Musical Analysis

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS PAPER

The final assignment is a research paper of 4 to 6 double-spaced pages (12 font) + bibliography. The paper should have 3 main sections: 1 for each of the chosen songs where you perform your musical and contextual analysis, and an additional one where you will put the two 2 tracks in dialogue. As stated above, in the third section, you will contrast and compare the two tracks. The final assignment is due Sunday 11/29 at 1:00PM

-Musical analysis

Musical analysis does not equal to merely describing the song. Rather, you should use the musical vocabulary and concepts we have been learning throughout the semester. The starting point of this analysis is critical listening. That is, listening to the song closely and unpacking its musical elements. Possible features you can focus on include:

• Rhythm (syncopation, polyrhythm, tempo, etc.)
• Instrumentation (what instruments are being used, are they acoustic/electronic)
• Orchestration (how are these instruments interacting with each other?)
• Structure/form (does it have verses, choruses, how many? If instrumental, what’s the structure?)
• Influences (do you identify a particular influence of specific genres? If so, how are reading influences taking place and how are they interacting with each other?)
• Lyrics ([you may use a digital translator for this]. What are they about? How to they interact with the music/context? (note that focusing exclusively on the lyrics does not constitute compelling musical analysis)

Context/issues

For the final paper you will consider the relation of your chosen tracks to the time/place from which they emerged. In other words, you will be talking not just about the songs/artists, but also about the context in which this music is happening, keeping in mind that the musical is inextricably connected with the where/when/who/how. Possible topics you can focus on include:

• Race
• Gender
• Nation/nationalism
• Ethnicity
• Transnationalism/border dynamics 3
• Class
• Migration
• Cosmopolitanism
• Music industry/distribution

Bibliography/sources

Aside the Additional Listening list, the Readings List on the syllabus is your main resource. I advise skimming all the tracks and readings before deciding on your topics to see what works better as well as what is more interesting to you. The Additional Listening list is designed to go with the syllabus. For instance, if you chose one track from the “Colombia” section, some, or all the readings assigned for the weeks we discussed Colombia will help you. I expect to see a close reading of each of your chosen 4 chapters/articles on your final assignment, including quotes to further your analysis. Aside the Reading List, you may use your lecture notes and class slides, always providing the appropriate citations when needed. The Assigned Readings are also a good place to look for references regarding writing style, vocabulary, approach, and methodology. Do not just read them for information, see how the author is working with the materials, how is she/he building the narrative, and how is she/he making their point.

No extra bibliography is required. However, students may replace up to two (2) of the four (4) required sources with additional ones. These should be academic sources (i.e., articles from established academic journals, or chapter/s from books from established university presses). Aside these academic sources, students are encouraged to use other ones if they feel compelled to. Other sources such as press articles, blogs, “comment” sections, etc., may be used under the instructors or your TA’s guidance. Due to the fact that all the lyrics are in Spanish, digital translators may be used if you choose to work with the lyrics. Most of the artists included in the Additional Listening list are mentioned in the readings and/or lectures. You should be able to get a basic idea of their background from these sources