In the most recent readings, we saw how Carol Vernallis, George Lipsitz and Angela Davis use a similar set of steps to analyze music in its various contexts. In their writing, the methodology looks something like this:
- Use other writers to make a case about why the music matters
- Establish the music’s historical context to make a case about why the music matters
- Draw from additional sources (videos, interviews, biography)
- Describe and interpret musical sounds–the actual music itself
- Interpret lyrics and discuss the song’s topics, themes, and social relevance to continue to make a case about why the music matters
You can see these moves over and over in scholarly writing about music.
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Prompt: For this discussion post, write one paragraph of your upcoming essay that attempts to follow this methodology, or at least some portion of it from steps 1-5 above.
KEY REQUIREMENT: In the same way that our authors use an ideas from other writers, to make a case about the music, your paragraph here must use an idea from a text that you’ve found. This text must be a credible source. It need not be a text about music. It could be from a variety of different kinds of sources. The *key* is to locate and utilize a reliable source that allows you to more effectively contextualize and interpret the music and the topics to which it pertains.
Length Requirement: 250 words minimum
Quotes Required: Varies. References and paraphrases are acceptable, but please use a parenthetical citation that will allow your readers to locate the quote in your source.