FYI 102 2020

Look on Moodle for the Final Reflection Assignment (50 pts)

I shared a google document with everyone. You need to put a description of your podcast on there, the file next to it, and signup to review two people’s podcasts. (Only two people can review each one. If you have not submitted your podcast, you cannot sign up to review until you do so.) 

For this review, listen to both podcasts. This will be submitted in two paragraphs, one for each podcast you review. 

1. What song did Joan Baez steal from Dylan?

2. What genre was "Maggie's Farm?"

3. What did Pete Seeger think of Bob's use of distortion?

4. What song went number 1?

5. How did Dylan label himself?

6. Did he participate in demonstrations?

7. What was the most absurd interview scene you saw?

1. Who was one of Pete Seeger’s biggest influences?

2. As he is discovering song writing, what were some of the influences making the lyrics possible?

3. When Dylan says he wasn’t a “topical song writer” what does he mean? This will be important later. 

4. What would they do with a song to make more money during this time?

5. Why were musician’s blacklisted?

6. What are his songs about?

7. So he is a protest song writer? 

For those who were not in class:

The podcast does not need to be a certain length

I will walk you through recording ideas next week in class, but anything form using voice memo to audacity are acceptable.

We’ll be watching this documentary together or on our own via Netflix. 

I want you to take notes and turn those in. Answer the questions as we go along: (This is only for class period 1)

What kind of sources does this documentary use?

Describe Bob Dylan’s background.

What were some of his Musical influences? 

What were some of the reactions to his music? 

How did Dylan approach University? 

What genre of music did he fall in love with? that spoke to him?

The last two weeks of class are going to be intertwined. Next week we will watch a documentary on Bob Dylan. It was going to be Pete Seeger, but I only have that on DVD, so we’ve switched it! 

The last week of class we will be surveying modern protest songs together during class time. Lots of fun! In preparation for that, please complete the two assignments below. 

Download the article from Moodle about Socially Responsible Music Consumption.

Turn to the appendix and complete the interview questions for yourself and post them here. (Don’t forget the one on the next page.)

Social responsibility is an ethical framework which suggests that an entity, be it an organization or individual, has an obligation to act for the benefit of society at large.

Read the article, focusing on the results section (skim the beginning).

Discuss how authenticity is important to an artist’s efficacy in promoting a social or political.

Cite an example from the text.

Can you think of an example you have witnessed of either an artist promoting something that didn’t seem authentic and one promoting that did? Post a link or video if you can.

Read this piece on what makes a good protest song, at least historically, and how that may be changing today.

1. Write a paragraph on what you think makes a good protest song. Reference the article and choose to agree or disagree with something they said.

2. Look up a favorite artist (keep going until you find something) and find some ways in which they are trying to make a positive impact. This can be either charities, benefit concerts, lyrical messages, etc. Share you findings.

Since we can’t go to the Frank Waln Concert at Augustana anymore, I decided to put together some videos from him for you to experience his voice and his music.

1. Watch this first radio interview. Who is Frank Waln? What is his message? How did he start writing music? Why is indigenous land valuable and thus taken from different tribes? What is a better name for Columbus Day that some local governments are using? 

“Aboriginal,” “Good Way,” “Oil 4 Blood,” and “Home”

The next four videos are all music videos produced by Frank Waln. For each video please discuss 5 musical elements - melody, harmony, rhythm, instrumentation, timbre, silence, rhythm, meter, etc. Then discuss what the song is about. Last, was the messaging effective? Why or why not? 

If you are new to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, please read carefully and use this opportunity to learn about this important part of our world. Although this article is from 2002 (found on Moodle), the introduction remains vital as the climate has not changed. This area has been a place of conflict for centuries and the fighting still continues today.

1. Nasser writes:

“Not surprisingly, decades of hostility and fighting have resulted in monolithic readings of the problem, whereby each group is uncompromising and unwilling to listen to the other side's point of view.”

What does this mean? Can you think of something in your life or American politics that is similar?

2. How do each of the three religions claim Jerusalem as a central part of their religious traditions?

3. Read the lyrics of the prayer sung by Fairuz and discuss how they change over the course of the stanzas.

4. What elements of music should we listen for in Palestinian popular music and Israeli popular music? They will sound very different, but also very different from our popular music.

5. How is this music disseminated? What sort of censorship has been in place?

6. Take a listen to the king of Rai Khaled and Noa singing John Lennon’s “Imagine.” What musical elements do you notice? Does this song “work” for this purpose?

7. “The role of popular music is not limited to raising awareness of social and political tensions, but to actively participate in offering tools for understanding the shifting dynamics within a disputed territory. As music soars above the temporal crossroads, it enables people to come together and reach better understandings of one another despite their political differences. To this end, music not only reflects our vision and understanding of history, but also expands our appreciation for the present, illuminating conflicts and paving the way toward a better future. The challenge remains, however, for each party to accept the other side's views in a way that would ensure a just peace, equality, and reconciliation for all.”