Paper details Journal assignment: The goal of the first three journal entries is to practice using the concepts and terminology learned in the class preceding the journal due date. For Journal Entry 1, begin by watching Lecture 2. After you have watched the lecture, choose two musical compositions – one piece of music that you really like and one piece of music that you do not like/cannot stand/find boring/etc. You may choose any type of music (the pieces may come from any music tradition), but you may not choose one of the pieces that we have studied in class. For your journal entry provide the composer(s)/performer(s)/title of each of your chosen compositions and write a short paragraph describing the timbre found in each piece. The objective of this assignment is for you to start to listen actively.
Listening repeatedly to small sections of the piece will reveal more and more to you. You will not be marked on grammar, organization or accuracy of content. As long as you have attempted to apply the concepts of the class to your two pieces of music, you will receive the 2% grade. Do not worry about whether your observations are “right” or “wrong” – just write down what it is that you hear. Be bold and take risks. Topic for Journal Entry 1: Timbre For both of your chosen compositions, answer the following: How many instruments do you hear? Try to identify the instruments playing. If this is not obvious to you, then move on to describe the quality of the sound produced by the instrument(s). What is it about the character of the sounds that you find appealing or unappealing? (Focus on timbre only – do not describe other aspects of the music such as melody or rhythm.) Journal submission:
Write a short paragraph (at least 5 lengthy sentences) discussing the timbre of the piece. Choose ‘Journal Entry 1 Submission’ under Week 2 –Timbre on the Modules tab or under the Assignments tab and then click the ‘Submit Assignment’ button at the top of the page to submit your journal entry
