CUST 2045 - some style advice for essays

CUST 245 Music and Society – Some STYLE advice

Avoid the following words & expressions:

- portray/convey/possess/bear (a meaning, a message, a feeling) [presumptuous & vague]
- “message,” especially located “behind” the song/words [ditto]
- continue on [“continue” is correct]
- within (confused with "in"; only use "within" where you could also say "inside of")
- there are many reasons/many people believe/most people think [be specific]
- a track off this CD [s/b: from this CD]
- relate to [weasel word, slang]
- strong/fast/slow beat [musical pace is “tempo,” not “beat”]
- upbeat [use another word for mood; this is technical music terminology, which we need for analysis]
- good/dull beat, etc [again, “beat” is technical; save it for what it really is!]

Make sure you have a clear and indicative title:
- not “Essay/Assignment Number One,” but, for example:
- “What Makes a Song Boring”
- “What is a Boring Song?”
- “Over and Over Again” [suggests the content]
- “So Delicate, yet so Boring” [wordplay on the song title, but suggests what’s wrong, too]
- “Unreleased Tension: the Ultimate Letdown” [lets you know where the author is going]
- “Rumbles and Droning Feedback Do not a Song Make” [cute, expressive, clear]
- “Boredom in Music” [too general, but topic is clear]

Make sure your music examples illustrate your argument, and your argument illuminates the music examples

Make sure you have answered the question and/or the problem set by the assignment