Friday, April 30, 2010

POS: Poetry Contest

The NEED organization is requesting submissions for a "Thank a Teacher" poem to appear on its annual card.

Criteria:
-the subject is to thank teachers (in general) and how they impact your life
-it should be approximately 12 lines of text
-it need not rhyme
-it must include your name, my name and your phone number

Friday, April 16, 2010

POS: Plagiarism in Song


For blog-work this week, research and listen to some examples of musical plagiarism. Identify: 1) at least one example of a truly plagiarized song and 2) at least one example of a coincidental relationship between 2 songs. Discuss your findings here. Some notable instances include (listed as original/supposed plagiarism): Chiffon's "He's So Fine"/George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord"; Tom Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance"/The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Dani California"; and, most recently, Joe Satriani's "If I Could Fly"/Coldplay's "Viva La Vida".

Friday, April 9, 2010

POS: Legend and Myth in Music


Read all of my directions before asking for assistance. This will be graded as a TEST over April Break. Submit your work (as a comment) here.




PART ONE: Below you will find a list of some of the more noteworthy legends and myths of modern music history. For Part One of this assignment, you should research and summarize each incident in a well-developed paragraph. (6 paragraphs total).


Myth/Legend #1: Robert Johnson sells his soul to the devil
Myth/Legend #2: Ozzy Osbourne's taste for doves and bats
Myth/Legend #3: The mythology surrounding the Abbey Road cover
Myth/Legend #4: Bob Dylan goes electric
Myth/Legend #5: Research on your own and choose your favorite


Myth/Legend #6: The mythology presented in the Sgt. Pepper cover (click here). Identify and summarize the notariety of 3 individuals whom you recognize and 3 individuals of whom you are ignorant.


Make sure that your sources are legitimate. Remember- any information that you gain from any source is not yours. You must cite your sources using MLA format. Use the links on this blog to assist in your citations. Keep in mind that the 30 other students in your class will uncover much of the same information, so in order to separate yourself from the pack you must focus on authoritative sources, excellent writing, detail, and proper citations.


For MLA documentation assistance, click here.


PART TWO: Use 3 different Website Evaluation Guides (linked below) to validate 3 of the web pages cited in your work above. Complete and print these guides and turn them in before April Break. Your test grade will be posted as a "0" until you do so.


Schrock's Evaluation
University of Maryland Evaluation
University of California at Berkeley Evaluation