Category: Music

Persuasive essay – thesis is music is essentail becuase it can be emotionally connecting, improve motor skills, as well as other benefits. 

During the Thursday lecture of Week 1, I discussed street processions that take place during funerals in Accra (Ghana) and New Orleans (USA), during which musicians play music and walk along city streets and when people march and dance alongside the musicians.
Continuing with the theme of musical street processions, for this first writing assignment, you will describe the music and analyze the social interactions of…

This parade took place in Bloomington, IN, as part of the 2015 Lotus Festival, and this video features the French-North African brass band Fanfaraï.
In your essay, you should briefly address these two questions:
Describe the scene: when and where does this seem to be taking place, and what does the social environment feel like?
How do the people leading the parade attempt to engage people along the parade route?
Then, spend some more time addressing these questions, which deal more specifically with the band Fanfaraï and their interactions with people along the parade route:
How do bandmembers use physical gestures, their instrumental music, and their singing to engage their audience?
How do people along the parade route respond to the band and the other people in the parade?
What characteristics of the music stand out to you? Be specific as you can when describing the musical characteristics, and try to use some of the musical terms discussed in the first Jeff Todd Titon reading. You can discuss the instrumentation, melodies, rhythms, tempo, instruments’ timbres, and more.
Why is this music fitting for a street parade, and why do you think this music is engaging for the audience?
The bulk of your essay should analyze the video by addressing the above questions, but include some background information on the band Fanfaraï. The band’s website provides some information about the band:  https://tournsol.net/fanfarai-en/
In addition to covering the topics and questions outlined above, make sure to pay attention to aspects of effective writing: find an engaging way to introduce the topic, structure your thoughts into paragraphs that have main ideas, write transitions between paragraphs so the ideas flow smoothly, wrap things up with a conclusion, and write with correct grammar and spelling.
Your essay should be 2 to 3 pages in length, double spaced, Times New Roman 12-Point Font.
Grading Rubric
35 Points: Analyze musical characteristics
30 Points: Describe of the parade scene/environment
35 Points: Discuss why the music is fitting for a procession/parade
40 Points: Analyze how band members engage the audience
35 Points: Describe how people respond to the band
20 Points: Briefly Discuss background information about the band Fanfaraï
38 Points: Attend to issues of effective writing, such as organization, grammar, spelling, etc.
Total: 233 Points

1)What are some of the ways that studying music can help you in your life, as well as society in general, now or in the future? Hint: go back to our first module text and slides. Ideas where studying music might help include health, wealth, academics, mental health, social cohesion, understanding other people, and so on. 
2)The 20th century American composer Aaron Copland wrote a book called “What to Listen for in Music”. Some quotes from Copland are here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/40015.Aaron_Copland Read through the quotes and select the 2 or 3 of them that are most meaningful to you, and explain why. 
3)In this class, a breathing technique was taught to make listening to music more mindful. This technique can be used in any situation where you need your mind to be more focused OR where you need to reduce your level of anxiety. Review the technique and also review the Ted Talk video in which Evelyn Glennie discusses her mission to teach the world to listen. What is most valuable from these two aspects of our class? 
4)The composer Pauline Oliveros was also very interested in the process of mindful listening, both to conventional music and to everything in the world and interactions around us. Some quotes from her are here: https://quotefancy.com/pauline-oliveros-quotesRead through the quotes and select 2 are 3 that are most meaningful to you, and explain why. 
–
1) I’ve attached the slide for why music it’s important
3) The breathing technique is called “mindful breathing”

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-1IGnh4cRQes5hIFHeVXnp7ipTGvYA8A?usp=drive_link
Watch videos from the link that I uploaded.
Clay Buck Saxophone (this is his saxophone degree recital)
there are 3 songs in the folder, the first song 3326 named Louise, the second one 3329 named Voce e Eu, last one 3331 named Papa Lips
There is an example for the essay that I attached below.
Essays must contain a minimum of 900 words. You will not receive full credit if your essay is less
than the minimum length. While reviewing your selected jazz performance, take notes on the songs
as they are played. Write sentence fragments describing your observations concerning such musical
aspects as melody, harmony, rhythm, improvisations, form, texture, arrangement, overall ensemble
dialogue, interaction, and stylistic details. This information will serve as the basis for your essay. In
your essay, summarize your experience, explain aspects of the performance you liked or disliked – and
explain why. I am primarily interested in your personal conclusions and thoughts based on concepts
you have learned in this course related to jazz performance, group interaction, and improvisations.
First, compose a rough draft. Begin with general information about the performance, including who
performed, where the event was held, and any other essential details about the concert that you can
provide. Underscore the songs you preferred the most and talk about anything you liked the least, the
makeup, and the performance’s overall mood. It is crucial to coordinate the piece’s emotion with how
you depict each song. Then, conclude your paper by recapping the event and providing an overall
reflection. Lastly, proofread your essay and correct any grammatical and structural issues before
submitting the finished document. 
Essays must be in your own words. Do NOT use artificial
intelligence programs or software such as ChatGPT. Students caught using ChatGPT on essay
submissions will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and will be reported to the office of
student conduct.

Compose the lyrics for a song.
Label all of the formal parts of your song’s lyrics (verse/chorus/bridge/etc.)
Ensure that your lyrics would work for a melody. That is, make sure your verses have approximately the same number of syllables per line as all of the other verses.
A complete songs lyrics can be quite long. If you have fewer than 250 words, you may not be composing an entire song’s lyrics, be prepared to explain your brevity.
+ An approximately 150 word description of what composing a song lyric was like for you(like a personal reflection). You can also mention a part about not being a song writer.

Choose a genre of music to describe. For example, blues, jazz, rock… Like how the music came about and what it did afterwards.

Please refer to #1 or #2 Assignments for MUS 309 paper writing for stipulations and
suggestions for writing.
Your paper is a review-commentary rather than a formal scholarly paper. Please avoid filler and repetition of long titles, biographical or other information, unless needed. The emphasis is on content quality, including your awareness, observation, details, audience experience, venue, insights, comparisons, what you liked more, liked less and why, your interpretation, backing up your statements with some specific descriiptions/evidence, plus correct spelling of works’ titles, correct grammar and spelling, and citation of sources as needed. Avoid “filler” and repeating titles, including biographical information that is not necessary to communicate your ideas.
=======================================================
MUS 309 #5 Assignment: (3 ½ to 4 pages total, maximum).
Choose and write about 5 to a maximum of 6 selections (total) from the lists below related to class materials and experiences: —————————
Percussionist Ignacio Corrales’ performance-Demo-interview involved special performance
techniques, possibilities of interpretation, sticks technique, and how an individual performer can cope with managing solo rehearsals and stage performance with the assistance of digital devices. Ignacio is self-sufficient as possible, but also performs with different ensemble combinations. If you attended Ignacio’s visit, you can write about that experience and about one (1) of his performances on video. If you didn’t attend his demo visit, write about two (2) of Ignacio’s youtube performances. If you heard his recital you may choose to write about a piece, again.
Bagajes Perdidos (Lost Baggage) by Sergio Fidemraizer
performed by Ignacio Corrales, percussionist

Le Livre des Claviers II. by Philippe Manoury. Played by Ignacio Corrales and Khesner Oliveira, Approx. 8 min.

Aphasia by Mark Applebaum (for vocalist or actor: performing sign language
with taped sounds. Performed by Ignacio Corrales, percussionist. Percussionists may perform avant-garde theatrical works requiring acting, singing, miming, variously communicating with audience and with other performers.
A page of the music notation/score with info. is seen here:
https://web.stanford.edu/~applemk/portfolio-works-aphasia.html
Ignacio Coralles’s performance:

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Point / Cloud is David Crowell’s new album. He got a great review in UK’s The Guardian
titled, “David Crowell: Point/Cloud review – minimalism that sparkles with joy.”
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/apr/26/david-crowell-point-cloud-review-better-company-records The Point/Cloud album includes performances with Sandbox Percussion, Dan Lippel, Mak Grgic, and Stony Brook alum Iva Casian Lakos.
WNYC Studios “New Sounds” also wrote about David’s Verses for a Liminal Space
composed for Sandbox percussion:
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/newsounds/episodes/4877-new-releases-april-2024
Music: Verses for a Liminal Space is on David Crowell’s Point/Cloud album (on PLAYLIST, below).
Music VIDEO: Point / Cloud (ii) https://vimeo.com/929622502 (under 4 min.)
Performed by guitar wiz Dan Lippel,
Music and Video by David Crowell, Produced and mixed by David Crowell
WRITE your impression of either the
Music VIDEO of Point / Cloud (ii) above or write about (1) PLAYLIST selection (mention the title). If you like, choose 2 works from the PLAYLIST and write about only 3 works from the MISC. Selections that follow this.
PLAYLIST Point / Cloud https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m_hbP1zns7koP868on9tbDt1Doan0wfeM
—————————————————
MISC. SELECTIONS: Choose any 3 or maximum 4 to write about:
DakhaBrakha experimented with Ukrainian folk music, and added rhythms of the surrounding world to their music, creating bright, unique and unforgettable image of DakhaBrakha. Accompanied by traditional instrumentation from different countries, the band’s powerful and uncompromising vocal delivery creates a trans-national sound. At the crossroads of folklore and theatre their musical spectrum is intimate, experimental and riotous, plumbing the depths of contemporary roots and rhythms, inspiring cultural and artistic liberation.
DakhaBrakha – Baby (Live on KEXP) with folk chanting

BBC DakhaBrakha “Hutsul Witches: Ukrainian psychedelic folk”
They’re celebrating western Carpathian Mountain people, the Hutsul culture
of western Ukraine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutsuls
Гуцульские ведьмы : Украинский психоделический фолк
Dakhabrakha Glastonbury festival, UK 2022

DakhaBrakha in “The Voice of Water” (from Ukrainian: “Голос води”)
a project from band Onuka including The Maneken/producer Eugene Filatov, with Katya Chilly,
and DakhaBrakha. There are art installation sound and motion devices in the water and
the water itself is an art object aurally, visually, that inspires artistic, musical expression.

Some water instruments are here: https://voice.morshynska.ua/instruments
DakhaBrakha singing a poem text by contemporary avant-garde poet, novelist, poet, novelist, essayist, musician, translator, and social activist Serhiy Zhadan who is in the video. Zhadan is an internationally acclaimed writer, with 12 books of poetry and 7 novels, multimedia productions, plays, many songs, commentaries and is winner of more than a dozen literary awards. His poem “The Bird” (to be learned by heart)” is in English at:
https://www.kovcheh.ua/en/reader/serhij-zhadan-ptah
SONG-poem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlSa8J8rOlw
Water drumming – Vanuatu, South Pacific Ocean archipelago

Hermeto Pascoal – Música da Lagoa (Sinfonia do Alto Ribeira, 1985 )
Pascoal, a musician from Northeastern Brazil, gained notariety when he performed in three compositions that he wrote for Miles David on a 1971 album. He often makes music with unconventional objects such as teapots, children’s toys, and animals, as well as keyboards, button accordions, melodica, saxophones, guitars, flutes, voices, various brass and folkloric instruments] He uses nature as a basis for his compositions such as this one, performed in his home region of Lagoa in Brazil.

Kalush orchestra/band featuring Maryna Krut – A Dozen

The Maneken is a band founded by composer, DJ and sound producer
Eugene Filatov in 2008. The band’s sound has varied from dance electronic and disco to pop-rock and classic funk. As a sound producer, Eugene Filatov collaborates with Nata Zhizhchenko on the music for the band ONUKA. Additionally, he is a film composer and a member of the European Film Academy.
The Maneken Keep Moving
https://www.youtube.com/user/themaneken
DakhaBrakha – Yanky / ДахаБраха – Янки / 2017

DakhaBrakha ♫ Live at Glastonbury – Janki (Yanky) another venue

DakhaBrakha – accordion, voices with bird and animal sounds, nature.
NPR interview, performance

Dakhabrakha – Vesna (Springtime) | Live @ Sziget Festival 2017/Spring Cosmo

About Béla Bartók’s DUOS for 2 violins – Classical style violin with folk tunes in 20th c. composer’s musical language of techniques, variations, interpretations. Bartók first focused on folk tunes of Hungary, then expanded his explorations to Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Serbia, and to Turkish and Arabic countries. He asked people to perform songs for him, which he then wrote down. He shared this interest in folk music with his contemporary Zoltán Kodály, who advised Bartók.
ABOUT: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9la_Bart%C3%B3k
Béla Bartók – 44 Duos for Two Violins, Sz. 98 (1931) Duos 1-43 performed by Gyorgy Pauk and Kazuki Sawa. Duo 44 performed by Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-dP9UXo0Hk
EXCERPTS
A Rutén Nóta (Ruthenian Song) – 6:50
Dal (A Rhythm Song) – 16:04
Szunyogtánc (Mosquito Dance) – 19:16
“Ugyan Édes Komámasszony…” (Teasing Song) – 22:15
Rutén Kolomejka (Ruthenian Kolomejka) – 31:38
Pizzicato – 41:52
“Erdélyi” Tánc (Transylvanian Dance) – 42:53
Zydeco and French creole music. Louisiana Cajun, French Acadian
Louisiana Creole people and Cajun people: What’s the Difference? Race, Ethnicity, History…
and Creole people that live in the modern American state of Louisiana, and why and how they both came to be:

Cajun accordion known as a squeezebox, is single-row diatonic button accordion used for playing Cajun music. Zydeco and creole musicians play the Cajun accordion with a
zydeco and creole music sound, respectively.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cajun_accordion
Song: Jole Blon | Doug Kershaw, fiddle and Mark O’Connor accompanying on fiddle with
his band in performing the Cajun folk music classic “Cajun anthem” Jolie Blonde (or Blon, etc.)
Cajun ‘’national anthem’’, recorded in 1929, is a cajun classic. With many spelling and variations, Jole Blon is about “a pretty girlfriend” who had left the singer and moved back in with her family, and is also now in the arms of another man. The singer concludes that there are plenty of other women around. The fiddle-based melody dates to before the 1900s.
FIDDLING Dewey Balfa – Jai Ete Au Bal (I was at the dance)- playing Fiddlesticks

Classical Shirley Givens plays Fiddlesticks with her son Kevin Wimmer Cajun music.
Violinist Shirley Givens, Juilliard pedagogue, plays traditional Old Time Fiddlesticks with her son, Cajun fiddler Kevin Wimmer.

Shirley Givens and violinist Tao play Bartok duets:

Cajun musician Nathan Abshire – Jolie Blond –with Accordion: “like a Blues…
…dispelling the bad times for the good times”

La jolie blonde Richard Belton – nearly bellowing, nasal style

The Best “Boil ’em Cabbage Down” ever! – Mark O’Connor/Wynton Marsalis at the Jazz Festival in Marciac, France – 2010. For more information on Mark O’Connor with Wynton improv. spinning out with the tune. Mark O’Connor “fiddlin’ “ —

Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton play – Corrine, Corrina (1920s country blues song)
It reentered the folk-like acoustical tradition in the American folk music revival of the 1960s when Bob Dylan began playing a version he titled “Corrina, Corrina”. Although his blues-based version contains lyrics and song structure from “Corrine Corrina”, his melody is lifted from a different 1937 song. Playing the Blues at Jazz-Lincoln Center.
with Taj Mahal, an American blues musician who plays the guitar, piano, banjo, harmonium, Bo Chatmon, Mitchell Parish,J. Mayo Williams.

Metallica – Enter Sandman (Official Music Video)
American heavy metal band: with roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a thick, monumental sound characterized by distorted guitars, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats and loudness. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles.
Fast tempos, instrumentals and aggressive musicianship made them one of the founding “big four” bands of thrash metal, alongside Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer. Former lead guitarist Dave Mustaine formed Megadeth after being fired from Metallica. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD-E-LDc384
Squarepusher
Thomas Russell Jenkinson, aka Squarepusher, a classically trained English electronic musician, record producer, bassist, multi-instrumentalist and DJ. Influenced by house music, IDM-intelligent dance music, hardcore, acid house and techno.
Squarepusher – Terminal Slam (Official Video)

Squarepusher – Beep Street

Jean John (Žan Tetičkovič, drummer,) plays – Beep Street (Squarepusher)
at “The Octopus” studio. Tetičkovič is a classically trained composer, arranger, producer, mixer, orchestral and choral conductor, drummer and band leader.

AJ’s Footsteps – by Žan Tetičkovič / Jean John Trio
featuring Emmet Cohen, piano, Russell Hall, bass, Žan Tetičkovič, drummer.
Live at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Washington D.C., 2019

A Love Lane Nocturne – by Žan Tetičkovič / Jean John Trio
featuring Emmet Cohen, piano, Russell Hall, bass, Žan Tetičkovič, drummer.
Live at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Washington D.C., 2019

Read the article on the Castrati then discuss the pros and cons of this period practice. Why was it so popular? What was the advantages or disadvantages of having male castrati singing lead roles? Example of a current day male soprano:

Discuss the role of music in a single film. You can choose any film that you like, even if it is discussed in the text. You are not limited to Hollywood films, as international films are acceptable.
What to Write
You should choose a film that you enjoy and can watch multiple times. 
In your paper, do not simply summarize the plot. It should NOT look like the Viewer Guides. Please focus on the music. Here are some possible approaches:
A narrative approach allows you to talk about the film as it unfolds and analyze the music as it appears in the film. This is the easiest approach and also the least interesting. Still, a good paper that focuses on music can achieve an A grade.
You can choose some of the basic qualities of film music (see Chapter 4) and treat one or more separately. This places the emphasis on music more than in the narrative approach.
Taking a point of view is the most challenging, thoughtful approach. It is especially recommended as a practice for those going to graduate schools. Decide on a point of view about the music in the film and support your view in a logical manner that does not depend on the narrative or the mechanical listing of musical characteristics. Possible subjects: the role of source music in a film; how does music reflect changes in a character or situation; how does music support the theme or message of a film.

Write a manifesto about how music can help with emotional and physical healing and should be used more often. Manifesto is at least 1,000 words, Manifesto includes at least 2 explained quotes from at least 2 academic sources, Manifesto uses rhetorical techniques we’ve studied (e.g. logos, ethos, pathos) to persuasively argue its point of view, Manifesto challenges, provokes, and/or is theatrical.