WHAT IS MEANT BY SAYING THE MUSICAL GENRE/ARTIST MUST HAVE “ORIGINATED” IN A PARTICULAR COUNTRY?

FINAL EXAM:

If you consult your syllabus, instead of a final exam, you will see that we normally do a “Final Presentation.” This is essentially an aural examination and you would stand up in front of the class and present your musical genre/artist. If we were doing the presentation, you would not have to write a paper: You would just present your information. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances in which we find ourselves, we are not able to do this.

What we will do instead is that you will write an essay paper on a musical artist or musical genre of your choice. However, that artist/genre must have originated in the region of the world that we have studied this past semester.

For example, if you are in the LATIN AMERICAN music class, then you must choose a musical genre that originated in LATIN AMERICA . YOU HAVE THE OPTION OF CHOOSING AN ARTIST OR MUSICAL GENRE FROM A LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRY THAT WE HAVE NOT STUDIED.

If you are in the CARIBBEAN music class, then you must choose a musical genre /artist that originated in the CARIBBEAN . YOU HAVE THE OPTION OF CHOOSING AN ARTIST OR MUSICAL GENRE FROM A CARIBBEAN COUNTRY THAT WE HAVE NOT STUDIED.

WHAT IS MEANT BY SAYING THE MUSICAL GENRE/ARTIST MUST HAVE “ORIGINATED” IN A PARTICULAR COUNTRY?

We often find that various musical genres become popular in other countries and are incorporated into the musical repertoires of other countries.

To be more specific, Hip Hop did not originate in Latin America. However, it does have roots in Jamaica. Merengue, even though it is a popular musical genre in many Spanish-speaking (and other Caribbean) countries, did not originate in Latin America: It has its origins in the Dominican Republic. Another example would be the bolero: There is the bolero that originated in Spain and another separate and distinct bolero that is associated with Cuba!

FINAL EXAM FORMAT:

ESSAY:

LENGTH: 3 (THREE) PAGES

DUE DATE: MAY 19TH

CHOOSE EITHER 1 GENRE OF MUSIC OR 1 ARTIST:

Choose one artist* or one genre of music that you would like to write about. Your may choose a country that we have studied or one that we have not studied as the subject for your essay.

IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO PRESENT A MUSICAL GENRE, THAT GENRE MUST HAVE ORIGINATED IN THAT PARTICULAR COUNTRY. IF YOU HAVE CHOSEN A PARTICULAR ARTIST, EVEN THOUGH THAT ARTIST MIGHT HAVE BEEN BORN IN A COUNTRY THAT WOULD QUALIFY FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. THEY COULD HAVE IMMIGRATED AND CURRENTLY LIVE IN A COUNTRY OTHER THAN THAT OF HIS/HER BIRTH.

If you choose to write about an ARTIST, your essay should include:

· Basic biographical information on his/her career. This biographical information should be no more than three-four paragraphs in length

· The bulk of your report should give information about his/her career, its development, highlights, etc.

· Any other information that you think is important to understanding this artist

If you choose to write about a particular musical genre, your essay should include:

· The history and origins of the musical genre

· The development of the music

· The musical instruments commonly used in the musical genre

· Some of the artists/groups who are associated with the musical genre

· Anything else that you think that might be of interest

· YOU MUST ALSO CITE ALL SOURCES THAT YOU USED IN DOING YOUR PAPER!! YOUR COOPERATION IN THIS MATTER WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!

REMEMBER:

YOU MAY CHOOSE A COUNTRY OR AN ARTIST THAT WE HAVE NOT DISCUSSED AS LONG AS IT FALLS WITHIN THE GUIDELINES PRESENTED ABOVE.