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PROJECTS |
PAPERS:
For advice and example papers click here.
EMPIRICAL/QUESTIONNAIRE
PROJECT:
For the midterm project, you will work with your hometeam to
design, execute, and present an empirical research
questionnaire (or other study) exploring music in student
life at the U of M. Your project should be tight and
focused, using a questionnaire not to exceed one page in
length. Use the questionnaire examples in your coursepack as
models for how such a study might work. Each team member is
responsible for recruiting at least 5 responses, so that the
total number of questionnaires analyzed reaches a minimum of
20. Your results should be summarized on a one-page handout
which will be given to each member of the class. (You'll
need to make approximately 31 copies.) Presentations should
be no more than 10 minutes long.
Due Dates: Group Interest Form
(Sept. 24), Idea session (Sept. 29), Questionnaire Draft
(Oct. 8), Progress Report (Oct. 15), Presentations (Oct.
27).
Publishing Opportunity:
Last year the Michigan Daily published an article that
summarized the results of the class's research. For this
year, I'll make the same request that a reporter from the
Daily will attend class on the day of the project reports
and the article should run shortly after spring break.
Publishing your results makes it even more important for you
to collect reliable data. You may want to collect more than
20 questionnaires in order to improve the reliability of
your results.
Suggested Topics:
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Spending Habits: |
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How much $ do students spend on music and
how/where? |
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Taste: |
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What kinds of music do U of M students listen
to? |
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Knowledge: |
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What percentage of students can recite the words to the Star-Spangled Banner, The Victors, or the Alma Mater? I can envision a neat presentation using video of students on the diag who are stopped and asked to sing or recite these songs. |
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Listening Habits: |
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Where, how, and how much do students listen to music? |
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Musicianship: |
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How many students consider themselves musicians and what kind of musicians are they? |
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Others: |
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your ideas here . . . |
Equipment for
Living:
the politics of musical
meaning in everyday life
By MHM408/508
Scenario
Pretend that we have been asked by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or a similar musical institution to put together an exhibit entitled, "Equipment for Living: the politics of musical meaning in everyday life." The overall goal of this exhibit is to show that music is even more than entertaining--music carries meaning that reflects and influences the day to day lives of listeners.
Your Interactive Display
Your project team has been assigned the task of producing one display segment for the exhibit&endash;a segment that focuses on your group's research theme. (Your group may pick a different theme than the mid-term project if desired.) Your display should stand alone, both logically and physically (as a coherent desktop display or a Web site, for example), and must reach a broad audience of informed and intelligent listeners (your classmates would be good guides for the needs of this audience). In order to sustain visitor interest and help them to learn more about your theme, your exhibit must be interactive, providing visitors with the opportunity to engage with the material and receive immediate feedback. You might want to consider some kind of game or quiz or a magnetic display that can be changed by viewers or a diary that allows visitors to leave his or her mark on the exhibit and peruse the thoughts left by others. The visitor should be rewarded with some sort or prize: the best one is a feeling of increased knowledge or understanding. Other possibilities include a score that they can compare with other visitors in their group or a gift of some sort: maybe a 10% discount in the museum's gift shop or a free membership.
Summary Sheet
You group should produce a summary sheet to give to interested individuals and to the teachers of visiting students. This handout explains the goal of your exhibit, reviews the argument and evidence you use, and suggests questions and musical examples for classroom use. Let's say that the exhibit is funded by an charitable grant from a foundation interested in education and these handouts are a way of showing your funding source, how effective and interesting your exhibit turned out to be. (I will also use this handout to help my own evaluation of your exhibit for grading purposes.) Sufficient copies of the handout should be available at your exhibit so that each member of the class may have a copy (i.e., approximately 31 copies).
Documentation
On the back of your exhibit attach a typed sheet that lists the names of project team members and provides a bibliography of the resources used to make the exhibit (all published and unpublished sources that you used, including but not limited to books, internet sources, interviews, and magazine articles.) Please use at least three published sources. For your research, I recommend that you start with the reference lists in an encyclopedia such as the New Grove Dictionary of American Music or the Rolling Stone Encyclopedia augmented by a general library catalog and internet search.
Exhibit Opening
We will have a grand unveiling of the exhibit in class on Tuesday December 8, 1998 during our regular class session. (I'll provide the refreshments.) The first 10 minutes of class will be used to complete your installations and we will end 10 minutes early so that you can disassemble them before the next class arrives. One member of each project team should be present at the team's display throughout the duration of the "grand opening" as an exhibit guide to answer questions and explain the rules of the interaction. The other members should visit the other displays. Your group should rotate who serves as the exhibit guide so that everyone gets a chance to see each of the exhibits (and sample all of the food).
Grading
Grades will be assigned by averaging scores for content and presentation. Your display must present a focused argument and illustrate it with examples and evidence. Creativity, effort, and teamwork will be rewarded.
Examples
Click here to see two example projects from fall semester 1998.
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