Syllabus 

Online and Printed Resources 

Research 
Assignments 

Student Research 

Musical Examples 
 

Haitian Bata Drums 
 
 

Report #1: "Music in My Life"                                                           Top 

Write up a paper that details your life experience with music to date.  The paper should be 3 to 4 pages (or more) in length — typed and checked for grammar and spelling.  Think about the following and organize in any way you like: 
 

• would you describe yourself as a "musical person"?  Explain. 
• when do you remember paying any special attention to music 
• have you studied an instrument or singing?  What's your experience with that? 
• do you like to sing/ What kinds of music? 
• do you go to concerts?  What kind, how often? 
• do you own CD's?  What styles do they represent?  What kind of musical equipment do you own? 
• do you know much about popular, art, or folk music?  Your study so far? 
• how is your music taste different from other people in your family, i.e. siblings, parents, grandparents, others? 
• has your musical taste changed over time? 
• what meaning does music have in your life?  How important is it to you?  If you were stuck on a desert island, what three CD's would you want to have? 
• anything else you'd like to report on. 

 Attend a concert of your choice (any style, any venue, on- or off-campus).  If you are really stuck, you can watch a tv concert, but make that a last resort.  Observe the entire event in all of its aspects  — forum or venue, audience, performers, and the musical performance.  Write up your observations in a 3 to 5 page report, typed, spell- and grammar-checked.  Attend to the following points: 

Describe the physical setting; describe all those assembled there in terms of age, sex, dress, demeanor, etc.  Break down description between the performers and the audience. 

• are the performers separated from the audience.  If so, how. 
• what marks the beginning, progression, and end of the performance? 
• what kind of music is being performed? 
• what instruments are present? 
• comment on the lyrics, if any 
• describe the arrangement of the performers on stage; describe their   various behaviors 
• what instruments are present? 
• what behaviors do you see among the audience? 
• describe the music in terms of any stylistic features 

what message (themes or ideas such as romance gone wrong, alienation, freedom, youth, contemplation, beauty, religion, etc) is being sent by the music and the performers?

 You will do this in three installments which are due on Feb. 25, March 25, and April 22.  You do your portfolio individually, but you will also be part of a group.  By the end of the semester, you will put all your individual work together in a group portfolio which will then be appended to the course web page.  Early in the semester I will put you in groups of three and assign you a particular culture area to research for the rest of the semester.  I want you to work out a division of labor within your group: each of you will do a segment of each of the three installments and share that piece with the others in your group.  You will also be given time in class to work together, either sharing information or offering critiques of one another's writing. 
N.B. Keep each installment on a disk for the group work you will do at the end of the semester posting your research on the web site. 

Installment #1: Background research on a cultural area or region. (15%)                                                                                                     Top 

You will pick a culture area (with my help); it can be an area like West Africa, a country, an ethnic group, or an island. I recommend starting with the following two references to locate a geographical area.  These are in the reference section of the library: 

(1) Levinson and Ember - Encyclopedia of Cultural Anthropology 
(2) Levinson - Encyclopedia of World Cultures 

 Your background research should include some or all of the following: physical geography of the area and world wide location; climate, flora/fauna; political and economic geography; description of the population in terms of size, ethnicity, class.  Provide a cultural description of one or more of the groups whose music you will subsequently be reporting on; include any of the following: group's economic base; employment, location whether in urban or rural area; info on marriage and kinship customs; domestic customs; religious practice;  status and role of women and men; the group's status within the larger country; and any other cultural attribute that seems important.  Important: within your group, divide the research among the members.  Try not to replicate what others have done.  
The possible length for each person's installment should be 5 to 10 pages per individual.  Submit in a portfolio folder.  Do include a bibliography and webliography in the proper format. 

Installment #2: Folk Music Traditions (15%)                                    Top 

 Within your culture area, report on several or one major musical style that is traditional (i.e. not associated with new urban popular music).  This distinction may be a bit fuzzy; in the Caribbean, for example, current popular forms such as merengue or salsa or reggae do have folk roots, so search for the roots.  Describe the musical style(s), genres, or forms in terms of the way we are doing in class: describe musical features (melodic or rhythmic features); organization of the performance group, instruments;  relationship between musicians and singers; contexts for performance;  role, use, and function of music in relation to religion, politics, ritual, arts, etc.; music education for performers (maybe audience); status of musicians in the society (can they make a living?); interaction between "audience" and performers; lyrics; musical aesthetics; vocalization features such as vocal width, rasp, nasality, and any other aspects that seem important. 
 Once again, divide your labor; the group can either do separate styles or part of one major style.  Hand in your section.  Length 5 to 10 pages per individual.   Include a bibiography, discography, and webliography in proper format. 

Installment #3: New Traditions/ Worldbeat Music (15%)                Top 

 Here, you need to focus on the new popular forms that have emerged in the urban areas of your culture area.  There are many things to investigate: the roots of the style or styles of music you have chosen; the influences it has received from other musical cultures (African and the U.S. have a long history of mutual influence); the "stars" of that style and their personal history; stylistic features of the music; description of the audience for that music; performance venues of the music; description of the performance group  — who they are, they way they perform, instruments they use; analysis of the lyrics; recording technology and marketing; record labels used; fame beyond the local area; influence of these musicians abroad; purpose or function of the music  — entertainment or more?  Cite references (biblio, weblio, disco as before) 
 As before, divide you labor and 5 to 10 pages per individual. 

Final Group Work (5%)                                                                     Top 

Your group will compile the three installments of each three members into a final report on a disk.  This report will be linked to the course web site.