1.The Use of Anger as a Tool of Musical Protest Create a Word document responding to the following: Many of the required songs this week utilized anger as a tool of protest. This anger is either communicated through the lyrics of a song or the setting (the setting of a song is the instrumental backdrop of the music). Harsh, aggressive music can sound angry even if the lyrics do not (for example, Jimi Hendrix’s performance of the Star-Spangled Banner at Woodstock). In your view, is anger an effective means of articulating a protest message? Consider both musical examples and non-musical examples in your response. What are the relative upsides and downsides of deploying anger to get a message across to other people? Which song from this week’s required listening do you think uses anger most effectively, and why? Can you think of a contemporary song that uses anger to get a message across? What is the song, and do you think the anger is effective? 2.Guided Final Project: Phase 4 Assignment Guided Final Project: Phase 4 – Composing Lyrics Refrain or Chorus Part 1 This week you will start composing the lyrics to your song, and our first step will be crafting a refrain or chorus that will articulate the message of your song. This is likely the most important part of any song, and clarity is important here. I suggest listening to your selected backing track for an extended period and then attempt to think of a lyrical pattern that works well with the rhythm of the song. Try our different lines and replace some words to test the effectiveness/contrast In general, it’s effective to rhyme the end of lines in a refrain/chorus as it helps the listener follow along with what is being sung– but it’s not necessarily required. Keep in mind that the refrain/chorus is the ‘hook’ of any song. It should be the most memorable part and will be repeated throughout the song. Submit your first draft in a Microsoft Word document of the chorus/refrain and upload Definitions; A Chorus and Refrain are very similar in musical function. They serve the same general musical role, as they both are meant to be repeated throughout a song and often carry the ultimate ‘message’ of a song. That said, there is a key difference between these two terms, and it largely comes down to length; A Chorus is generally a section of a song unto itself, which often amounts to at least 4-6 lines of lyrical text (8-16 measures of music). From last week’s required listening, “Feel Like I’m Fixin to Die Rag” has the clearest example of a chorus section (it starts with “And it’s one, two, three, what are we fighting for?” on each repetition). A Refrain is usually shorter (2-3 lines of lyrical text) that anchors at the end of a verse section, and doesn’t usually constitute a musical stanza unto itself. Most of the folk songs we listened to this week used refrains instead of choruses, but perhaps the clearest example would be “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall” by Bob Dylan, where each verse ends with the same refrain (various repetitions of the title of the song). 3. Suppertime & Strange Fruit Comparison and Response Assignment Create a Word document responding to the following: After watching Billie Holiday’s performance of “Strange Fruit” and reading the accompanying material, please briefly describe your reaction to this song. What stands out about her performance? Comparing Holiday’s performance of “Strange Fruit” to Ethel Waters’ performance of “Suppertime” (as both songs are about lynching); what are some similarities you see in the performance of these two songs? Using our Protest Song Classifications from week one, how would you classify the approach of this protest song? Is there a particular line from the song that stands out to you? What do you think is the meaning of this selected lyric? Why do you think the assigned article (written by Aida Amoako) called this the most ‘shocking’ song of all time? Lastly, how would you compare the impact of these songs to the instrumental (no lyrics) protest songs assigned this week (“K.K.P.D” and “Alabama”)? In other words, do you believe that music without lyrics can carry a message of protest as effectively as a protest song with lyrics? Why or why not? 4. Medgar Evers: The Civil Rights Icon Who Inspired Multiple Classic Protest Songs Assignment Please create a Word document and address the following: Our required listening for this week includes two songs from 1964 that both respond to the assassination of Medgar Evers; “Only a Pawn in Their Game” by Bob Dylan and “Mississippi Goddamn” by Nina Simone. Please respond to the following questions; Who was Medgar Evers, and why did his death illicit such a dramatic response that two of the most important artists of the day would compose songs referencing his murder? How do the messages of these two songs differ in response to this terrible event? What is the message of Only a Pawn in Their Game? What is the message of Mississippi Goddamn? Note; each song can have more than one message! Which song and message do you think voices a more effective protest? Or, in other words, which song resonates with you more, and why? Upload your assignment no later than Sunday at 11:59 pm EST. 5.Guided Final Project: Phase 5 Assignment Guided Final Project: Phase 5 – composing lyrics part 2 – Your First Verse This week you will start composing the lyrics to your first verse. Again, I suggest listening to your selected backing track for an extended period and try to think of a lyrical pattern that works well with the rhythm of the song. Try out different lines and replace some words to test the effectiveness In general, rhyme structure/scheme is a little less important in the verse when compared to the chorus/refrain. The objective here is to tell a story or broaden the message articulated in your chorus. So, if a line doesn’t rhyme, but you think it works, stick with it! Open your previous document for Part 1 located in Week 7 and add this assignment to that document. Upload this revised document to this assignment in your Brightspace classroom no later than Sunday at 11:59 pm EST. Definition: The Verse of a song is a section of a song that doesn’t necessarily repeat, and should generally establish and develop the narrative of a song. Most songs contain anywhere from 2-8 unique verses. Whereas a Chorus or Refrain should be simple and repetitive, the verse is where the lyrics can be more involved. In other words, you don’t need to worry about establishing a ‘hook’ in the verse, and you can focus more on simply developing a story in your song. Some songs only contain Verses and don’t have a Chorus or Refrain. Some of the songs from this week’s listening are good examples of this approach. These songs are a good examples of how to craft verses, so I would suggest selecting one that appeals to you the most and use it as a template as you compose your own verse lyrics. 6.Pride as Protest in Music and Song Discussion Topic Please respond to the following prompt on the Discussion Board; In the 1960s, Soul Music became an important vehicle for ‘Black Pride’ messaging across America, which was a core tenet of both the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements. Instilling pride through music is a phenomenon we discussed in week 2 when exploring patriotic anthems, although in this case music is used as a means of engendering pride amongst an underrepresented group. Can you think of any contemporary song (last 15-20 years or so) that seeks to instill pride amongst a particular group of people OR a song that makes you personally feel a sense of pride about anything specific to yourself? What is the song? (please embed a video of the song on the discussion board) How does this song seek to generate a feeling of pride? Do you see any similarities between your selected song and one of the songs from our required listening? 7. Guided Final Project: Phase 6 composing lyrics part 3 – Your Second and Third Verses Assignment Continuing with your efforts from last week, start writing lyrics for the second and third verses of your song. Once you’ve completed these lyrics, you have completed the lyrical requirements of the final project. Though, you can certainly add more sections if you so choose. When adding additional verse sections to a song, aim to expand on what you started with the first. Each subsequent verse section should add to an expanding narrative. Consider using any of the songs from our required listening (any week) as a model on how to develop a narrative through verses. 8. Guided Final Project: Phase 7 Assignment You will visit your Soundtrap Account created at the beginning of this semester and complete the following: Record a full ‘practice take’ of your original song.. Using your backing track and composed lyrics, make an attempt to record your song using any recording approach that works for you. Add a vocal track following this tutorial Export your track as an mp3
