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MUSIC OF THE UNITED STATES MUH 3633: Fall 2022 Music Description Project (Deadlines to be Revised post-Hurricane)
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this project is to allow you to investigate on your own some examples of recorded Music of the United States. While not quite a formal “research” project, you will demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of a particular genre or style of United States music through your study of and report about a particular group of recorded examples of American music.
GENERAL METHOD: In broad outline, you will:
1. Choose a recording on the New World Records label [all available in the UCF Library] from the list below.
2. Listen to the recording, read the accompanying liner notes, and evaluate that information in light of what you have learned about Music in the United States in this course.
3. Write a brief formal paper based on your listening and reading.

APPROVAL OF THE RECORDING: Note the following:
* Only one person may use a particular recording. Items that have been chosen will be marked “[taken]” on the list below.
* You must choose your recording from the list of items in the UCF Library given below.
* You are encouraged to sample multiple items and to read the New World Records web site [NB. NWR has reorganized its website (effective c. Feb 2020)] with accompanying liner notes, before making your choice.
* When you have determined which item you wish to study, send me an email with your choice (and at least 2 alternate choices), and I will reply with an email approval (or a warning to make another choice).
* Failure to notify me of your choice will result in a two-grade penalty, and if your item has already been used by another classmate, your paper will be rejected.
* NB. Anyone repeating the course must choose a different item from any used in previous iterations of this course.
* It is your obligation to acquire the CD recording via normal UCF Library check-out procedures and to follow all library rules and policies concerning borrowed items. Beware that these recordings are not reserved, and any library patron (whether in MUH 3633 or not) may check-out an item. If your chosen item is not available or is recalled by another patron, you may change your assignment by notifying me of your new choice (as above), or you may wait for the recording to be returned. You may not, however, ask for extensions based on the unavailability of a particular recording.
Your choice of the CD that you wish to use must be emailed to me by 5:00 pm on Monday, 3 October 2022. [No exceptions] To ensure that your choice is acceptable, you are required to submit three or more items in your preferred order. Failure to submit an acceptable choice before the deadline will result in a 10-point deduction for every following day until you do submit a choice.

STUDYING THE RECORDING: Do the following:
* All of your listening to your chosen item should be active listening, i.e., your attention should be fully focused on the recording and not split among multiple tasks.
* Plan to listen to your item multiple times and with significant breaks between at least some of the listening sessions, e.g., perhaps a day or more.
* During your listening, take informal notes to remind yourself of any interesting or unique tracks or even moments in the recording.
* At some point after your first listening, read the liner notes that accompany the recording. The liner notes for most NWR items are available online as PDFs at the New World Records web site. NB. NWR has reorganized its website (effective c. February 2020), and you may need to search through several pages at the current display, or use the “search” function at the RH top of the page.
* After reading the liner notes, identify the particular style(s) or genre(s) represented on the recording. Read the relevant passages in the Crawford/Hamberlin textbook.
* During your later listenings, identify 1-2 tracks that are especially noteworthy or good representatives of their style or genre.

WRITING THE PAPER: Your paper will cover the following points, including both general information on the recording’s musical style(s) and a more specific discussion of at least one representative track:
* First, provide a brief introduction to the topic and recordings – one paragraph
* Second, give a general background on the musical style(s) and genre(s) of the recordings (from the liner notes and Crawford/Hamberlin) – 1-2 paragraphs
* Third, include specific information on the performers, recordings, and styles (including sounding traits) represented on the recording – 1 page
* Fourth, give a detailed discussion and description of 1-2 representative tracks on the recording – 1-2 pages
* Fifth, in particular, note how the entire recording and/or specific tracks conform to or differ from the information in Crawford/Hamberlin – perhaps 1-2 paragraphs
* Sixth, provide a summary and closing – 1 paragraph
You will also demonstrate your ability to document materials used in the creation of your paper, i.e., you must provide a minimum of two (2) footnotes, properly formatted according to the rules of D. Kern Holoman, A Style Sheet, 3rd ed. (Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2014]), which is available as an eBook via the UCF Library.

THE FINAL DOCUMENT: Make sure that your paper conforms to the following:
* The paper must be submitted as a WORD document (.doc or .docx). PDF and other fixed formats are not acceptable (and will be penalized).
* The paper must prepared as if on 8-½” x 11″ white paper, with 1″ margins on all sides, except for the first page of text, which has a 2″ top margin.
* Use a 12-point typeface, type in double-space, and indent all paragraphs.
* In writing, use a formal tone, avoid slang and contractions, spell all words and technical terms correctly, etc. IMPORTANT REMINDER: You must run your document through the “spell-checker” within your word-processor before submitting the paper to me. Failure to do so–as evidenced by any obvious spelling errors of common words–will result in penalties against the “writing” portion of the grade.
* Make clear all references to the textbook, source materials, and any other supporting documents that you discuss.
* You must cite any materials or ideas that quote, paraphrase or even allude to, with some sort of footnote, endnote, or other system of citation. NB. Failure to credit sources is plagiarism and will result in a grade of “F” for the assignment, as well as notification of your act to the appropriate UCF authorities for additional discipline.
* When in doubt of how to present something, refer to D. Kern Holoman, A Style Sheet, 3rd ed. (Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2014]) for clarification. NB. while you are not required to purchase this item for MUH 3633, it will be used in MUH 3211-3212. A single copy will be available as an eBook through the UCF Library, and earlier editions may also be available.
* The absolute minimum length is 1,000 words (about 4-5 pages, not including any title page or appended bibliography and notes; “Word Count” under “Tools” in most word-processor programs gives this information). You are allowed and encouraged to write more than the minimum, but do not simply pad the content.
The final paper is due electronically submitted in this webcourses page by 5:00 pm on Monday, 10 October 2022. The final paper itself counts for 10% of the course grade, with the value split between writing (40%), footnotes (10%) and content (50%).

THESE ARE THE RECORDINGS TO LISTEN TO

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