Group Presentations
Brief Presentations & Final Presentation
Purpose: The following is a guide to assist in the preparation
of this semester's group presentations. The purpose of these research activities
is to afford an opportunity for each group to find information about a composer,
performer, or musical composition of interest and pursue an in-depth look at
the biographical factors, contemporaneous social conditions, musical influences
on compositions of the period, and specific compositional techniques incorporated.
This process will:
- confirm student knowledge & understanding of our developing musical
vocabulary
- confirm the level of understanding about individuals integral to the evolution
of music, circumstances surrounding their lives, musical style, and compositional
practices common to the various style periods
- provide an opportunity for the application of newly-acquired knowledge
about music to a novel context
- allow students to gain experience in communicating with others about music,
clearly expressing one's own opinions, beliefs, and preferences
Contents: Each group will present the information they have discovered
by preparing a Powerpoint presentation. Presentation length requirements vary
for the Brief & Final Presentations. The Brief Presentations should
consist of 10-15 Powerpoint slides, not including title slide & reference
slides. The length of the Final Presentation should be between
20-30 slides, not including title slide & reference slides. Graphic images
may be used tastefully throughout, but please do not overuse. Under no circumstances,
should sound files be included in the presentation unless you have made prior
arrangements with Dr. Lipscomb. When complete, no file should be larger
than 500 KB to facilitate viewing over the internet.
To receive complete credit, the Powerpoint file must be submitted to Dr. Lipscomb
on or before the due date stated in the course syllabus. Every member of the
group will be responsible for researching the chosen topic thoroughly and assisting
in the creation of a presentation for the purpose of communicating the information
to other members of the class. The presentation should be well-organized &
coherent, and each member of the group must actively participate in the process.
Topics for the Brief Presentations will be assigned by the instructor at least
two weeks before the due date (slightly less time during summer sessions). For
the Final Presentation, each group will decide upon a topic of interest. This
topic must be submitted to Dr. Lipscomb on or before the due date stated in
the course syllabus. Topics are approved on a first-come, first-served basis
and duplicate presentations will not be allowed. The sooner a group requests
a certain topic, the more likely that it will still be available.
Each presentation must include ALL of the following items:
- Introduction: provide a brief background (i.e., what musical, biographical,
societal, and other influences lead to the contemporaneous musical style);
In the Final Presentation ONLY, also include a statement of why you find
your particular topic - of all that could have been chosen - interesting.
- Musical Analysis (Final Presentation ONLY): The group must provide an analytical
discussion of one specific piece of music, providing a coherent discussion
of this selection using our musical elements & structures as
a basis. The selected piece should NOT be one of the musical selections
analyzed in our class text.
- Conclusion: Discuss how this composer, performer, or piece represents (or
does not represent) the typical musical style of the given time period;
briefly suggest how this individual or musical composition fits into the
evolution of Western art music or rock & roll, depending on the course
- References (in APA format): each member of the group must provide
independent references found in the process of researching the chosen topic.
For the Brief Presentations, each member must contribute at least
one reference. For the Final Presentation, each member much contribute at
least three references (e.g., a group consisting of 5 members should
have 15 references, i.e., 5 x 3 = 15). References can be books, encyclopedia
references, or journal articles; at least one of the references provided
by each student must be a non-internet source. The text required for this
class will not count toward the number of required references, since
all students are expected to have read this material. A complete list of
all references used in the preparation of your presentation must be included
as the final slide(s) of your Powerpoint file. [Note: the reference slides
do not count toward completion of the presentation length requirements
mentioned above.]
- Reference Style - American Psychological
Association (APA) format
- Resources to use as a Starting Place
Grading:
Brief Presentation:
- 50 points - content (contains all necessary items
listed above)
- 25 points - organization of the presentation
- 25 points - references
Final Presentation:
- 50 points - content & its organization
- 25 points - musical analysis
- 25 points - references
If you have questions about any aspect of this group presentation, feel free
to contact me via email at lipscomb@northwestern.edu
or using WebCT.
Choose an interesting topic & have fun with it!
