Paper—Scholarly Approaches to Writing about Music

Choosing a Topic

Past Paper Topics

The Research

Models & Format

Dates

Grade

Important URLs

Choosing a Topic

You can choose any topic that conforms to these guidelines:

it must deal with music written and/or performed since 1750
it must take a historical approach
it must be of vital interest to you, something you might use later
it must make a contribution to music scholarship, by presenting new data or by interpreting available data in a new way
sufficient bibliographical materials must be available
you cannot turn in a paper written for another course

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Past Paper Topics

These are samples of papers written by past Music 344 students:

Motown vs. Led Zeppelin: Case Studies of Two Management Styles
Revolver: New Recording Techniques
Carl Orff: The Development of Schulwerk
Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, May 29, 1913: The Art Riot Which Began a New Century
Aaron Copland: The Development of Appalachian Spring
The Development of Effects Processing and its Influence on Popular Rock Music
What the World Needs Now: The Essence of “The Bacharach Sound”
Pearl Jam: Ten Versus No Code
Methods of Eddie—Edward Van Halen’s Contributions to Rock Guitar
Porgy and Bess—From Book to Play: Analysis of Certain Literary Aspects
The “Metaforce” of The Seduction of Claude Debussy
A Case Study: The Short Lived, Extraordinary Success of Gussie Lord Davis, Composer and Songwriter

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The Research

Finding good resources is crucial to the success of your paper. The following must be included in your bibliography as a bare minimum (an “A” bibliography will include more than the bare minimum):

any relevant articles from New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (or the spinoff sets covering American Music, Jazz, Opera, Instruments, etc.)
2 period histories or general music history books that mention your topic
as many books as you can find that deal specifically with your topic
at least two articles on your topic from scholarly journals or periodicals
relevant, trustworthy(!) online resources
any relevant musical scores
any relevant recorded materials (CDs, CD-ROMs, LPs, DVDs, audio or VHS tapes)
any other materials of vital importance to your topic

For further, valuable information on research, primary sources, and other issues relevant to this paper, click here to see David Fuller’s article, Papers.

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Models & Format

Model your paper after the professional papers in scholarly journals like Musical Quarterly, American Musicological Society Journal, etc. These articles demonstrate the research methods, critical thinking, writing style, and documentation required of all musicians who engage in scholarly writing about music. To prepare for this style of writing, several Encounters offer opportunities to look critically at such articles. Finally, your paper must be original work, and you cannot submit a paper written for another course.

The paper must include:

title page
the body of the paper (your research and arguments)
bibliography

The body of the paper must be 6-10 pages long (double-spaced and word-processed). Document your sources when quoting or paraphrasing by using end notes or footnotes. Use a standard style manual (and a scholarly article in a music periodical, if you wish) as a guide for any further questions concerning style or format.

With my prior approval, you can present your research using a hypermedia format (Director, PowerPoint, Flash) in place of the traditional research paper format. This format requires the same thorough research as any other paper—only the end result will look different.

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Dates

Follow these production deadlines for your paper.

Turn in with Encounter 1	Bring abstracts to class that describe three possible paper topics. (An abstract is a one paragraph summary of a paper’s main argument.) Begin looking for bibliographic materials in the library.
Turn in with Encounter 2	Hand in preliminary bibliography. Library work will help you choose a topic. Submit interlibrary loan requests NOW.
Turn in with Encounter 3	Hand in an abstract that describes your final paper topic.
Turn in with Encounter 4	Hand in your final bibliography, typed and properly formatted. (Bibliography must include the “minimum” items listed on Page 3 above.)
Turn in with Encounter 5	Hand in a one-page outline, flow chart, idea map, or summary.
2nd to last week of classes (see Course Schedule)	Bring complete first draft of your paper to class for a peer review exercise. Use written feedback to revise your paper.
Reading Day (Monday of Finals Week)	Final version of paper is due at 4:00 pm.

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Grade

If you follow the steps above, take time to do a decent job, and develop your arguments from your primary sources, you can easily earn an A or B. I am looking for thorough research, strong arguments, and thoughtful conclusions, but especially for an original contribution to research on your subject. Your paper should be “ready for publication”—that is, the writing should be clear and purposeful with no distractions of grammar, punctuation, spelling, or format.

Body of the paper—70%
Bibliography—30%.
10% will be subtracted from your grade if you do not bring a complete first draft to class and participate in the peer review exercise during the second to last week of classes (see Course Schedule for due date).
10% will be subtracted from your grade if your final draft is turned in after 4:00 pm on Reading Day (Monday of Finals Week).

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Important URLs

Library Music History Page

David Fuller’s article, Papers

Mark Harbold’s Web Page

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Page created 2/02/09 by Mark Harbold—last updated 2/02/09.