Fall 2018 Course Syllabi

MUSC 207: History of Rock & Roll Music 28 Appendix 4: Primary Source Questions for Music Primary Source Questions: Music PREP • When was this song produced? • Who produced the song? • Who created the song? • Who played on the song? OBSERVE • CONTENT: o What do you notice first? o What is the song about? o What is being sung or said? o Are there any special effects or added sounds? o Does anything about it sound strange or unusual? o What other details do you notice? • METHOD: o What is the song’s structure? o What instruments were used to create it? o Do you think it was recorded live, or in a studio? o What is the impact of technology on the process of recording and playing? o What kind of equipment was used for the recording? REFLECT • INTENT: o What was the purpose of this song? o Why was it produced? o What is the musician(s) trying to tell the audience? o What feelings or ideas do you think the musician(s) wanted to communicate? o What does the song mean? • CONTEXT: o Did censorship or even sponsorship affect the final form of the song? o What was happening in the United States? o How is it related to other popular culture texts? • RECEPTION: o Who would be interested in hearing this song? o Could you dance to it? o Who is the target or intended audience? o How did audiences/critics receive it? o If someone recorded the song today, what would be different? QUESTION o What do you wonder about... who? · what? · when? · where? · why? · how? o What can songs tell us about people and society? o How does this song support or contradict your current understanding of the period?