WRITING ASSIGNMENT

TASK

Select from any culture and from any musical style one of the four options:

• A single musical artist or personality

• A group or ensemble

• A specific style of music

• A musical event

What musical and social items make that artist/group/style distinct and unique? If you choose a musical event, describe what made or makes that musical event unique. Include any historical information that helps define the artist's/group's/style's aesthetic and where they belong on the social map.

Here are some ideas that may help focus your discussion of an artist's/group's/style's aesthetic:

• Discuss a song's lyrics.

• Does the music in a song imitate or contrast the lyrics?

• Does the band do covers of other artist's songs?

• How does the creative process work for this artist/group/style i.e. does one person write the songs and another the lyrics?

• Discuss how instrumentalists in the group contribute their uniqueness?

• Does the artist/group/style belong to a style of music or do they fuse different styles?

• Has the artist/group/style gone through distinct periods?

• Comment on their live performances if you've been to any and how their live performances compare to their recordings.

• Discuss a lesser-known offbeat album that the band made: Is that album more representative of their true aesthetic?

SPECIFICS

• Write a concise paper of three to four typed double-spaced pages (can be longer if you wish).

• Always cite references (see links below) in the paper whenever appropriate in either APA or MLA style, and include a reference page listing a minimum of three sources.

• Any plagiarized assignments will result in an "F" grade for the course. Click HERE for information on plagiarism.

• Make your selection based upon musical events of the past one hundred years. To avoid duplication, I must verify your topic choice. The paper will be graded on the inclusion of the items listed above and on its organization, clarity, correct writing practices, and objectivity. Avoid writing too personally or editorializing.

Use the following links to help improve your writing:

"Citing Sources in MLA style"

"Citing Sources in APA Style"

"Proofreading for Common Surface Errors:
Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar"

"How To Write a Thesis Statement"

"Paragraphs and Topic Sentences"