Humanities Homework Help

Listening to music is something everyone does. Some people listen to music constantly, while others listen to it situationally, such as when driving, studying, exercising, or relaxing. Different playlists can be made for these different tasks. But how carefully and deeply does the listening experience go? This assignment requires you to delve deeper into one of your favorite songs to maximize appreciation of it through achieving an understanding of the complexities that go into the creation of your preferred music. In doing so, you will increase your perceptual awareness, not just for music, but for all things!

Instructions: Choose a musical artist (from any music era). Choose one of his or her main works (songs or compositions) and listen to the piece so that you can comment on your reaction to the work. Write a 1-2 page essay about the following:

1. A brief summary of the background or history of the artist
2. The meaning of the song you chose
3. The musical elements being used, with examples
4. The contribution that the piece has had to the development of music and how it influenced future music