*******I chose to write about Aretha Franklin for this assignment******** Instructions For your project, you may choose. any musical artist or band/group of artists (dead or alive) that we have not substantially covered in class. The artist/band should have some national and/or international acclaim and have a substantial recording and performance history. In case of composers who do not perform, a fair amount of their work should be performed and recorded by other artists. Submissions such as “my neighbor’s ukulele band” do not qualify unless they meet the above mentioned requirements. 🙂 If you would like to explore a “special topic in music” rather than an artist, I encourage it, but please consult with me first to make sure your topic is suitable for the project. Here are some guidelines as to what your presentation might include (* are required, others are optional). Don’t limit yourself to these guidelines. Share anything pertaining to the music and art that you think is noteworthy. (Do not copy these guidelines in your paper and answer them in a “number style.” You should write a fluent text with several paragraphs addressing different criteria.) * Biography of the artist (or if applicable, the establishment of the band) * Genre and musicological context of the music * Style description and if applicable, style evolution Subject matter: what inspires the artist/band to write what they write? Who were they influenced by? Who did they look up to? What are their influences on society, if any? Do they influence other artists? What sets them apart from other contemporary artists? Does this artist/band remind you of anyone or anything we learned about in class? Or can you see resemblances with a different style period or genre? * Listening component: pick one song/number to analyze and support the style arguments or pick a few listening examples to highlight an aspect of their work
