MUSC 103
L AISTENING JOURNALSSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
OVERVIEW
Since this is a music course, you must dedicate time to listening! To really understand and
explore the songs, you must listen multiple times to each song. Active listening takes time and
cannot be rushed. Please find a quiet place without distractions and listen to the music actively.
Oftentimes, we let music become the background for other activities; this is passive listening. In
this course, you will need to focus closely on the music. A guide to active listening is posted on
in Course Content, which will help you to focus on appropriate details needed to have success in
the course and to grow as a music lover. Each piece/song of music will demand anywhere from
10-30 minutes of active listening, depending on the genre; art music pieces may take longer than
popular music examples.
INSTRUCTIONS
Consult the Listening Journal Example document in the Assignment Resources.
You will create ‘playlists’ comprising four (4) relevant pieces/songs, which you will then
analyze using the appropriate technical terminology learned in the ‘Elements of Music Basic
Guide’ document and the “Introduction” chapter of the textbook.
Each entry must be at least 100 words (i.e., each LJ will be a minimum of 400 words total).
At least sixty (60) words of each entry must be a technical analysis (SHMRF). If your
technical analysis does not meet the 100-word minimum, you may include a secondary
observation regarding historical, cultural, performative, recording, etc. aspects of the music
to satisfy the word count requirement. This secondary observation must come from a
scholarly source (i.e., not your own opinion or experience) and must be in Turabian
format (see the rubric).
oOther than the first LJ, do not discuss your personal experiences or feelings about the
entry/entries.
oUse technical language to discuss the elements of each entry as the ‘Elements of Music
Basic Guide’ and textbook does in the ‘Gateways.’
oYour analytical skills will improve with each assignment, but you must put in effort to
earn points. For example, writing that the melody “varies and sometimes takes on a
random nature” will earn zero points, as it is ambiguous and does not display any growth
from the readings or listenings. Writing that the melody “is repetitive and features
yodeling” is also not very good and would be the bare minimum effort that would earn
some credit because it provides two basic observations.
oDo not discuss your personal relationship or history with the song, how (you think) the
music makes people feel, or how it relates to scripture.
o You will lose points if you use filler in an effort to meet minimum word count . For
example, writing, “this song’s melody is . . .” or “the harmony of Beethoven’s Symphony
No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67, is . . .” will result in a loss of points. I know you’re discussing
the melody because you’ve written “Melody:,” and I already know the work you’re
discussing. Just write your observations and what you’ve learned or read about the music.
All sources should conform to Turabian style.
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oNumber of sources: Minimum of one (1) YouTube link per entry (i.e., minimum of four
per LJ), in Turabian format—not just a URL or hyperlink. Omitting the source in
Turabian format will result in an automatic zero for that entry, regardless of analysis
quality. In other words, submitting an assignment without links will result in a zero (0)
for the entire LJ.
Acceptable sources: YouTube.com for song links. Additional sources are not required, but
must be reputable if you choose to include them (see ‘Writing Tips’ document).
Submit each LJ as a Microsoft Word document with the title of the assignment and your
name as it appears on Canvas.
Listening Journal: Four Songs of You
An expansion on Music in Your Life (i.e., do not repeat or copy and paste your Discussion:
Music in Your Life material). This is a chance for you to share what you love about four
songs/pieces of music that you believe represent your musical interests and tastes. These
songs/pieces may be from any style or genre and must include a short analysis in the format
shown above. If a song/piece you choose exceeds ten minutes in length, highlight and analyze
what you perceive as the entry’s most important aspects and include timestamps.
Submit this assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday.
Listening Journal: Four Songs of Small-scale Societies
You will choose four different examples of songs/pieces of music noted in this module’s
readings, then you will find and analyze an example of each genre you chose, but your entries
may not be discussed or analyzed in the book. For example, Gateway 7, Machaut’s “Gloria,”
from Messe de Notre Dame, is a setting of a polyphonic mass. If you enjoyed this piece, one
acceptable entry for this LJ would be to find another example (not discussed in the book) of a
polyphonic mass from approximately the same period, then write a short analysis in the
format shown above.
Submit this assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday.
Listening Journal: Four Songs of the Common Practice Period
You will choose four different examples of songs/pieces of music covered since the last LJ, then
you will find and analyze an example of each genre you chose, but your entries may not be
discussed or analyzed in the book. For example, Gateway 27, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C
Minor, Op. 67, is a symphony. If you enjoyed this piece, one acceptable entry for this LJ would
be to find another example (not discussed in the book) of a symphony from approximately the
same period, then write a short analysis in the format shown above.
Submit this assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday.
Listening Journal: Four songs of the Twentieth Century
You will choose four different examples of songs/pieces of music covered since the last LJ, then
you will find and analyze an example of each genre you chose, but your entries may not be
discussed or analyzed in the book. For example, Gateway 49, Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along the
Watchtower” is a rock song about which you will read and listen. If you enjoyed this piece, one
acceptable entry for this LJ would be to find another example (not discussed in the book) of a
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MUSC 103
rock song from approximately the same period, then write a short analysis in the format
shown above.
Submit this assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday.
Note: Your assignment will be checked for originality via the SafeAssign plagiarism tool.
GUIDE
Using the “Listening Journal: Four Songs of the Common Practice Period” prompt and readings
as an example, here is one way you can tackle your assignments. The scenario described below
m a y s o u n d s i l l y , b u t i t w a s m y e x a c t p r o c e s s .
Hypothetical Scenario, Part 1; Location: Sitting at my desk
I’m reading the textbook and listening to the examples from last week and/or this week
(Chapters 4-8), and I respond emotionally to Gateway 25: Piano Sonata in C Minor No. 8, Op.
13 (Pathétique), I, by Ludwig van Beethoven. I’m not exactly sure why, but I love the way it
sounds and know this is one of the types of pieces I want to analyze. So, I open up my preferred
internet search engine and type something like “Classical Period piano pieces,” because that’s
what the book says this is. The search results in a plethora of examples on all kinds of web pages.
O n e r e s u l t C a p r i c c i o i n F # - o p . 7 6 n o . 1 1
t h a t I e n j o y i s J o h a n n e s B r a h m s ’ . S o , I g e t r e a d y t o
a n a l y z e o n e o f t h e m o v e m e n t s j u s t l i k e t h e b o o k d o
“ w a i t a s e c o n d , I ’ m n o t a m u s i c i a n a n d I d o n ’ t k n o w
does. Now what do I do?!?” (I am a musician and I do know how to analyze this music, but pretend I’m not and pl
hypothetical scenario. �)
Hypothetical Scenario, Part 2; Location: Still sitting at my desk
I o p e n u p a s e a r c h e n g i n e i n a n o t h e r w i n d o w / t a b a n
a n a l y s i s , ” a n d a f e w s c h o l a r l y / r e p u t a b l e s o u r c e s a p p
I s e e a j o u r n a l a r t i c l e f r o m t h e S o c i e t y f o r M u s i c T h
u n i v e r s i t y , a n d I s e e a j o u r n a l a r t i c l e t i t l e d , “ B r a h m
A m b i g u i t y , C o n f l i c t , M u s i c a l M e a n i n g , a n d P e r f o r m a
f o r C a p r i c c i o i n F # - o p . 7 6 n o . 1 i n s t e a d o f C a p r i c c i o
g o o d s t a r t i n g p o i n t b e c a u s e t h e a r t i c l e m i g h t d i s c u
r e s u l t s , I t h i n k t h i s l o o k s l i k e a g r e a t r e s o u r c e , b u t
s a y t o m y s e l f , “ I r e m e m b e r t h e s y l l a b u s a n d ‘ W r i t i n g
u n i v e r s i t y l i b r a r y ’ s w e b s i t e f o r r e s e a r c h . ” I o p e n a n
a r t i c l e ’ s t i t l e i n t o t h e s e a r c h b a r o n t h e f r o n t o f t h
I d e c l a r e , “ i f t h e p r o f e s s o r s a i d t o u s e t h e l i b r a r y f o
w a s l o o k i n g f o r o n m y f i r s t t r y , w i l l I f i n d m o r e h i g
w e b s i t e ? ” S o , I t y p e , “ B r a h m s C a p r i c c i o i n F # - o p . 7 6
e n g i n e , a n d B U H - B A M , m u l t i p l e u s a b l e r e s u l t s a p p e a
Fin
B r a h m s w a s a R o m a n t i c E r a c o m p o s e r , b u t y o u m a y c h o o s e w o
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- - - A g a i n , t h e s c e n a r i o d e s c r i b e d a b o v e w a s m y e x a c
pieces,” but I did not love the top result, and the second result was not helpful because I was
looking for piano pieces only. I went to the third result and right at the top was this Brahms title,
so finding the piece was quite quick. If I had chosen a piece from the first result, it would have
been even quicker, but I wanted to find something less popular because that is what you might
do. I have never studied or looked for this Brahms piece, so I had no idea of what I would find,
yet I easily and quickly located numerous sources to help me discuss the works as a non-
musician would. Additionally, although my initial search of the piece’s title pointed me toward
no. 8 instead of no. 1, both pieces are part of Op. 76, which led me to suspect that the article
would either discuss no. 1 or point me toward an article or book that does (see the article’s
bibliography).
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