Student Projects


1			Are Folk songs as described in your text being written today? Can a Folk song by definition, be “written”? Many songs in the Folk tradition came from people living when, and where, many were still unable to read and write. . . music was the most effective means of keeping and telling the History of the people. In which segments of American Society is music being used most often to illustrate the lives and History of the people? Do these groups of people have anything in common with one another? If so, what?




2			The Author mentions Children’s songs as a type of music that has existed in America since its inception. Where are today’s children’s songs coming from? Can you name five that are so memorable that they are likely to be mentioned in textbooks of the future? Why these songs? What ingredients do they contain both musically and non-musically that might make them live on into the future?




3			America is currently (as of 12/15/05) involved in military conflict overseas. Are traditional protest and rally songs being created today? If so, do they speak both in support of the conflict as well as against? Is there any consistent trend as to which groups of people (poor, rich, white, African American or Hispanic, Liberal, conservative, Rap, Rock or Country etc.) seem to be singing out in support rather than against the conflict? If you can’t think of many songs that take a strong position, why might that be? What might prevent modern composers/performers whether for or against the conflict from speaking out publicly?




4			It takes particular skill to write an interesting, powerful Blues lyric that people really want to hear, but virtually no skill is needed to begin composing the Blues at a simple level. Now is your chance to be a blues singer. Using the aab form laid out for you in Chapter 4, start composing your Blues lyric. Begin with your story. It could be that your boyfriend, girlfriend, best friend etc. left you suddenly, or perhaps some other sad event. How did it feel? Now start thinking of rhyming words to make the form work properly. Feel BAD, SAD, MAD, best you ever HAD. Left you BROKE; Nothing in the fridge but one lousy COKE. Got no HOPE, sit around and MOPE etc. Put your story into words and, then find the words that make the song form work. Once you get the hang of this you’ll start doing it easily and rapidly. The Rappers of today owe a lot to the Blues tradition of the past.

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