Music News 12.3.15

• Carrie Underwood gives James Cordon's "Carpool Karaoke" a country spin (Entertainment Weekly)
• Eliot Sumner, daughter of Sting, comes out as gay, non-gendered (People)
• Holiday wish list item: An official Metallica skateboard (MetalInjection)
• Drum off: Foo Fighter's Dave Grohl vs The Muppets' Animal (Consequence of Sound)
• A new record: Seventeen of Justin Bieber's tracks are in Billboard’s Hot 100 this week (Fortune)
• Psy is back (CNN)

 

Reflection 8: Snowed Out—Surviving the Christmas Music Avalanche

It used to be that they wouldn't show up until at least the day after Thanksgiving—at the earliest. Any earlier than that and it just seemed like jumping the gun. But these days, the dust of Halloween has hardly settled before someone, somewhere, eagerly rolls them out. Whenever it is they come, Christmas songs come with a vengeance. And while some people can't wait to revel in holiday cheer, others quickly feel inundated by the near endless stream of Christmas cheer. While these songs can be expected at a party or in a church, they can also be heard while on hold on the telephone or in every mall in America. How do you feel about holiday music? Which songs do you like and which do you detest? What is the line between this music celebrating the season and it spoiling the spirit? Finally, if you do not celebrate Christmas, how does holiday music affect you?

Include at least two of the following in your discussion:

• "Centuries-old Christmas Carols Endure" (Tennessean)
• "Science Behind Why We Love, or Hate, Christmas Music" (WDIV)
• "The Ten Most Annoying Christmas Songs" (Gawker)
• "Ten Best Christmas Songs for Atheists" (Alternet)
• "Christmas Songs that Upset Me" (phillyBurbs.com)
• "Five Christmas Songs that Don't Suck" (Nerve)

Requirements:

• Must be in MLA Style
• Must be two full pages in length
• Must include a works cited page

Due:Tu 12. 8 (Note Tuesday due date)

Week 16: Billy Joel

Week 16: Billy Joel
TU 12.1/TH 12.3
Read: OWEN—Pg. 101 – 200
Class: SHORT ANSWER RESPONSES; Reading discussion; Presentations
Due: INFOGRAPHIC (Note new due date; email Thu 12.3 by 5 PM)

Upcoming:

Week 17: Sam Smith
TU 12.8 (LAST REGULAR DAY OF CLASS)/TH 12.10 (SEC. 63 ONLY; FINAL EXAM TIME)
Sec 63 Final Exam Time: Th 12/10 from 7:15 – 9:30 AM
Class: Presentations
Due: REFLECTION 8 (Due Tue 12.8)

Week 18: Beyoncé
TU 12.15/TH 12.17 (FINALS WEEK)
Sec 38 Final Exam Time: Tu 12/15 from 7:15 – 9:30 AM
Class: Class review

Music News 11.23.15 (Adele Edition)

• How Adele and the BBC pranked a group of Adele impersonators (Entertainment Weekly) 
• Adele smashes Beyoncé's iTunes sales record (People)
• 25 release is on track to be the fastest selling album in America—ever (Guardian)
• Adele and Drake in a virtual lovefest (Rolling Stone)
• Hear Adele's stunning raw mic feed from this weekend's Saturday Night Live (Independent)
• Also ... Saturday Night Live shows how Adele can silence your conservative relatives during Thanksgiving (YouTube)

Week 15: Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill, "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (1998)

Week 15: Lauryn Hill
TU 11.24/TH 11.26 (THANKSGIVING—NO CLASS)
Read: OWEN—Pg. 101 - 150
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations; Excerpts from BBC Four Sessions: Bruce Springsteen with The Seeger Sessions Band (BBC Four)

Upcoming:

Week 16: Billy Joel
TU 12.1/TH 12.3
Read: OWEN—Pg. 101 – 200
Class: SHORT ANSWER RESPONSES; Reading discussion; Presentations
Due: INFOGRAPHIC (Note new due date; email Thu 12.3 by 5 PM)

Week 17: Sam Smith TU 12.8 (LAST REGULAR DAY OF CLASS)/TH 12.10 (SEC. 63 ONLY; FINAL EXAM TIME)
Sec 63 Final Exam Time: Th 12/10 from 7:15 – 9:30 AM
Class: Presentations
Due: REFLECTION 8 (Due Tue 12.8)

Week 18: Beyoncé
TU 12.15/TH 12.17 (FINALS WEEK)
Sec 38 Final Exam Time: Tu 12/15 from 7:15 – 9:30 AM
Class: Class review

Music News 11.17.15

• Social media campaign pushing Eagles of Death Metal's Duran Duran cover, "Save a Prayer," to top of UK charts (OfficialCharts)
• Also ... London soccer fans at France vs. Englnd match unite in "La Marseillaise" to honor French terror victims (BBC News)
• Justin Bieber drops twelve dance videos in support of his new album, Purpose (Cosmopolitan)
• Taylor Swift partners with Scholastic to donate 25,000 books to NYC schools (Entertainment Weekly)
• Zayn Malik's previews a clip of his first solo single, "Befour" (People)
• Tool announce 2016 tour, Primus to open (Consequence of Sound)

Week 14: Loretta Lynn

Loretta Lynn, "You Ain't Woman Enough" (1966)

Week 14: Loretta Lynn
TU 11.17/TH 11.19
Read: OWEN—Pg. 51 – 100 Class: Reading discussion; Presentations; Writers workshop
Due: INFOGRAPHIC (Draft 1, B&W print or in electronic form)

Upcoming:

Week 15: Lauryn Hill
TU 11.24/TH 11.26 (THANKSGIVING—NO CLASS)
Read: OWEN—Pg. 101 - 150
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations; Excerpts from BBC Four Sessions: Bruce Springsteen with The Seeger Sessions Band (BBC Four)
Due: INFOGRAPHIC (email by 5PM on Tue 11.24)

Week 16: Billy Joel TU 12.1/TH 12.3
Read: OWEN—Pg. 101 – 200
Class: SHORT ANSWER RESPONSES; Reading discussion; Presentations

Week 17: Sam Smith TU 12.8 (LAST REGULAR DAY OF CLASS)/TH 12.10 (SEC. 63 ONLY; FINAL EXAM TIME)
Sec 63 Final Exam Time: Th 12/10 from 7:15 – 9:30 AM
Class: Presentations
Due: REFLECTION 8 (Due Tue 12.8)

Week 18: Beyoncé
TU 12.15/TH 12.17 (FINALS WEEK)
Sec 38 Final Exam Time: Tu 12/15 from 7:15 – 9:30 AM
Class: Class review