers of answers to specific questions

- my list of questions in the instructions is a guide and starting point for analysis ... please do not approach the essay as if the only things to discuss are a few suggestions from my list of possible suggestions .... you have all studied a wide range of concepts, so please refer to many of these concepts ... 

- please list many exact timing examples of specific musical events/concepts in your video

- please DO NOT repeat my words/questions as part of your essay

- please do not submit an essay that is only a list of timed musical events ... that would not be an essay, even though it might contain some interesting information

- Please do not write out complete song lyrics (you may use fragments of lyrics, if they help explain song elements) - PLEASE FOCUS ON THE MUSIC ... some background information is fine, but the majority of your essay projects should be a detailed description of THE MUSIC ... ***with timings for when specific musical details occur - Please reference issues and concepts studied in this course as they relate to THE MUSIC of the piece that you have selected 

also please note: 

1. It is often best to select a video that is of a performance, or shows the instruments being played. This can be very helpful for you when analyzing the music and instruments/combinations of instruments.

2. If selecting a part of a larger work, please clearly identify the section that you are analyzing. Using time references from the video (exact minutes and seconds, e.g. 3:21 for 3 minutes and 21 seconds into the video) is both helpful and necessary.

ASSIGNMENT: 1. Name the piece of music and the musician(s). Describe the piece of music in as much detail as possible - does it have a repeated theme? Are there distinct sections in the piece? Where do these distinct sections start and end? (please list exact timings in the video where these sections start and end). When sections are repeated, are they exactly the same?  Are soloists featured? Was the music composed by the person (people) performing? What time period is it from? What else can you say about the music by listening to it? (with precise timings for musical details).

2. Name the instruments. If you're not sure of all the instruments, try your best to describe the sounds. Describe how they contribute to the whole composition.

3. Describe the tempo (speed), dynamics (loudness/softness), and complexity of the music. These can change a great deal throughout a piece of music, so indicating where these changes occur in the music/video is very helpful (if there are changes). Describe the music in the context of the musical terms we have studied.

4. Discuss if you've heard music like this before, and your general thoughts on the style and sound of your specific selection.

5. State how all of the above contribute to the overall sound and specific style of the music. How do the musical elements create either a Latin sound, or a traditional Irish sound? NOTE: This question is an important part of this paper. ***Please note that this assignment should be in ESSAY form. While the questions listed above are very important to consider, please do not just submit a list of numbered answers to these questions. Instead, please write in ESSAY form, with as much precise timing information as possible, with specific references to the music, musical details and musical events and elements. 

I am looking for content, originality, and a response that is clear and shows depth of thought.

Please identify your video VERY clearly … simply naming the music is not sufficient, since there can be many videos of the same music … this can affect your listed timings, which might not match at all … there also might be very significantly different performances by the very same musicians … also note that I do not want you to send links (neither active nor non-active links) … please describe, Using WORDS (Not Links), which video you are reviewing, so that I can easily find it

- please do not use this description of which video you are reviewing as part of your word count … what you write about for your essay (musical analysis) is what comprises your total word count

- Please do not repeat info you are learning without reference to specific use of the info …

e.g. do not tell me that tempo is the speed of the music, or that dynamics are how loud or soft the music is, or define vocables … just describe them as they occur in the music, and how they are used, and how they impact the music, etc. …

- Please use YouTube, so I can easily review your essay … Please do not use another source for your music … YouTube has a vast amount of videos you can select from, and allows me to easily compare your essay analysis to the music videos

- Please add many timings of specific musical events and concepts, indicating exactly where they occur in the video you are reviewing … this is essential … and timings should be shown in this format: 2:35 etc. 

- Please check to make sure your timings are accurate

- I suggest showing the category of instruments used, such as chordophones, etc.

and finally:

- Please feel free to write longer essays than suggested, if you would like