Musical theme

Make a themed playlist of at least 5 songs that includes music from at least 3 of the following genres: classical/traditional, rock, jazz, blues, funk, hip hop/rap, country, folk, reggae, pop, electronic. The playlist should have a unifying idea, but will also demonstrate some range. The unifying idea could be something conceptual – like a lyrical/title/subject theme; it could be musical in nature; or it could be a mix of both. For instance, you chose the theme of bells. This playlist could show its range by including AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells” (rock), LL Cool J’s “Rock the Bells” (rap), the traditional Christmas song, “Jingle Bells,” and the folk-blues song “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean,” in which Blind Lemon Jefferson sings the line, “have you ever heard a church bell toll?” and then makes his guitar sound like a chiming bell.

Once you have put together your playlist, post links to all of your examples on your blog. Along with the links, post an introduction describing what your theme is, why you chose it, and what relevance it has to you. Finally, write a short analysis of each piece of music you’ve included. Each analysis should explain the way the song ties to the theme, but you should also describe each piece musically, using some of the chapter’s technical vocabulary to do so. Describe its instrumentation, melody, tempo, its degree of consonance and/or dissonance. What is the piece’s structure? What emotion does each piece invoke? How does its style contribute to the overall message and emotional content?

Posting should be at least 350 words. This assignment will be assessed on its formal clarity, the quality of the writing and editing, its degree of engagement with its topic, its creativity/inventiveness/originality of ideas, and the sophistication of thought it expresses.