Musical Sounds

The purpose of this assignment is to make you become more critically aware of musical sounds in your daily life, how they are used, and what is their function. Music is all around us, some of which is fore fronted in our awareness, such as concerts, or practicing a musical instrument, or listening at home to a new song on your iPod; while others are mere background, a kind of sonic wallpaper which we may not even be aware of, such as music playing in a store, or music in commercials, films, or TV shows. In the time of covid-19, the musicscape has gone through a transformation. Concerts have been canceled, audiences have disappeared, rehearsals suspended, live events now broadcast remote via pixel dots. Yet people have found ways to be together musically, whether on the internet or apartment balconies. This musicscape, of course, is part of a more encompassing soundscape, which itself has undergone transformation. Staying at home, for example, seems to have led to a reduction in traffic, thus quieter streets and less pollution, though this is rapidly changing. All of this is material for a well-constructed paper (6-8 double spaced pages) that demonstrates critical thought. The paper must cite at least 3 specific examples from your musicscape and 3 examples from other appropriate sources (newspapers, magazines, media sites, journal articles). Your paper should address the following questions: How is music situated within your particular soundscape? Are there overall patterns? How do particular musical genres relate to specific situations? What were the functions and uses of music (emotional release, to sell a product, enhance a film, worship as a community)? Was most of the music mediated or live, passive or active, or, these days, virtual which is somewhere in between these binaries? What kind of conclusions or statements can be made about the musicscape around you and by extension to the United States? Are there aspects of this musicscape that are unique? Importantly, how has the musicscape changed due to the pandemic? Your paper should engage these types of questions about music-culture explored in Chapter 1 of your text and in class lectures. Your papers must be in 12-point font, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins.