MUS-M 510: Writing About Music Daniel R. Melamed
Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Spring 2022
Schedule
Tue 11 Jan Introduction
Thu 13 Jan Assignment 1. Analysis of a published concert review
Tue 18 Jan Assignment 2. Concert review/Comparative analysis of liner notes
Thu 20 Jan
Tue 25 Jan Assignment 3. Concert review/Liner note
Thu 27 Jan
Tue 1 Feb Assignment 4. Concert review/Comparative analysis of published reviews
Thu 3 Feb
Tue 8 Feb Assignment 5. Concert review/Liner note
Thu 10 Feb
Tue 15 Feb Assignment 6. Concert review/Liner note
Thu 17 Feb
Tue 22 Feb Assignment 7. Concert review/Liner note
Thu 24 Feb
Tue 1 Mar Assignment 8. Concert review/Comparative analysis of recording reviews
Thu 3 Mar
Tue 8 Mar Assignment 9. Concert review/Recording review
Thu 10 Mar
Spring Break
Tue 22 Mar Assignment 10. Concert review/Recording review
Thu 24 Mar
Tue 29 Mar Assignment 11. Concert review/Liner note (complete program)
Thu 31 Mar
Tue 5 Apr Assignment 12. Concert review/Recording review (multiple recordings)
Thu 7 Apr
Tue 12 Apr Assignment 13. Concert review/Feature story
Thu 14 Apr
Tue 19 Apr Assignment 14. Concert review/Blog entry
Thu 21 Apr
Tue 26 Apr Assignment 15. Concert review
Thu 28 Apr Wrap-up
Information
Instructor
Prof. Daniel R. Melamed
dmelamed (at) indiana.edu
Office: M325C, (85)5-8252. Office hours by
appointment.
Course web page:
http://dmelamed.pages.iu.edu/M510-Writing-2022.htm
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http://writing.melamed.org
Aims
In this course you will learn to write for non-specialists about music, focusing on journalistic criticism (reviews of concerts), notes for recordings and concert programs, reviews of recordings, blog posts and feature stories. We will read published criticism and notes, but will mostly spend our time discussing writings by members of the class.
Organization
The class will meet twice a week. There is an assignment for each meeting due at 8 PM the day before; i.e., Monday at 8 for Tuesday's class and Wednesday at 8 for Thursday's.
In weeks in which there are two assignments, half the class (Group 1) should do the first assignment on Tuesday and the second on Thursday; the other half (Group 2) should start with the second assignment on Tuesday and then do the first on Thursday.
Group 1 (A first, then B) Group 2 (B first, then A)
Marinna Carmichael Elizabeth Frickey
Margaret Eronimous Samuel Grace
Aidan Hedrick Solene Le Van
Sarah Le Van Jasper Rogal
Matthew Wachtman Lynnli Wang
Assignments designated "post" must be circulated to members of the class (see below for instructions). Note that a few assignments do not need to be posted.
In class we will discuss the posted writings and the issues they raise. You should read each carefully and be prepared to participate in a constructive discussion. Please bring a copy of every text to class on paper or in electronic form.
Assignments circulated in this course are to be considered private and should not be shared with anyone else without the author's permission.
Please also submit every assignment on paper in class on its due date, both the ones you post and the others. Double space, with one-inch margins, not right-justified. Put your name and the assignment number at the top.
Keep a folder of returned, marked-up assignments, which you will be asked to submit together at the end of the semester.
Requirements
Attendance at every class meeting. Notify the instructor in advance if you must miss a class for an emergency (your health or the health of somebody for whom you are responsible). Do not make plans to be elsewhere during class meetings.
Grading
Academic conduct
You may discuss assignments with classmates and others as much as you like, but all written work must be entirely your own. Every use of the work of others must be fully documented. If you violate the standards of academic conduct you will fail the course.
Accommodation
Please consult the instructor if you need accommodation of a disability or for religious observance, according to University policies.
Resource
A useful resource for finding published concert reviews is Lexis/Nexis.
Submission
Please post assignments by e-mail as single-spaced plain text with paragraph breaks:
Use the subject M510--Assignment [#]--[your name] (For example, M510--Assignment 4B--Dan Melamed)
Send the message to EveryonesACritic (at) melamed.org (This will send the message to every member of the class)
At the top of your message, put your name and the title of your essay.
The first few times, try sending your text to yourself as a test before you send it to the list; please use the plainest possible formatting.
Assignments
Peter Jacobi in the Bloomington Herald-Times
Anthony Tommasini in the New York Times