Description
Summary: Compose a 1000-word review of an album or recording project of any kind of popular music (rock, pop, hip-hop/rap, reggae, country, EDM, Doom Metal, &c.) that was released in the last three years.
There are 3 phases to this assignment:
- Rough draft, submitted as a forum post; due Friday, Oct 14
- Peer reviews, submitted to the forum; due Friday, Oct 21
- Final draft, submitted as an assignment; due Monday, Oct 31; *this version will be graded by the instructor or your TA
Parameters
- Rough draft: at least 500 words
- Peer reviews (2): 75 words each
- Final draft: 1000 words
Rubrics
- Rough draft: 10 points, completion
- Peer reviews (2): 10 points, completion
- Final draft: 50 points
- Writing (style, mechanics): 15 points
- Discussion of extra-musical aspects: 10 points
- Discussion of musical aspects: 25 points
- Lyrics: max 5 points
- Words-sounds: max 5 points
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Details and Suggestions
What is a review? Think back to your week 2 discussions. A review is a type of formal assessment—one that summarizes a product (or project) and discusses its strengths and shortcomings. Music reviews may be candid, personable, &c. This genre of writing is an art on its own.
- Writing (style, mechanics)
- Start with a thesis
- Organize your thoughts into paragraphs
- Balance your content—I suggest: 150–250 words “apparatus” (intro, transitions, conclusion); 250–350 words extra-musical aspects; and 500 words musical aspects
- Maintain a rhetorical tone
- Check for mechanical issues
- If you use outside sources, give citations (APA, MLA, or Chicago) and include a works-cited page
- Please LIMIT the use of outside sources; this review should convey your observations and thoughts
- Discussion of extra-musical aspects
- This might include:
- Identification of the type of project: album or EP, documentary, &c.
- Name(s) of songwriters (if different from the band/artist)
- List of songs
- Available media: vinyl LP, CD, digital files, &c.
- Comments on album art
- Comments on music videos
- This might include:
- Discussion of musical aspects
- This might include:
- Identification of genre(s)
- Comments on song forms
- Comments on instrumentation or timbres
- Comments on rhythms
- Comments on production
- Comments on aesthetics
- Comments on lyrics
- Comments on words-sounds relationships
- I suggest:
- One or a few paragraphs on musical aspects in general
- One or a few paragraphs on musical aspects of 1–2 selected songs
- This might include:
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As a final suggestion, by maintain a rhetorical tone, I mean: make sure there is some interpretive value or a persuasive purpose to your writing. If several songs follow the same song form, for instance, does that add to or detract from your listening experience—and why? If a song moves you emotionally, what sounds, or words-sounds relationships, are impactful?
A difference between the Short Essay and the Reviews is that, in the essay I was looking for you to observe. In the Reviews, I am looking for you to observe and interpret or express an opinion.
