The Music of the Beatles Creative Paper

Mechanics: Use Microsoft Word (not odt etc.) to write your paper, incorporating a 12-point Times New Roman font and 1-inch margins. Double-space your paper; do not add extra line spaces (triple spacing) between paragraphs. Upload your Word doc into the drop box in ANGEL and double check to make sure it is legible. DO NOT paste it into the text box. Only one paper will be graded;submitted papers will be deleted

Creative Paper: You are required to write a creative, well-developed paper of at least 5 pages in length(this does not include any optional title or reference pages), focusing on the analysis of the words and music of 3 Beatle songs, ideally from different periods in the group's stylistic development. You Will likewise consider the interaction of words and music, concentrating on how a song's message is conveyed by different musical techniques. If needed, refer back to the lessons (especially Lesson 5) for ideas on how you might approach talking about musical aspects (such as the discussions of melody,harmony, key, instrumentation, form, timbre, texture, meter, rhythm, special effects, etc.), plus the interaction of words and music.

By interaction of the words and music, I am referring to how the use of music elements listed above enhances the meaning and emotions associated with the song's lyrics. For Instance, a fast tempo with strongly articulated rhythms could suggest an upbeat, lively, excited or anxious feeling being portrayed in the song's lyrics. A slower paced song in a minor key could suggest a melancholy mood associated with the text. Even high or low pitches could correspond to something mentioned as being high or low in the lyrics--word painting like this has been used for centuries. Thispaper is meant to give you a voice, and I hope you will enjoy writing it. I want to read your own ideas. Make sure to treat both lyrics and music equally.

At the very least, try to pick out at least 3 unique/special musical characteristics that are prominent features in each particular song. The goal is for you to write well about the important things (both lyrical and musical) that make the song stand out or be a success, and that differentiate it from other songs.All but one of the Beatle songs you choose must be ones not (to be) studied this semester. This does not preclude choosing all unfamiliar songs if you prefer to do so.

It is very important to take what you've learned and apply it independently to songs with which you are not familiar. Such independent research and application is a vital part of the learning process.Your creative paper is not a book report or full-blown research paper where I'd expect footnotes and bibliography; rather, it's a well-developed essay. As for any sources that you should cite (that is, if you include specialized information or are quoting somebody), put the author's name and date in parentheses after the information in question (Benitez 2015).

See the course Syllabus for a list of suggested resources. If you do not mindfully listen to the songs and reflect, but just compile information(especially from the Internet), your grade will be lowered.