7/23/13
In Class:
Mini-quiz: 1) Define melody. 2) Define genre. 3) In "S.R. (The Many Versions Of)" by Reel Big Fish, how does perceived genre effect your affective interpretation?
Distributed and reviewed missing work reports.
Independently, students worked on final projects and missing work.
Exit ticket: What grade do you deserve in this class and why?
Homework:
Finish your final!
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
July 18th, 2013
7/18/13
In Class:
Mini-quiz: 1) Define melody. 2) Define genre. 3) Describe how the idea of genre relates to the Mozart vs. Skrillex video.
Reviewed questions on the final project.
As a class, we listened to and verbally explicated "Anne Braden" by Flobots.
Independently, students used the remaining class time to collect and explicate songs for the final.
Exit ticket: Write one rhyming couplet.
Homework:
Catch up on missing work.
Work on final project!
In Class:
Mini-quiz: 1) Define melody. 2) Define genre. 3) Describe how the idea of genre relates to the Mozart vs. Skrillex video.
Reviewed questions on the final project.
As a class, we listened to and verbally explicated "Anne Braden" by Flobots.
Independently, students used the remaining class time to collect and explicate songs for the final.
Exit ticket: Write one rhyming couplet.
Homework:
Catch up on missing work.
Work on final project!
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
July 16th, 2013
7/16/13
In Class:
Mini-quiz: 1) Define melody. 2) What qualities of the melodies of "Somebody That I Used to Know" create situations like this one?
Reviewed final project (see separate post).
Instruction on generic imperative: the cultural and stylistic expectations, responsibilities, and obligations of artists and audiences of a particular genre (e.g., the 'drop' in dubstep, or the instrumentation of klezmer). Generic imperative is pervasive throughout all subsets of a genre; it is, as the notion of genre itself, a double-edged sword.
Discussed cover songs and remixes: re-interpretation or re-imagining of an already existing song, often crossing lines of genre using innovation. Good covers and remixes sound significantly different from the original recording because the covering artist has introduced a unique style or perspective. Consider "With a Little Help from My Friends," originally recorded by The Beatles and covered by Joe Cocker.
Independently, each student chose an original song to compare with a cover or remix by explicating and completing a Venn diagram like the one to the right.
Exit ticket: Define generic imperative.
Homework:
Catch up on missing work.
Begin working on your final project.
Finish your Venn diagram from class.
In Class:
Mini-quiz: 1) Define melody. 2) What qualities of the melodies of "Somebody That I Used to Know" create situations like this one?
Reviewed final project (see separate post).
Instruction on generic imperative: the cultural and stylistic expectations, responsibilities, and obligations of artists and audiences of a particular genre (e.g., the 'drop' in dubstep, or the instrumentation of klezmer). Generic imperative is pervasive throughout all subsets of a genre; it is, as the notion of genre itself, a double-edged sword.
Independently, each student chose an original song to compare with a cover or remix by explicating and completing a Venn diagram like the one to the right.
Exit ticket: Define generic imperative.
Homework:
Catch up on missing work.
Begin working on your final project.
Finish your Venn diagram from class.
Final Project -- Contemporary Songwriting
Contemporary
Songwriting – Final Project
Due July 24th,
2013 at 3:00 PM
As the final
assessment for Contemporary Songwriting, you will complete a two-part
assignment to demonstrate your growth, both in writing your own songs and
appreciating others’ songs.
Assignment – Part One: Explication
and Reflection
For the
first part of this assessment, you will collect any five or more songs of your
choosing and burn them onto a CD.[*]
These songs should be rich in terms of lyrics, musical depth, and emotional effect.
Ideally, they will showcase what you consider “good” songwriting, which
incorporates the intersection of musical, lyrical, and affective dimensions. I
recommend that you include as much variety
as possible: an eclectic mix of music demonstrates your ability to appreciate
songs of different genres and styles, regardless of your general preference.
In addition
to the CD, you will explicate each song using the attached guiding questions.
These five explications should demonstrate your ability to annotate, analyze,
and reflect on every dimension of the songs in detail. Additionally, your
explications should highlight the lyrical, musical, and affective depth of your
chosen songs, therefore justifying their place in the “plectrum.”
Finally, you
will write a conclusion (350-500 words) which identifies the common thread
through this quality music. Try to answer the question, “What makes this ‘good’
music?”
Assignment – Part Two
For the
second part of this assessment, you have the freedom to determine an adequate
expression of your growth in songwriting and songwriting appreciation. This
includes, but is not limited to:
·
writing a song,
·
researching and analyzing one artist’s
songwriting process and product,
·
creating an artistic interpretation of a
well-written song with an artist’s statement
or
·
performing a song that you previously composed with
a written reflection.
I am
entirely open to other ideas which express your growth: choose whatever sort of
creative project best demonstrates your development this block.
You will be
graded based on the following standards (see the rubric on the following page):
Part One: Part
Two:
· Completion of basic
requirements
· Content: Choice of songs [Rubric to be determined based on student
proposal]
· Explications
· Conclusion
Tips for
success on this project:
·
Start early and use your time wisely. Your final
submissions will provide clear evidence of how much time you have dedicated to
this endeavor.
·
Be certain to analyze songs that are well-written, rather than just songs
that you like. There is a difference.
·
Ask for help when you need it. My door is always
open, and there are many people who can assist you, both inside and outside of
our school building.
[*] If you do not know how to
do this, or do not have the resources, make an appointment to work with me
after school. I am happy to help you in this process.
Friday, July 12, 2013
July 11th, 2013
7/11/13
In Class:
Distributed and reviewed missing work reports.
Mini-quiz: define melody.
Reviewed the process of integrating melody and lyrics (see notes from 7/9/13).
Practiced generating lyrics within constrains of melody using a collaborative creative exercise.
Discussed and defined genre: a classification of music based on lyrical, musical, affective, and cultural traits. Consider the nature of genre as a double-edged sword--it is a guiding factor for musicians and fans in some ways, but it also limits and narrowly defines the artistic/creative element of songwriting in other ways.
Independently, students worked on the following two assignments:
* Choose any genre about which you would like to learn more and complete the worksheet on common genre characteristics.
* Using at least one line or idea from our collaborative writing exercise, write two stanzas of 4+ lines.
Exit Ticket: Define genre.
Homework:
Finish the two assignments listed above.
In Class:
Distributed and reviewed missing work reports.
Mini-quiz: define melody.
Reviewed the process of integrating melody and lyrics (see notes from 7/9/13).
Practiced generating lyrics within constrains of melody using a collaborative creative exercise.
Discussed and defined genre: a classification of music based on lyrical, musical, affective, and cultural traits. Consider the nature of genre as a double-edged sword--it is a guiding factor for musicians and fans in some ways, but it also limits and narrowly defines the artistic/creative element of songwriting in other ways.
Independently, students worked on the following two assignments:
* Choose any genre about which you would like to learn more and complete the worksheet on common genre characteristics.
* Using at least one line or idea from our collaborative writing exercise, write two stanzas of 4+ lines.
Exit Ticket: Define genre.
Homework:
Finish the two assignments listed above.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
July 9th, 2013
7/9/13
In Class:
Explicated "Take It or Leave It" by Sublime with Rome using the following guiding questions:
[Note: these guiding questions will be helpful for your final project; I recommend that you take them down as notes.]
Discussed the notion of inherent musicianship--the idea that we are all neurologically and physiologically programmed to understand and appreciate music in certain ways. See Bobby McFerrin's pentatonic scale experiment: McFerrin uses the untrained audience's natural, instinctive musicality to demonstrate our brain's capacity to create musical expectations.
Reviewed the definition of melody: the main musical theme or idea. Viewed an animation of Bach's "Little Fugue in G Minor" to recognize the concept of melodic theme, as well as variation and modulation of that theme.
While a melody can be any arrangement of pitches in rhythm, the best melodies rely on several characteristics. As Molly Ann-Leikin puts it in How to Write a Hit Song, ideal melodies are the ones you can sing in the shower. These melodies revolve around:
- catchiness (the 'stuck-in-your-head' element)
- repetition (the more times it is repeated, the more likely the listener is to remember it)
- voice leading (an untrained musician should be able to sing along--no crazy intervals, unnecessarily complex rhythms, etc.)
The best melodies integrate lyrics flawlessly, as if mimicking natural speech. This requires several techniques, specifically:
- matching syllabic measure and inflection (while this is not a set-in-stone rule, it helps in the "weaving" process)
- matching emotional message of the lyric with the emotional quality of the melody
- matching points of emphasis (long notes, high pitches, and hard articulations should mimic naturally-emphasized points in spoken word)
Next, we considered the idea of chord progressions. A chord progression is a repeating pattern of chords built on different degrees of the major scale: most songs' chord progressions can be analyzed by identifying the degree of the major scale from I-vii.
A chord progression is the musical analog to a lyrical premise: it is the foundational, supportive element that allows the melody to thrive. That said, there are specific 'stock' progressions that have been used very frequently in the last 70 years of popular music. Consider I-V-vi-IV (1-5-m6-4), or the "punk progression"--its prevalence is demonstrated by Axis of Awesome in their "Four Chord Song."
Exit Ticket: What are the four stylistic perspectives of songwriting?
Homework:
Borrow a melody from a song of your choice; then, write a 4+ line stanza with lyrics that integrates the melody using the techniques listed above.
In Class:
Explicated "Take It or Leave It" by Sublime with Rome using the following guiding questions:
[Note: these guiding questions will be helpful for your final project; I recommend that you take them down as notes.]
Discussed the notion of inherent musicianship--the idea that we are all neurologically and physiologically programmed to understand and appreciate music in certain ways. See Bobby McFerrin's pentatonic scale experiment: McFerrin uses the untrained audience's natural, instinctive musicality to demonstrate our brain's capacity to create musical expectations.
Reviewed the definition of melody: the main musical theme or idea. Viewed an animation of Bach's "Little Fugue in G Minor" to recognize the concept of melodic theme, as well as variation and modulation of that theme.
While a melody can be any arrangement of pitches in rhythm, the best melodies rely on several characteristics. As Molly Ann-Leikin puts it in How to Write a Hit Song, ideal melodies are the ones you can sing in the shower. These melodies revolve around:
- catchiness (the 'stuck-in-your-head' element)
- repetition (the more times it is repeated, the more likely the listener is to remember it)
- voice leading (an untrained musician should be able to sing along--no crazy intervals, unnecessarily complex rhythms, etc.)
The best melodies integrate lyrics flawlessly, as if mimicking natural speech. This requires several techniques, specifically:
- matching syllabic measure and inflection (while this is not a set-in-stone rule, it helps in the "weaving" process)
- matching emotional message of the lyric with the emotional quality of the melody
- matching points of emphasis (long notes, high pitches, and hard articulations should mimic naturally-emphasized points in spoken word)
Next, we considered the idea of chord progressions. A chord progression is a repeating pattern of chords built on different degrees of the major scale: most songs' chord progressions can be analyzed by identifying the degree of the major scale from I-vii.
A chord progression is the musical analog to a lyrical premise: it is the foundational, supportive element that allows the melody to thrive. That said, there are specific 'stock' progressions that have been used very frequently in the last 70 years of popular music. Consider I-V-vi-IV (1-5-m6-4), or the "punk progression"--its prevalence is demonstrated by Axis of Awesome in their "Four Chord Song."
Exit Ticket: What are the four stylistic perspectives of songwriting?
Homework:
Borrow a melody from a song of your choice; then, write a 4+ line stanza with lyrics that integrates the melody using the techniques listed above.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
July 2nd, 2013
7/2/13
In Class:
"Dictionary Game" on p. 66 of How to Write a Hit Song.
Instruction in Introduction to Musical Terminology:
tempo: the speed or pace of 'the beat'
instrumentation: the choice of instruments used
scale/key quality: the particular tonality of a song based on the notes used, specifically in regard to major ("happy") and minor ("sad") scales.
melody: the primary musical 'idea' or theme of a song. (Any sequence of pitches in rhythm.)
Well-written songs integrate lyrics with melody so that the musical line sounds like natural speech patterns, specifically in terms of meter and emphasis. In order to accomplish this process, some writers find it easier to write melody first, then lyrics, while others compose lyrics and then match a melody: “Sail” by AWOLNation v. “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley.
Independently, students worked on the three following tasks:
* Read p. 13-9 of How to Write a Hit Song, taking notes to submit.
* Using one of the songs you picked out for your 15-song assignment, describe the tempo, instrumentation, and key quality. Identify and describe the melody.
* Complete the dictionary exercise from the beginning of class.
Exit Ticket: Which should you write first—the melody or the lyric?
Homework:
Finish the three assignments listed above.
In Class:
"Dictionary Game" on p. 66 of How to Write a Hit Song.
Instruction in Introduction to Musical Terminology:
tempo: the speed or pace of 'the beat'
instrumentation: the choice of instruments used
scale/key quality: the particular tonality of a song based on the notes used, specifically in regard to major ("happy") and minor ("sad") scales.
melody: the primary musical 'idea' or theme of a song. (Any sequence of pitches in rhythm.)
Well-written songs integrate lyrics with melody so that the musical line sounds like natural speech patterns, specifically in terms of meter and emphasis. In order to accomplish this process, some writers find it easier to write melody first, then lyrics, while others compose lyrics and then match a melody: “Sail” by AWOLNation v. “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley.
Independently, students worked on the three following tasks:
* Read p. 13-9 of How to Write a Hit Song, taking notes to submit.
* Using one of the songs you picked out for your 15-song assignment, describe the tempo, instrumentation, and key quality. Identify and describe the melody.
* Complete the dictionary exercise from the beginning of class.
Exit Ticket: Which should you write first—the melody or the lyric?
Homework:
Finish the three assignments listed above.
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