Songwriting as Musicological Inquiry: Examples from the Popular Music Classroom

  • Travis D. Stimeling Millikin University
  • Mark Katz The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Keywords: Composition, Songwriting, Survey, Music Appreciation, Popular Music

Abstract

Drawing upon firsthand experience developing and assessing such assignments and contextualizing these projects within the best practices developed in music education, this essay argues that songwriting and composition exercises, coupled with guided reflection and analysis, can offer rich opportunities for students to engage creatively with key musical concepts, to learn about musical structure and style through hands-on activities, and to reach a strong understanding of the various ways that music can signify meaning across time and social settings.

Author Biographies

Travis D. Stimeling, Millikin University

Travis D. Stimeling is Assistant Professor of Music and Coordinator of the Musicology area at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. His research addresses subjects ranging from country music to music and environmental crisis. He is the author of Cosmic Cowboys and New Hicks: The Countercultural Sounds of Austin’s Progressive Country Music Scene (Oxford University Press, 2011).


Mark Katz, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Mark Katz is Associate Professor of Music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he teaches courses on popular music and music and technology. He is the author of Capturing Sound: How Technology has Changed Music and Groove Music: The Art and Culture of the Hip-Hop DJ, and is editor of the Journal of the Society of American Music.

Published
2011-12-28
Issue
Vol 2 No 2: (Spring 2012)
Section
Reports and Practices

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