Music has become an integral part of human existence. It motivates us, calms us, inspires us, at times irritates us, and basically becomes the backdrop against which we live our lives. Songs can bring vivid memories of persons, places, and events from our own past and serve to document our thoughts, feelings, and emotions at a given time or place.
• Part I: Choosing significant events and finding appropriate songs to represent them.
Brainstorm the types of significant events that you may have experienced in your lives so far. Pick 5 events (choose a variety) and put your events in chronological order (that’s the order in which they happened), and then pick a song that you think accurately represents each event. In choosing each song, think about the lyrics, the style and the tone or mood of the song. Remember that the music on soundtracks vary in style; your soundtrack should doso, also. Take your time and really explore possible songs in different genres of music. When you’re done,record the song title and artist below. Remember that songs MUST be school appropriate. I understand thatthis rule limits your choice of songs, but there’s just no getting around it in this setting.
- What is the name of the song and the artist?
- What event in your life does the song represent?
- Why does the song accurately reflect this event?
- Why do the lyrics capture the essence of this event for you?
- Why does the style or tone or mood capture the essence of this event for you?
- What does each song reveal about the kind of person you are and what you think is important in your life?
• Part II: Writing a reflective letter to your listener
Write a reflective letter (addressed to “Dear Listener,”) that explains why you chose the particular songs that youdid. For each song, you will need to reflect on the experiences, persons, places, etc. that inspired this selection.Obviously, you will also need to explain who you are as a person and then offer some type of reflection upon theimaginary album as a whole. Again, for the purposes of this assignment, be sure that this letter is school appropriate.