HUM 223: Midterm, due in class Oct. 9

Humanities 223: Ethnic Music
Springfield College-Benedictine University at Springfield
Midterm -- Fall Semester 2009

Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. -- Charlie 'Bird' Parker

Below are three essay questions – one worth fifty (50) points, and two shorter essays worth 25 points each. Please write at least two to four pages (500-1,000 words) on the 50-point essay and one to two pages (250-500 words) on each of the 25-point short essays. That adds up to three essays. Use plenty of detail from your reading, class discussion, the Internet (including our class blog) and handouts I have given you to back up the points you make. Your grade will depend on your analysis of the music, and on the specific detail you cite in support of your analysis. I am more interested in the specific factual arguments you make to support your points than in whether you like or dislike a particular piece of music. So be specific. Remember: An unsupported generalization is sudden death in college-level writing. Always be specific. Due in class Thursday, Oct. 9.

1A. Essay (50 points). According to critic and author Mel Watkins, 19th-century song writer Stephen A. Foster “was at the forefront of when white [American] culture started to integrate black culture with their own. Foster's music is a combination of these strains. He brought it together, and he made it into something that was quintessentially American.” And historian Fath Ruffins, “Foster's music is seen as fundamental Americana. When you listen to these songs, you're listening to the history of the United States.” From watching the PBS American Experience video Stephen Foster and reading the PBS background material linked to our class blog Hogfiddle, how much was African American culture incorporated into Foster’s songs? Do they sound Irish, or African American – or some of both? Were they like folk, popular or art music? How did Foster want his music to be regarded? How did the public regard it? What does Foster’s career suggest to you about the ways that artists can make a living in American culture? Do they compromise their artistic vision?

2A. Self-reflective essay (25 points). What have you learned about American roots music in this class so far that you didn’t know before? Consider what you knew at the beginning of the course and what you know now. What point or points stand out most clearly to you? What points are still confusing? In answering this question, please feel free to look at the “Tip Sheet on Writing a Reflective Essay” linked to my faculty webpage (and to Hogfiddle). In grading the essay, I will evaluate the relevance of your discussion to the main goals and objectives of the course; the detail you cite to support or illustrate your points; and the connections you make.

2B. Short essay (25 points). Watch the video of video of Michael Franti and Spearhead singing "Hole In The Bucket"(1994) linked to Hogfiddle. It’s an old children’s song from Europe, but Franti’s version is influenced by hip hop, reggae and more than a century of African American music. Write your response as a listener to the song, asking yourself: (1) What about this work stands out in my mind? (2) What in my cultural background, values, musical taste and interests makes me react that way? (3) What, specifically, about the performance makes me feel that way? Is there anything in the song that transcends cultural boundaries?