Choose 1 piece of music OF ANY GENRE OR TIME PERIOD (Classical OR Popular styles) to write about in a Listening Journal Entry. This 1 entry should be approximately 3/4 to one full, single spaced page. This listening journal will be available in Blackboard for 2 DAYS after the due date.
However, journals will lose 10% each day they are late. This journal will be worth 25 points. As always, write the journal in a standard program such as Microsoft Word, and upload your journal to this assignment through the link below: Attach File > Browse My Computer.
Please choose 1 song/piece of any style/genre. If possible, please paste into your document a URL link to a Youtube version of your chosen song/piece. This is so the instructors can have a reference for the accuracy of your observations.
If you reference, direcectly quote, or even paraphrase background information from an outside source (such as a website), you MUST provide properly formatted citations to avoid plagiarism. The reference book to use for these citations is called "A Manual for Writers: of research papers, theses, and dissertations" 8th edition by Kate L. Turabian.
This includes parenthetical/in-text citations at the end of sentences or paragraphs AND a brief Bibliography listing at the end of the journal. However, since this is supposed to be YOUR thoughts and observations, it should not be necessary to use much outside information.
You MUST include the following information: Name of the artist. Title of the song/piece. Name of the actual Composer (for popular music, this is often NOT the singer- use the internet, look this up). Specific genre and/or sub-genre: example- don't just say "rock". Which kind of rock?
In the journal entry you should discuss: What do you hear? What is going on in the piece? How does the music develop compositionally or sound-wise throughout the piece?
What are the instruments or vocal ranges being used? What genre and/or style are they playing/singing?
What distinguishes this piece of music from others you know and have listened to? What do you like about this music? What do you not like?
Do you have an emotional response to the music?
Be specific and describe what you hear. You should use vocabulary words that you have learned so far, and your own words to describe the music.
GOALS for the Assignment: As always, the goal is for you to demonstrate your ability to talk about music on a deeper level, by properly using music vocabulary terms.
I don't want the majority of the journal to be background information or the story behind the piece, which you likely copied or paraphrased from an outside source.
This is missing the point of the assignment and will result in a lower grade. I want to see you talking about the actual music itself. Go IN-DEPTH since this is for extra credit. Surface-level, general statements or a short journal entry will not cut it.