Tech Stuff Mac Users, read this!!
How to Make an "A"
This will be a presentation on a popular music topic of your choice.
Listed below are some interesting topics to get you started. You DO NOT have to choose one of these topics, but you may.
by no means an exhaustive list, but a point of departure
The Political Power of ____ Music (could be folk, rap, rock, country, etc.)
Rock (or country) Stars Who Were Classically Trained (how that affected their music)
The Role of the Lyricist in Popular Music
A Day in the Life of a Mississippi Delta Blues Musician
Same Song - Different Styles (treatment of one song covered by different genres)
Rock Music on TV Commercials (how and why it works)
Dick Clark and Rock and Roll (his impact and influence) (or Sam Phillips, or another non-musician)
The Effect of Music Videos on Popular Music
Country Music Hooks
Covers You Didn't Know Were Covers (and does it matter?)
The Blues Are Everywhere (the influence of the blues in popular music)
Classical Music used in Popular Songs
Is Rap Music?
Social Statements in Popular Music Styles
What is Real Country Music?
The Subject of _____ in American Popular Music (could be love, war, infidelity, horses, cars . . . )
Early Women Rock Stars
The Music Genome Project (Pandora)
New Artists - Old Styles
What the Top 10 Singers (singles/groups/albums) Have in Common
A History of Lip-syncing
Rock (country/pop/blues/rap) Song Parodies (their purposes and results)
Is It Country or Rock?
Singers Who Think They Can Act (or Actors Who Think They Can Sing)
Improvisation in Popular Music
Is Music an Aphrodisiac?
The Psychology of Popular Music (Why we like what we like)
Popular Music in Movies (or television or commercials)
Dance Crazes in Popular Music (their cause and effect)
New Directions in _______ (pick any genre or a particular instrument, record company, radio format . . .)
Copyright Laws Are Our Friends (or Are Not Our Friends)
The "Crossover" Phenomena
Do Rockers Have to Be Unstable?
Music That Scares Our Parents
Does Music Promote Violence?
My, How You've Changed (a "then and now" look at a particular performer, group, or genre)
How _________'s (performer/group/style) Philosophies Sabotaged Their (his/her) Career
The Most Popular Controversial Songs (some banned, some investigated)
[Please feel free to make up your own title. You won't get extra credit for choosing one of these.]
Your best bet is to choose a topic that requires some conclusions - not just a narrative of what some artist or group has done, what albums they made, where they went on tour. That is BORING!!
One more thing - don't preach to the rest of us
Example: "My opinion is the correct one because . . . " or "Music does promote violence and parents should . . . " or "Contemporary Christian music is superior because . . . " In other words,
we are not really interested in your opinion, we want to LEARN SOMETHING.
Feel free to take any position if you can back it up with research, but I have never heard any research conclusions that included the word "should."
And remember - you don't have to use one of these topics. If you want to come up with your own, feel free to do so. If you're not sure about it, ask me.
The presentation should be about 6 minutes long. In other words, it should take about 6 minutes to view. This should not count the time it takes to view videos. There should be 6 minutes of material that you produce.
Depending upon how much text is on each slide, you should probably have at least 15-20 slides. However, more slides with less text per slide is the preferred default. If you have less than 15, it is probably too short.
Name your PowerPoint file and the folder that you put it in Powerpoint_yourname Do not name your project by the title of your subject.
(Read this part carefully - this is the biggest part of your grade!)
Put your name and the title of your presentation on the first slide. State the intent of your presentation (the conclusion you will support, the analysis you will undertake, the point to which your material will be directed).
A good rule to follow: 1) tell m