From Hip-Hop to K-Pop - Recent Trends in Music
a guided exploration of the styles, techniques, and cultural impacts of today’s music
Photo by Yannis Papanastasopoulos
Photo by Linda Xu
An Introduction
Welcome to the course! I’m Nate, and I am the creator of this course. If you’d like to know more about me, see my bio here. Otherwise, let’s jump in!
This first module is designed to orient you to how the course will work and contains some important information that can be found in the Syllabus. Additionally, we will talk about some ways we can better engage in the content of the course to ensure a positive experience for all. Try your best not to skip this content - it is important!
How the Course Works
All of the main content of this course can be found right here on my site. The entirety of the course is split into 15 modules that will cover a myriad of topics regarding current music. Some modules are more technical and theory-based, while others are written from a historical or cultural scope. New modules and their corresponding assignments will be released on a weekly basis. The content is relatively short, and I promise you will be able to keep up with no problem at all!
All modules will feature media associated with the given topic that you will be expected to cover in addition to the main content. This may include articles to read, videos to watch, and music to listen to - the last of these three is particularly important! It is strongly recommended that you have a Spotify Premium account, as most music media is embedded using Spotify. Without a premium account, you will only get a snippet of each media and will have to navigate away from the site to access it in full. Student accounts start at 5 dollars a month, and you can sign up here if you wish.
Once you have finished a particular module, there will often be a short assignment that must be completed. All assignments can be submitted to Blackboard to better keep track of your progress.
Assessments and Important Documents
Information about assessments can be found in the Syllabus, linked here, but here are some brief descriptions of the assessments you can expect!
Module Assignments/Quizzes are very short assignments found at the end each of module as described above. These are completion-based, meaning full credit is provided for simply turning it in/completing it. This may include forum posts, listening assignments, and other small items that help guide our learning in the course. In all cases, you need to submit your file as a .PDF file, as all other formats risk being unreadable on Blackboard. Assignments not submitted as a .PDF will be marked as a zero until this is corrected.
Writing Assignments are relatively short writing assignments that are designed to give you practice in writing about music. One is informal (essay, music review, blog post, etc.), and the other is formal with full citations. Click the ‘Writing Assignment’ button to the right for more info and rubrics.
The Presentation is similar in caliber to the writing assignments, but instead, you will create an oral presentation. You can create this in the style of a PowerPoint with visuals, an audio-only podcast, or an explainer video. You will then be expected to watch/listen to classmates’ presentations and remark upon them. Click the ‘Presentation’ button to the right for more info and rubrics.
The Creative Project is an extra credit assignment that allows you to practice what we’ve been working on. Compositions, arrangements, productions, and performances are all fair game for this. Collaboration with other classmates is allowed, too! Click the ‘Creative Project’ button to the right for more info and rubrics.
Our Final Exam is the culminating assessment for the course. It includes writing prompts in which encourage creative problem solving and critical assessment of music. The exam will be made available several weeks before the end of the semester, giving you plenty of time to complete it.
Photo by Belinda Fewings
Engaging in Content
There are a few things we should go over before properly beginning this course.
The first is potential explicit content. There will be media presented that contains explicit language, and well as themes of violence, mental health, and other potentially uncomfortable subjects. Warnings will be provided before each piece of media noting these subjects, so you can navigate the course in a way that’s most comfortable for you. That being said, any media espousing hate, bigotry, or violence directed at specific people or groups of people is not included in this course.
The second is the breadth of the content covered. With such a limited time in a semester and the virtually infinite amount of music that is produced today, there is no way I will be able to cover all of it - and it’s even possible I won’t cover any of your favorite genres, artists, or songs. In lieu of the ability to absorb all musical content, my job is to provide you the tools to better engage with today’s music so that you can take those skills with you into your future studies. Additionally, I tried my best to include opportunities for you to work with the music that interests you through most of the assessments.
The third consideration that needs to be made is the subjectivity of this course. Music is art and culture. Art and culture vary greatly across different populations of people and it is often tied to socio-political situations. Furthermore, the individual experiences that each of you have is going to inform how you interact and engage with every piece of art and its subsequent messaging. It is imperative that each student be willing to engage earnestly with all of the pieces we look through in this course, as well as to be respectful to those who have different experiences than you. This is going to be especially important when engaging with each other in the forums.
So long as you maintain empathy and an open mind, everyone should come away from this course with a positive experience!
Module Assignment 0
Intro. Survey
Write a forum post on Blackboard introducing yourself to me and your classmates! Include your grade level, major, and any other info you’d like to share about yourself. Also include some of the music you’re listening to now, especially 21st-century stuff. Don’t worry if you’ve been listening to the same tunes as others either!
(Click the ‘Module Assignment’ link for a quick way to the forum)