Course Details

Music has a powerful capacity to convey distinctive moods and emotions. When we attempt to describe these experiences, such as how a certain song or performance makes us feel, words often fail. Despite this challenge, we persevere, struggling to find the right phrase, simile, or metaphor to describe how music moved us.

In this class we will persevere together by developing the technical, rhetorical and related skills needed to convincingly write about music. We will explore a variety of writing prompts, from song reviews and artist bios, to genre descriptions and deeper cultural critiques. We will share our work with one another and learn from guest speakers who are professionals in the field. Ethnomusicology and music criticism will serve as disciplinary touchstones as we develop an intellectual community that supports our growth as productive music writers.