Study of Music Makeup Assignment

Choose 3 writing prompts below and write your thoughts on them. Each prompt should have 2-3
paragraphs associated with it. Quality NOT quantity is what I am looking for!

Prompt 1: Your music teacher has acquired a musical instrument that

the aborigines used in Australia called a didgeridoo. Only one student is
going to be allowed to learn the instrument. You want to be that student.
Write a persuasive letter to your teacher telling her why you want to play
the didgeridoo.

Prompt 2: Choose a specific establishment (shopping mall, law firm,

doctor’s office, sports stadium, fast food restaurant, fine dining
establishment) and imagine you were in charge of choosing the music
for it. Explain how music can affect one’s mood. Explain what type of
music you’ll use and why.

Prompt 3: In 1993 and again in 1995, scientists at the University of

California at Irvine found that college students who listened to a sonata
by Mozart for a few minutes before taking a test did better than students
who listened to no music or even music by another musician. Do you
believe that music can make you more intelligent just by listening to it?
Should teachers play Mozart sonatas whenever they give a test?

Prompt 5: The new school you moved to thinks that music is a waste of
time. There are no music classes, no choir classes, no music played at
sports events, and no one is allowed to listen to music on their electronic
devices while on school grounds or on the bus. How do you think that
will affect the mood of the students?
Prompt 7: Think about your favorite singer, band or musician and write
a letter to your pen pal in another country telling about this musician and
why he or she is your favorite.

Prompt 8: Write a letter to the editors of Music Mag magazine. Discuss

your favorite song and explain why it’s so important to you.

Prompt 13: Write an essay about your favorite CD to be placed in a

time capsule that will be buried this year and opened in 2500. Be sure to
explain any things that you think may not be used anymore in their time
and include some thoughts on what you think music in the year 2500
will be like.

Prompt 16: If Beethoven came back to life today and heard his music
being used to sell everything from cars to diapers, do you think he’d be
happy that his music had reached such a wide audience or do you think
he’d be disgusted that the music he worked on for so long was used in
advertising?

Prompt 17: Friedrich Nietzsche said “Without music, life would be a

mistake.” Do you agree or disagree?

Prompt 18: Pick a favorite line from a favorite song and write about
what it means to you personally.