You have three options for the MUSIC UNIT FINAL PROJECT.

DUE: 3/19

On Thursday, March 5, you are to submit a brief overview of your proposed music project. Brainstorm ideas with your mentor, classmates or friends before submitting your proposal. Email this overview to both your peer mentor and me. If you decide to change your project, please email your revised ideas to me.

Of course, we are not expecting a symphonic composition fully orchestrated. The scope of this project should be no more or no less than your what you did for your art project.

OPTION #1 "Music to your ears":

We would like you to create a sound score, or song, of sounds that hold emotional value for you but may not be considered within the realm of conventional music. This song should have a recognizable structure, with verses, or movements, and a theme, or chorus. Some examples of common song structures include ababcb, aabab, aabcb, etc (where A=verse and B=chorus). The purpose of this assignment is to give you an opportunity to combine all of what we have learned thus far about music into one artistic expression. We want some of what we know conventional music can be, some of how we know music effects the spirit, and some of how we know music can veer off the beaten track. Be creative, of course!

This may to helpful. THE RECORDING PROJECT website has a posting by luckylg

http://www.recordingproject.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?p=510128&sid=721e7171ecba8d521564736202009753

For convenience, I am quoting the posting below. I believe luckyig is responding to a question on how to write a song.

“1. Turn off everything that could be a distraction (TV, radio, phone, computer unless you're writing at it).

2. Find a starting point. I've started with a riff, a word, a phrase, an idea, or a belief. All are acceptable and usable places to begin.

3. Unless you are writing an epic song (e.g., Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald) or some other unconventional work a hook is necessary. The hook is often but not always the title of the song. It is typically only a word or to or a short phrase. E.g., My Way, Rock Around The Clock, The Way We Were are classic hooks.

4. Since blues songs are all pretty similar in terms of structure that would be a great place for a beginner to start. It's where I have all of my songwriting students start since a lot of the work is done for you. In general you've got three possible chord structures; that's done.

5. Mixing up the verse/chorus/bridge structure is another place where the blues will help you. AABAB is pretty typical (where A=verse and B=chorus). ABABAB is another common structure and AABCB or AABABCB is still another.

6. For your first song try to stay within these boundaries. They're rules, not laws, so you can mix it up if you like, but the closer you stick to them the better off you'll be.

Ideas can come from anywhere. Just looking at this page I see several possibilities or at least the basis of a hook: "attachment," "options," "post a reply," "notify me." An exercise I use when I have to write and I'm not "inspired" goes as follows: I go to the kitchen and get comfortable. Then I pick out a single object, say the trash bin, and write down everything I can think of about that single item. It doesn't matter what I write, it could even be a list of characteristics. One time I wrote a short story about a ceramic frog that sits above the fridge. I write for no less than fifteen minutes and put as many words on paper as possible. Then i throw them away.

Works every time for me. I hope it's helpful for you.”

OPTION #2 “Critical Response to the Art of Using Music for a Cause”

The following website "Selling War: Television News Music and the Shaping of American Public Opinion" is an example of how music is USED in our media to promote an opinion regarding national policy. Think about how music is used for public causes. You are to prepare a potential “website” using the URL below as a model. You must illustrate your thoughts or opinion with sound and, if possible, with visual examples.

http://www.echo.ucla.edu/Volume8-Issue1/roundtable/deaville.html

OPTION #3 “The POWER of Invisible Sound”

Music surrounds us and influences us in many ways. At times, music is at its most powerful when it is invisible. Consider the emotion impact of the tuba solo in association with the great white shark in the movie “JAWS.” You are to creating two public experiences that are exactly the same with one exception- one incorporates music and the other doesn't, then analyzing how the music effected the experience. This project may be documented in the same manner as the visual arts project.

Your conclusions need to be supported by a reasonable pool of data.