MUS 1030: Music Appreciation

Writing Assignment 1: Bach, Beethoven, and Bugs Bunny?

Description

This is an NPR Weekend Edition Sunday story focusing on classical music in cartoons. Read the from NPR. Then, click on “Listen Now” in the top left corner to open the 9 minute program. Listen carefully to the interview — hopefully you will remember some of the examples.

Assignment

• Read the summary.
• Click “Listen Now” in the top left corner to open the program.
• Listen to the full 9-minute interview.
• Respond to the following prompts.
• Answer the prompts in your own words. Use specific examples from the audio and your personal experience. (Full credit requires references to the actual audio content.)

1. Around 3-4 minutes into the interview, the guest mentions a specific cartoon scene involving a dramatic moment and a well-known classical piece. Identify the cartoon and piece. How does the music enhance the scene?
2. The interview mentions “Ave Maria.” Which composers version is discussed, and what does the guest say about how it is used? Have you heard it before? Describe your reaction to hearing it in the interview.
3. Describe a moment from your own childhood when you encountered classical music in a cartoon or show. What do you remember about it?
4. In the interview, Robert Greenberg compares the dramatic effect of Fantasia’s final scene to watching The Wizard of Oz as a child. What do you think he meant by that? Do you agree with the comparison? Why or why not?
5. Do you think children today are exposed to classical music as much as you were growing up? Support your answer with a personal example.
6. What is your own experience with music (playing, reading, or listening)? How does this shape the way you relate to classical music in media?
7. What genre of music do you connect with most, and why? Share a specific artist, piece, or performance that exemplifies your preference and explain why you chose that example.

All answers should be written in proper formal style as an essay. This means that responses should be written in complete sentences with no spelling or grammatical errors, no vernacular speech or contractions, and all sources must be cited. Try to expand on your ideas as much as possible — one-word responses are never acceptable.

Your submission must be:

• Created in Microsoft Word and saved as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file
• Text should be black, double-spaced, and only in one font (preferably Times New Roman)
• Your writing should be formatted as an essay and should NOT include the prompt questions or numbers

When saving and submitting your writing assignments, please use the following naming convention:

Lastname Firstname WA1.docx

This example is obviously for Writing Assignment 1 [WA1], so change the number accordingly in subsequent assignments. The example is also for a recent version of Word that saves with a .docx file extension — .doc extensions from older versions of Word are fine too. .pdf extensions are acceptable as well, but please do not submit .odt or .rtf files — your word processing program should allow you to save as a .pdf. Do NOT use symbols (#,&,@, etc.) when creating filenames — this often makes files harder to open (and this applies in work settings as well; stick to letters, numbers, and spaces only).

Please address all of the prompts in your response, but in paragraph form with appropriate transitions between ideas. Any response that requires your opinion on the music should be extensive; this is always the most important aspect of the assignment. Do not settle for a simple, surface-level answer; music is complex as are human feelings and reactions to it. You must work to articulate your ideas and opinions clearly and completely. You will not be graded based on your opinions — you will be graded based on your ability to communicate your ideas.

Always remember that I cannot get inside your brain and experience directly what you are thinking or feeling. You must explain your opinions and thoughts so that I can start to understand them; just stating an opinion is never enough, I want to know more: How exactly did you arrive at this idea? How exactly does the music make you feel? Why do you feel this way? Why? Why? Why? Keep asking yourself these critical questions.

Do not cut and paste any of your answer from another source, including using AI. Plagiarism includes any copying of the words, structure, or ideas of another author without clear citation of that source. If you use the ideas of another author, put these in your own words but still cite the source of the information. Use quotations sparingly and only in support of your response; you cannot use a large-scale quotation and consider this the entire response.

Reminders:

• All work for this course should be written in complete sentences with proper grammar and spelling. Use the spellcheck tool on your word processor.
• Avoid accusations of plagiarism by citing every idea presented that is not your own using MLA style.
• If you use a direct quote from a source, you must put this in quotation marks and cite the source at the end of the sentence. Use quotes sparingly and on a small scale; you should not quote entire paragraphs.
• All work for this course must be done independently; there should be no group collaboration except through sharing ideas on the discussion boards. Assignment submissions must be original work.