Written Assignments
You will watch a video, either a music concert or a documentary about music. You will then provide a brief summary of the content and a description of the music performed in the video. You must view something involving music that is 1) non-western or 2) traditional or specific to a particular ethnic group. Western popular music, classical music, jazz, Broadway, etc, will not be appropriate for these projects. Something concerning the blues (especially Delta or rural blues), bluegrass, Cajun, etc. would be appropriate, even though they are western.
You must choose from the resources to which I direct you. If an item is on reserve, they must be viewed in the library, but many are available for checkout—I’ll provide a brief list at the end of the document. Many of you may find viewing a streaming video online more convenient. There are numerous options available here:
http://www.folkstreams.net/films.php?cat=8&sort=recent
Please note that there are many, many videos at this site. I have linked you to search results based on the subject “music,” and the list defaults to sorting by “Most Recently Added,” but not all of these will be appropriate. Adhere to the restrictions on appropriate types of music at the beginning of this document, and plan on watching something of ~ 1/2 hour duration at a minimum (there are some that are much shorter that will not be acceptable). If you hover over a video a short description appears so you can have some idea of what you will see. The lengths are given underneath each video. There are multiple pages of listings—click on “Load More” at the bottom of the page to see additional videos, so don’t get fixated by the first page only (please!). You can also re-sort in alphabetical or reverse-alphabetical order. I would strongly encourage you not to quote from the descriptions provided on the website; if you feel you must, make sure you reference it as such. Plagiarism from this site or from any other source will be reported.
In your paper you must summarize the content and describe the musical style, with references to specific pieces if at all possible. This is true even if the titles of specific pieces are not given or you can’t understand what was said (you could refer to an example for which you don’t know the title as “the second piece performed” or “the piece that featured two fiddles,” etc.). Record the behaviors of both the performers and the audience members (if present). Notice the types of people in the audience, how they are dressed, etc. The bulk of the paper, however, should focus on the music. You should give a sense of the entire performance, but you should focus on two or three pieces for detailed discussion. Try to describe musical style using terms and concepts learned in class. I expect to see some discussion of rhythm (for instance, whether there is a steady pulse or free rhythm), texture (label it and explain why it is that texture), instruments used, if any, etc. You may also describe your own reactions to the music, but if you do, it should be something more substantial than “I liked it” or “I hated it”—tell me why. Any personal reaction or opinion should be kept very brief, however—you should be primarily an objective observer as far as is possible.
In all cases, try to be specific. Describe specific pieces if at all possible (two or three should be sufficient per paper). Use a formal writing style.
**Papers should be at least three and no more than five pages in length, double-spaced, with one‑inch margins and a font size no larger than twelve points. Be sure to include your name, course number, and assignment number (#1 or #2) at the top of the first page. You will turn the paper in on Canvas.
Folkstreams | Folkstreams
https://www.folkstreams.net/films?cat=8&sort=recent?cat=8&sort=recent
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