MUSIC OF THE UNITED STATES
MUH 3633: Spring 2020 (Warfield)

Music Description Project

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this project is to allow you to investigate on your own some examples of recorded Music of the United States. While not quite a formal "research" project, you will demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of a particular genre or style of United States music through your study of and report about a particular group of recorded examples of American music.

GENERAL METHOD: In broad outline, you will:

  1. Choose a recording on the New World Records label [all available in the UCF Library] from the list below.
  2. Lisen to the recording, read the accompanying liner notes, and evaluate that information in light of what you have learned about Music in the United States in this course.
  3. Write a brief formal paper based on your listening and reading.

APPROVAL OF THE RECORDING: Note the following:

Your choice of the CD that you wish to use must be emailed to me by 12:00 noon on Tuesday, 18 February 2020. [No exceptions] To ensure that your choice is acceptable, you are required to submit three or more items in your preferred order. Failure to submit an acceptable choice before the deadline will result in a 10-point deduction for every following day until you do submit a choice.

STUDYING THE RECORDING: Do the following:

WRITING THE PAPER: Your paper will cover the following points, including both general information on the recording's musical style(s) and a more specific discussion of at least one representative track:

You will also demonstrate your ability to document materials used in the creation of your paper, i.e., you must provide a minimum of two (2) footnotes, properly formatted according to the rules of D. Kern Holoman, A Style Sheet, 3rd ed. (Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2014]), which is available as an eBook via the UCF Library.

THE FINAL DOCUMENT: Make sure that your paper conforms to the following:

The final paper is due electronically as an attachment to an email sent to me by 5:00 pm on Monday, 2 March 2020. The final paper itself counts for 10% of the course grade, with the value split equally between writing (40%), footnotes (10%) and content (50%).

RECORDINGS IN THE UCF LIBRARY

The following are New World Records items found in the UCF Library, arranged by manufacturer's label number. Included are examples of most historic genres of music in the United States, ranging from folk, ethnic, and religious styles through various commercial forms to classical types. Remember that the liner notes for most of these recordings can be found online (see above), so that you can investigate any recordings before making your choice.

Updated: 11:45 AM, 26 February 2020