Below, I’ve included links/downloads for the Music and… Playlist presentations that I’ve received so far. Browse through the presentations and pick one that has a topic you find interesting. Please avoid topics that are very close to your own–choose something new! If some presentations are inaccessible due to technology issues, you can notify me and/or select a presentation that you are able to view. Discuss the following points:

1. In your own words, summarize the connection between the topic and the two music entries discussed in the presentation. Lyrics? Social context? Musical characteristic?
2. If you wrote about this topic instead of your own, what kind of music would you pick? Pick two songs/pieces that the author didn’t discuss in their presentation. How would you connect these songs/pieces to your topic? Lyrics? Social context? Musical characteristic?

If you like, you can include links to your song choices on Youtube or Spotify. This blog is due on Thursday May 21 at 11:59pm. Don’t forget to leave a comment on a classmate’s post.

Presentations:

Music and Christmas

Music and Addiction

Music and Feminism

Music and Romance

Music and Police Brutality

Music and Depression

Music and Childhood

Music and Loss

Music and Self Discovery

Music and Femininity

Music and Breakups

Music and Identity

Music and Romance in Storytelling

Music and Political Protest

Music and Women’s Empowerment

Music and Video Games

Music and Self-Esteem

Music and Trends

Music and Substance Abuse Among Women

Music and Childhood

Music and Horror Films

Music and Life Transitions

Music and Lullabies

Music and the Use of Racism Stereotypes

In this unit, we considered how music comes to carry political meaning. In some cases, different groups of listeners will hear completely opposite political messages in the same song, like Bruce Springsteen’s song “Born in the USA”.

Find a piece of political protest music that we haven’t discussed in class–a song that was either created for or became associated with a movement to bring about political change. To learn more about your piece, I recommend looking up some news articles or other sources. Making sure to include a Youtube link to your music choice, answer the following points:

• For what purpose, political or otherwise, did the artist create this piece of music? Did listeners add their own political purpose to the music?
• What musical genre is the piece part of? Is the genre itself political?
• If there are lyrics, include and explain excerpts that are relevant to the political message of the music.
• Discuss at least one musical characteristic of the piece that makes it a useful tool for political protest.

This blog is due Wednesday May 6 at 11:59pm. Don’t forget to leave a comment on a classmate’s post.

For this blog, I want you to consider the music and dance of the Mevlevi, part of the mystical Sufi tradition of Islam, in relation to any of the spiritual/religious music that we discussed last week: Buddhist chant; gospel music (Amazing Grace); Western art music in the Christian church; or music in the synagogue (Salomon Rossi or Kol Nidre). To learn about the Mevlevi, consult the slides, short video, and textbook chapter below (pages 315-321).

In your response, I expect you to cite from at least two of these sources and answer these questions: What role does music play within the Sema ceremony, or what effect does the music have on the listeners’ bodies and minds? Likewise, for the other music from this unit that you selected, what role does music play in that worship ceremony? Do these two traditions share any similarities between them, whether in music, belief, or how people behave? If not, what are their differences and how does music demonstrate those differences?

This blog is due Wednesday 4/29  by 11:59pm. Consult the posting guidelines if necessary, and don’t forget to leave a comment on a classmate’s post before our next class meeting.

Mevlevi Slides Powerpoint Version

Mevlevi Slides PDF Version

Music and Spirituality Chapter

Watch: The Mevlevi Sema Ceremony

Listen: Naat-i-Sherif: Taksim and Peşrev

Our theme this week was “Music and Ethnicity,” where ethnicity was defined as “a group of people bound by shared culture, including social customs, values and beliefs, and perhaps common language, religion, and ancestry.” Considering your own background, do a little research and tell us about a genre of music associated with your ethnicity. (Remember to quote or include links if you’re using someone else’s thoughts or words!) For example, my mother’s side of the family originally came from Poland, so I could write about a Polish dance called the mazurka.

In your description of the genre, you can answer questions like what instruments does it use, when/how did it originate, who performs it today, what are its unique musical characteristics, etc. Specifically, I want you to consider whether the genre is still tied to your ethnicity or has become a part of popular culture that many different kinds of people enjoy. Lastly, find a musical example of your genre from Youtube that shows musicians or dancers and include it at the bottom of your post.

This blog is due by Wednesday 4/8 at 11:59pm. Don’t forget to leave a comment on a classmate’s post; consult the posting guidelines if necessary.

In our Music in Concert video lectures, we discussed different concert traditions: the jazz club, the chamber music recital, the symphony orchestra concert, and a performance of Hindustani classical music. You can see performance videos for each setting, along with a concert of classical Hindustani music in our video lectures or separately at these links:

1. Jazz club
2. Chamber music recital 
3. Symphony orchestra concert
4. Hindustani classical performance

Referring to these examples, our video lectures, and/or the textbook (relevant pages shared below), which type of performance would you be most comfortable at as an audience member? Which would you be the least comfortable at? What would you expect to see or hear from the performers, and how would you be expected to act as a listener? Connect your discussion with any of your previous experiences with live concert music, whether in-person, online, or through television.

This blog is due Sunday March 22 by 12pm. Don’t forget to comment in the participation post for this week as well!

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO WEDNESDAY MARCH 25 BY 5PM

Read: Blog 5 Textbook Excerpts