Week #1 9.3 Introductions and a bit of Messiaen

MONDAY:
DUE: You've come up with ideas about meaning in OK Computer. Based on what you share, we'll divide into groups.
Group Work (You'll need to work outside of class too; presentation in one week)
Introduce

Ondes martenot
atonal music
Quartet for the End of Time (historical context)
Ornthology
major and minor vs. modes
Book of the Revelation
teleological time vs static time

WEDNESDAY:
Steve go over:
- What's due next week; Messiaen events
- Coming to class
- Whether DW's arrived
- Read first chapter of IRD

Peer Review:
- "In what ways can the writer make the piece more effective?"
Good first-draft questions for the reader: "Are there sections you find interesting and would like to see developed?" "Are there sections which detract and could be eliminated?" "Are there parts which the writer could make clearer?"
After addressing the above (which may/or may not apply), raise any additional relevant questions.

BE A HELPFUL REVIEWER "Great, I have nothing to offer" doesn't help. Don't be shy, you are NOT determining the course of the paper: the writer can choose whether or not to follow particular advice.
Some good language: "I'd like to see more about . . . " "I wonder if you could make this section clearer . . . " "Have you considered . . . "

DUE: Music Essay (draft 1--rough okay, but needs to be complete)

FRIDAY:
Announcements:
- Already juggling: Messiaen, Garage Band, Night, writing, Discussion on Audio Culture,
- Sign-up sheet for Italy, Jam Night, Big music announcements, Ministry
- Updates on Course Central
Garage Band Presentation ! (Meg invites someone to teach GB.)

MONDAY:

Messiaen
A few ways of Listening
- Soundtrack (background);
- emotion (having the music amplify or modify what we're feeling at the moment);
- analytical;
- contextual (Messiaen: birdsong, time, etc.); ascribing personal meaning (usually an association with a past experience);
- historical (hearing music differently than it likely is experienced in the present--radical music that now sounds tame);
- finite listening (searching for--and hearing--something new on that Pink Floyd album that you've listened to 395 times)
- virtuosity (keying into a player/singers mastery of his/her instrument. [See Art Tatum, Bjork, Hendrix, Bela Fleck, Horowitz])
- free association (mind goes where it likes)
- meta-listening (thinking about how we are thinking about the music)
- drug induced listening (I am NOT advocating this my fine friends, but we need to discuss historical precedent--and not just in the 60s [see Berlioz])
- parallel play (dancing, writing, drawing while listening--more involvement with music than 'soundtrack')
- like/don't like
- Body
- Mood

A few ways listeners can construct music during listening
- melody
- color
- texture
- rhythm
- relationship between instruments, singers, sounds
- Form or structure
- intertextuality (when music references another work through appropriation of style, lyrics, cover, a motive,
- harmony
- amplification, electronic effects
- relationship between traditional sound

WEDNESDAY:
DUE: Music Essay draft 2

THURSDAY 9.20

Commonground Presentation:

Maine Mountain Chamber Series: Messiaen

Quartet for the End of Time (prep for the concert)

FRIDAY:
DUE: Messiaen Summary Bring 1 hardcopy to class
DUE: LISTENING ASSIGNMENT:
For today: Part 1 and 2 single hard copy (don't send it to me) for class discussion.
For DW next week (9.26) P1& 2 (revised if you like) and 3.

Part 1: Intermede
1. The Intermede movement of Messiaen's Quartet for the End of time is like/unlike the other movements in that it . . .
2. The instruments relate to each other . . .
3. Plus . . . (your observation)
- Avoid: like/unlike, or getting too personal that pull away from how the sounds relate to each other. Metaphor is fine.
- Style: up to the writer (but don't detract from the analysis)
- Audience: class

Part 2: Last Movement: To the Immortality of Jesus
Listen with good headphones if possible, quiet place. Set aside 10 minutes.
1. How does Messiaen depict “the ascension of man toward his God, of the child of God toward his Father, of the being made divine toward Paradise . . .”
2. Plus . . . (your observation)

Part 3: Concert Reaction
We will discuss what I'd like you to do/write about the concert on Saturday.

Week #4 9.24

MONDAY:
OK Computer

WEDNESDAY:
OK Computer Groups

FRIDAY:
Announcements:
- Mayhem
- Portland Trip
- Review assignment
- Ok Computer papers and presentations
- Meg find Radiohead review of OK for Monday (print out)

Plan:
"Is Rock Dead" discussion
OK Computer groups

Week #5: 10.1

MONDAY:
OK Computer Groups Finish the classes knowing what you will write about for the Analysis on 10.8.

WEDNESDAY:
DUE: Review (draft 1)
- Bring two copies of your review
- Bring two reviews (of songs/albums different than yours) that you read in preparation for the assignment
See Pitchfork, Spin, The Wire (hard copies in the music office), Rolling Stone, The Phoenix,
- Bring an iPod or CD of the music you reviewed.
- Make sure that your review, at some point, in some way, talks about the sounds themselves.

THURSDAY:

Thur 10.11, 7:30 pm

Francesc de Paula Soler, classical guitarist from Barcelona.
A program of Spanish and Spanish American music

at Old South Church (across the street from Merrill and to the left.)

FRIDAY: NO CLASS Reminder: Two copies of First Draft due on 10.12

Week #6: 10.8

MONDAY: No Class

WEDNESDAY:

DUE: OK Computer Analysis: Pose your questions and then prove your answer.
DUE: A hard copy of your entire DW to-date (include OK Computer Analysis)

WED, THUR afternoons and FRIDAY morning
Assessment Meetings: you will sign up for a time in the Wed 8/10 class.

Week #7: 10.15 -

MONDAY:
DUE: Radiohead Presentations
Announcements:
- Spring Courses
- Materials ready (Meg)
- Partcipation rubric: Help each other in the small groups (critical for participation rubric)
- Nov 10th: afternoon presentation with the Beatles English Comp class AND Young Republic concert at 7:30.
- "Is Rock Dead" Chapter for Friday. One Chapter per week
- EA pieces

- Break into groups to discuss two things: your paper, then the group presentation. Make sure to appoint a discussion monitor who keeps the conversation moving and makes sure everything gets covered.

Discussion 1: Help each other develop your theses which you'll share with the class. Each paper needs to answer this questions: "I will prove W through X, Y, and Z. For example: "I will prove that Radiohead's Hail to the Thief is about the 2004 US election by looking at images of US imperialism in the lyrics, places in the music which evoke doom and support lyrics pointing to the Iraq War, and statements by Radiohead which, although contradictory, ultimately support an anti-Bush motivation for the album."

For Wed: the next draft of your Ok Computer paper turned in with your DW workbook and one hard copy so Meg and I can read them and give you feedback.

Discussion 2: Plan your presentation for Friday. Make sure it includes sounds and, if appropriate, video or images. It should be a group effort informed by your individual papers.

Due Fri: Ok Computer presentations


WEDNESDAY:
Ok Computer Presentation work

DUE: The next draft of your Ok Computer paper turned in with your DW workbook and one hard copy so Meg and I can read them and give you feedback.

If time, we'll continue reading album reviews (no new draft needed; just be able to read it and provide music.)

EA pieces

FRIDAY:
DUE: Ok Computer Presentations
DUE: Is Rock Dead Chapter 2

Week #8: 10.22

MONDAY:
Presentations
OK Computer Thesis work

WEDNESDAY:
Presentations
OK Computer Thesis work

FRIDAY:
DUE: Is Rock Dead Chapter 3
Be prepared to summarize in class the reading: in prep, take some notes as your read

Week #9: 10.29-

MONDAY:
DUE: Is Rock Dead Chapter 4
Identify the writing piece you would like to read on 11.10.
DUE: Answer two of the questions in writing about In Rainbows. Bring a hard copy to class.

WEDNESDAY:

DUE: DW with first draft of the paper which includes thesis statement and body. (You may include intro and conclusion.) Send via email AND bring TWO hard copies to class for peer review.

FRIDAY:
TBA

Week #10: 11.5

MONDAY:
Select EA, Presentations, Written Pieces, run thurs

WEDNESDAY:
DUE: Some kind of writing

FRIDAY:
Select EA, Presentations, Written Pieces, run thurs

Sat. 11.10 Time TBA
Arts Workshop Day

7:30 pm
Young Republic Concert

Week #11: 11.12

MONDAY:
DUE: Hail to the Theif Presentations Group 3, 4

WEDNESDAY:
DUE: Hail to the Thief Presentations Group 5, 1

FRIDAY:
DUE: Hail to the Theif Presentations Group 2

Week #13: 11.26

MONDAY:
DUE: Tell class which RW you intend to rewrite for the journal

WED/FRI No Class

Week #14: 12.3

MONDAY:
DUE: RW Peer Review.

WEDNESDAY:
Decide Journal and Online Journal Articles/Music

FRIDAY:
Decide Journal and Online Journal Articles/Music

Week #15: 12.10

Meetings to discuss grades (if necessary).