Music

Music

MUS 120 Writing Assignment
Your task
1.    Attend five concerts in Knuth Hall.
2.    Contemplating these five experiences in total
1.    formulate a thesis,
2.    write a comprehensive paper, using your concert experiences to support the thesis
Help, I don’t know how to start!
Start here – The best reports:
1.
a.    Present a balanced impression of the concert. Avoid “I loved it” or “I hated it” – what were the strongest and weakest points?
b.    Are detailed
c.    Use excellent grammar
d.    Create a thesis based on the combined experience of all five concerts
Good writing will
? be specific. State your point and then give evidence to support it.
? avoid colloquialisms (expressions suitable for familiar speech, but not for formal writing)
? avoid generalities.

For example, this sentence: ?The concert was, I have to say, awesome.?
is too general in its point and too familiar in tone. Your writing should address the specific aspects of the performance which made it so great.

Examples of poor writing (and why)
I.
?The songs were all sung in some other language, I think I was Italian or something im not to sure.? (Misspelling and colloquial)
Correct version: ?The songs were sung in a language other than English, perhaps Italian.?
II.
?The performance was by Cole Porter which Is a acclaimed jazz vocalist.? (bad grammar, bad capitalization)
Correct version: ?The performance was sung by Cole Porter, an acclaimed jazz vocalist.?
III.
?I just sat there listening while watching everyone passing by and stopping to listen for a few seconds and then get back to whatever they were doing.? (awkward structure; too general in its point)  Correct version: none! Don?t use vague, general statements like this, especially when they have nothing to do with the performance you are writing about.