UMUC Week 3 Discussion Exploring Music and Dance Discussion Topic

WEEK 3 DISCUSSION 3.2: Exploring Music and DanceDiscussion Topic

I’m Done

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR DISCUSSIONS: Your contributions should be thoughtful and developed. Answer all parts of the question and use concepts from the course materials. Use a professional style of communication, with attention to grammar, spelling, and typos; cite your sources. Rely on class sources, do NOT use outside sources.

AVOID the words “In my opinion,” “to me,” “I think,” “I feel” etc. State your ideas and support with information and concepts from class materials!

Choose ONE of the following questions, and write an in depth response (2-4 paragraphs for analysis posts, 1 paragraph for composing posts). Then, give a substantive response to at least ONE other student.

1. Analyze Music

Choose a piece of music from the excerpts in this week’s Intro to Music and analyze it in terms of tempo, rhythm, pitch, dynamics, notation and melody (per class How Music Works videos, Dynamics lecture, and Music Basics Video). How do these technical aspects work together to generate an emotional effect through music? Be sure to read/view all the resources on music in this week’s course contents. Apply music terminology (eg. analyze tempo in terminology and/or bpm, assess what you think the dynamics and relate to emotional effect, if rhythm deal with how many beats in a group (measure), what gets the stress and on/off beats, etc).

Pick a second piece and identify 2-3 contrasting features. Research the artist/composer and style of your primary piece and use this information to justify why we should study this piece.

2. Create Music

Compose your own piece and share a video or audio clip with the class. (You can also elect to submit written music if you read/write music). You do not need to read music for this — just record yourself. You can sing (no words necessary) or play an instrument. Write a paragraph sharing your influences and explaining how you used rhythm, tempo, pitch, dynamics and/or melody to create an effect.

Alternatively, you can create a Ringshout (see Additional Resources), discuss the experience of learning about the Ringshout and the process of creating it and apply musical concepts from this week’s materials. Be sure to include a video.

3. Dance!

Choreograph a short dance and upload a video for us. (Do not use a received routine or an existing video from before the course). Write a brief paragraph explaining how you use techniques from dance fundamentals & Dance 101, specific dance terms (eg ball change), the body and space, how you use rhythm/tempo, and/or how melody is expressed in your dance. (Not all of these will necessarily carry equal weight in your piece). Explain what style of dance it is. Share any influences on your composition.

Or, participate in a style of dance that is new to you. Your local community may offer free or low cost opportunities such as contra dancing or folk dancing. Do some research on this style of dance, discussing its cultural context, as well as your analysis of dance, body, space, rhythm etc. based on your active participation as a dancer. Apply concepts from Dance 101 and Dance Fundamentals.

4. Analyze Dance

Choose one of the dance clips from Performance Dance Excerpts in this week’s class materials. Relate the performance to critical concepts you have learned about dance (Dance Intro, Dance Fundamentals, Dance 101, etc), visual art (Getty concepts in Week 2) and music (this week). Be sure to address specific dance terms (eg ball change), the body and space, how you use rhythm/tempo, and/or how melody is expressed in your dance. Highlight 2-3 contrasting features of a 2nd piece. Apply concepts from the glossary to movements. Research the artist/choreographer and style and explain a unique contribution this person makes to the arts.

Posts ( initial and and at least one response to fellow classmates) are due by Sunday at 11:30PM ET. Posts may not be edited. If changes or additions are desired, do so in a response to your initial post. Discussion locks shortly after due date/time.

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