Writing and Citing Sources Effectively in College: Music Edition

Presented by Dr. Candis Bond, Director, Augusta University Writing Center

Courtesy of the Augusta University Writing Center

Workshop Overview

 Transitioning into college writing: Developing a process and letting go of misperceptions

 Taking notes and writing for your music course(s)

 Citing your sources for music assignments: MLA basic overview

Part One: Writing Process and Keys to College Writing

Activity

Take 5 minutes to free-write about your writing process:

What steps do you take when you write? Do you dive right in, or do you spend several days thinking things over? After you get a draft, are you finished, or do you go back? When you do your writing, do you need music? A special pair of fuzzy socks? Overall, what works well with your current process? What is challenging or difficult in your process that you would like to change/improve?

Now, find a partner and share your free-writes for 5 minutes: When discussing, you can learn about new strategies you might steal to try, and you can also offer advice for how to improve areas of process your partner struggles with.

Finally, let’s share our insights as a group:

What are some key steps to writing? What do you struggle with most? How might we improve our process?

Writing is a process

(Oxford Brooks University)

The process can be recursive

(Oxford Brooks University)

Inexperienced: Writing is a one-time performance

Experienced: Writing is an evolving practice

Inexperienced: Revision is rewording

Experienced: Revision is rethinking

Inexperienced: A solitary activity

Experienced: A social process

Inexperienced: Focus on rules, correctness, formula

Experienced: Focus on argument, reader, dissonance

Inexperienced: Prioritize stylistic concerns

Experienced: Prioritize ideas & structure earlier in the revising process and stylistic concerns later

(Sommers)

Let go of misconceptions

I need large blocks of time to write or I can’t write at all.

Writing is just putting to paper what is in my head.

Writing is what I do after I know everything.

Everything needs to be perfect before I can move on.

I have to start with the introduction or first section.

Only ‘bad’ writers seek help or discuss their writing with others..

How do I become an experienced writer?

Writing = thinking! Give yourself the time and opportunity to develop and refine complex ideas.

Begin early & break the task into steps.

Think about the needs of your audience.

See revision as a process, a chance to re-see your argument as a whole.

Be social! Share your writing with others!

Academic Writing: Thinking about Audience Speaker

Subject

Audience

Context

Part Two: Note-taking and Writing for Music

Preparing to write: Identifying Purpose and Audience

Who are you writing to? Someone very familiar with music composition/history? Someone with limited experience?

What is your purpose in writing?  Description/Summary

 You can be technical and use terms from music theory. Example: “The cadential pattern established in the opening 16 bars is changed by a phrasal infix of two bars (mm. 22–24), thus prolonging the dominant harmony in the third phrase.”

 You can try to give a play-by-play description of what’s happening in the music. Example: “The saxophone soloist played a lot of scales in his improvisation, and the pianist added sparse chords to it.”

 Reflection

 You can describe your feelings and personal reactions to the music. Example: “I felt that the chorus of the song was more gripping than the opening.”

 Argument/Analysis

 Why is the description or reflection significant? What argument can you make about the importance of this detail/affect?

(University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Writing Center)

Preparing to Write: Narrowing Focus

When you know you are going to write about a piece of music, there are several components you can attend to, including (but not limited to):

 Lyrics/Content  Content/themes

 Organization/structure

 Diction

 Syntax

 Repetition

 Rhythm

 Rhyme scheme

 Literary techniques, such as enjambment or alliteration

 Musical Composition  Formal structure and/or genre conventions

 Instrumentation

 Motif/movement/melody/theme/tonality

 Tempo/beat/rhythm/time signature

 Key/chords

 Dynamics

 Genre/Historical Context  What genre does the piece fit into, if any? What genres might it appropriate or modify?

 When was the piece first published, and how does it reflect/not reflect historical expectations/trends?

 Who is the artist and why are they important?

 Affect  How does combination of lyrics and composition impact the multisensory experience of the music,

physically, mentally, and/or emotionally?

 Media/Setting  How does the use of media or the setting impact the experience of the music? For instance, why does it

matter if you hear a song on the radio, live in concert, or through a music video on YouTube?

Chosen Categories Relevant Details Significance of Details

Formal Structure

Genre Conventions

Rhythm/Tempo

Content/Themes

Sample Assignment: Why is this song compositionally significant within the genre of Rock ‘n’ Roll? Step one: Listen to the song a few times, jotting down notes on your initial reflections and impressions

Step two: Read the lyrics a few times, jotting down notes on your initial reflections and impressions

Step three: Review your notes. Think about the “academic” terminology that best fits your initial observations and impressions

Step four: Using a heuristic or perhaps a tri-column journal, list what you think to be the most important “academic” components in the far-left column.

Step five: Listen to the song several more times, filling in as much detail as possible in each section you’ve created.

Step six: Read the lyrics several more times, pulling out specific quotations that relate to your categories.

Step seven: Review your heuristic or journal several times. Then, go back and fill in column three.

Step seven: Review your arguments in column three several times. Use these to craft your overarching argument for the paper.

Step eight: Begin pre-writing; draft; seek feedback; revise; edit; proofread

Part Three: Using Evidence and Citing Sources (MLA Style)

Using Evidence: Paraphrasing and Quoting

MLA style requires that authors cite all information that is not original thought or common knowledge.

 Quotations

 Paraphrases

 Summaries

MLA: In-text citations

MLA requires two pieces of information whenever you summarize, quote, or paraphrase material from an outside source:

1. Last name(s) of the author

2. Page or paragraph number

Note 1: If you are using a time-based source, such as a film, podcast, or song, then you also include the time/time range you are citing.

Ex: (Black Sabbath 00: 00:01-00:00:30).

Note 2: If you are using a web-based html source without page or paragraph numbers, then you need not include this component in your in-text citation.

MLA: What do I do if a source has multiple authors?

Number of authors Parenthetical Citation

1 or 2 (Smith and Jones 2)

3+ (Smith et al. 2)

Corporate Author: Just like a human author

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2)

How do I format this information?

You can place information in the text or at the end of a sentence in parentheses. You can also split up components.

Ex. 1: According to Smith, science is fun (2).

Ex. 2: Science is fun (Smith 2).

Ex. 3: According to Smith, “science is fun” (2).

Ex. 4: According to some experts, “science is fun” (Smith 2).

Ex. 5: Timberlake begins the first chorus, “I got that sunshine in my pocket” (0:24-0:26).

Ex. 6: He sings, “I got that sunshine in my pocket” (Timberlake 0:24- 0:26).

What if I’m citing on a Power Point?

Always provide attribution verbally and on the slide.

(Congressional Budget Office)

Example 2: Critics have identified three possible themes for the song : 1. Love (Smith) 2. Friendship (Jones) 3. Trust in “long-term relationships” (Terry 3).

Example 1: Image

Example 3: If entire slide is paraphrased or summary of one source, put citation in bottom right corner of the slide.

Paraphrasing Challenges: Make Sure the Paraphrase is Significantly Different in Wording

Original passage

“The chronically ill are by no means confined to hospitals or other institutions. If you think for a moment about your friends

and acquaintances, you will recognize that many of the chronically ill live in the general community and lead perfectly normal,

happy lives within their limitations” (Anderson 281).

Paraphrase 1: Good or Bad?

By no means are the chronically ill confined to hospitals or other institutions. If you consider your friends and acquaintances,

you will acknowledge that several of the chronically ill live in the general public and lead a normal, ecstatic lifestyle within

their limitations (Anderson 281).

Revised Paraphrase

Despite some restrictions, the chronically ill live an ordinary life. Often they can reside away from a hospital environment

(Anderson, 281).

Write your paraphrases so that they best support or apply to your own purpose and argument. If we wanted to read the

original article, we could; your job is to help readers see how external sources relate to your current project.

(El Paso Community College Writing Center)

Paraphrasing Practice

Tips: Make it shorter Make the words significantly different

“Adult fans nurture their interest in and experience with rock ’n’ roll music for two reasons. On one hand, keeping up with the music and the culture that were so important to them when growing up helps them maintain continuity with the past and, thus, solidify the sense of self security. On the other hand, working hard to keep rock ’n’ roll current and relevant to their lives helps adults grow as parents, as spiritual beings, and as friends” (Kotarba 4).

Take a few minutes to paraphrase this quotation. Be prepared to share your paraphrase with the group.

Possible paraphrase

Kotarba identifies two reasons adults maintain their connection to rock and roll, including a need to remember their past selves and communities and a need to grow into their current adult lives.

Integrating Quotations

Avoid Dropped Quotations: “Elvis transformed the landscape of Rock ‘n Roll” (Smith 23).

Use Integrated Quotations. Ex. of First Use of a Source: According to Jane Smith, a music historian at Yale University, “Elvis transformed the landscape of Rock ‘n’ Roll” (23).

The blue font is called a “signal phrase.” Use signal phrases the first time you use a source. After, you can just use last names or pronouns, such as “she.”

Ex. of Integrated Quotation after First Use: Smith continues, arguing Elvis is “magnetic” in his approach to the genre (23).

Using Quotations Practice

Hint: Joseph Kotarba is a sociologist at the University of Houston

“Adult fans nurture their interest in and experience with rock ’n’ roll music for two reasons. On one hand, keeping up with the music and the culture that were so important to them when growing up helps them maintain continuity with the past and, thus, solidify the sense of self security. On the other hand, working hard to keep rock ’n’ roll current and relevant to their lives helps adults grow as parents, as spiritual beings, and as friends” (Kotarba 4).

How might we integrate this quotation into a sentence when using this source for the first time? What about the second time?

In his peer-reviewed article, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Experiences in Middle Age,” Joseph Kotarba, a sociologist at the University of Houston, identifies two reasons older adults remain interested in rock ‘n’ roll as they age. “On one hand,” he explains, “keeping up with the music and the culture that were so important to them when growing up helps them maintain continuity with the past and, thus, solidify the sense of self security” (Kotarba 4). Kotarba continues, writing, “on the other hand, working hard to keep rock ‘n’ roll current and relevant to their lives helps adults grow as parents, as spiritual beings, and as friends” (4).

Citing on the Works Cited Page

Every MLA-style paper/presentation will include full bibliographic reference entries for every source cited in the paper/presentation on a final page or slide.

Title this page Works Cited, centered at the top

Organize entries alphabetically by author’s last name.

Use a “hanging indent” (lines after first are indented once)

Evenly double-space throughout

Citing Albums and Songs

If you streamed it or got it online:

Artist. “Song Title.” Album Title, Recording Manufacturer, date released, Streaming Service, URL.

The Beatles. “Can’t Buy Me Love.” A Hard Day’s Night, Capitol, 1964, Spotify, https://open.spotify.com/albu m/6wCttLq0ADzkPgtRnUihLV.

In-text:

(The Beatles 00:01:10- oo:01:15).

If you have the CD, cassette, or record:

Artist. “Song Title.” Album Title, Recording Manufacturer, date released.

The Beatles. “Can’t Buy Me Love.” A Hard Day’s Night, EMI, 1964.

In-text:

The song “Can’t Buy Me Love” by the Beatles repeats “no, no, no” as part of the bridge (oo:00:50-00:00:54).

Practice

Additional Details: released 1973

Artist. “Song Title.” Album Title, Recording Manufacturer, date released.

Elvis Presley. Separate Ways, RCA Camden, 1973.

Citing a website

Last name, First name. “Title of Web Page.” Title of Website,

Publication Date, URL. Access date.

Example:

Lundman, Susan. "How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow, 5 Jan.

2016,www.ehow.com/how_10727_make-vegetarian-

chili.html. Accessed 6 July 2015.

(Purdue OWL)

How would you cite this web page?

Answer

Russel, Peter. “Diabetes May Be Warning Sign of

Pancreatic Cancer.” WebMD, 31 Jan. 2017,

https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/news/20170131/diabete

s-warning-sign-pancreatic-cancer#1. Accessed 15 Aug.

2018.

How do I cite an article (in a periodical or peer-reviewed journal)?

Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal, Volume, Issue, Year,

pages.

Example:

Bagchi, Alaknanda. "Conflicting Nationalisms: The Voice of the

Subaltern in Mahasweta Devi's Bashai Tudu." Tulsa Studies

in Women's Literature, vol. 15, no. 1, 1996, pp. 41-50.

(Purdue OWL)

Additional resources

Need help?

For assistance with MLA style, visit the Purdue OWL: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Or the MLA Style Center website: https://style.mla.org/

Or review the MLA Handbook, 8th ed. (we have copies in the Writing Center)

For assistance writing about music, visit the Writing Center at the University of Chapel Hill’s webpage on music writing:

https://writingcenter.unc.edu/music/

For assistance writing your assignments or MLA style, make an appointment at the Augusta University Writing Center: http://www.augusta.edu/pamplin/writingcenter/

Works Cited

El Paso Community College Writing Center. “Tips for Paraphrasing.” El Paso Community College, n.d.,

https://www.epcc.edu/RGWritingCenter/Documents/Paraphrasingtips.pdf

Purdue OWL. “MLA Style.” OWL: Purdue Online Writing

Lab, 2018, https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/. Accessed 16 Aug. 2018.

Oxford Brooks University. “Week 0: Thinking about Writing as a Process.” Centre for Faculty

Development, 2014, https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/items/a3fd6f82-c367-4963-ba03-

66a37e47fc5f/2/?attachment.uuid=1770e5ea-ba70-488a-98d6-

94faa0a92197&attachment.stream=true

Sommers, Nancy. "Revision Strategies of Student Writers and Experienced Adult Writers." College

Composition and Communication, vol. 31, no. 4, Dec. 1980, pp. 378-88.

Writing Center at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. “Music.” The Writing Center, UNC Chapel Hill,

2019, https://writingcenter.unc.edu/music/. Accessed 15 August 2019.

Thank you. We hope to see you at the Writing Center

Fall/Spring Hours: M-R, 8-8; F, 8-1

Locations: Allgood Hall, N204 and Greenblatt Library, 2101