The best essays are the ones where the readers have a definitive piece of music figured out. It is important to find the connection between the figurative meaning of the piece and the literal meaning. When you are defining a piece, it is important to find the expression. Here are some examples of expressions that your piece might contain:
- It is very important to have a clear idea of the content in the piece. The analysis is incomplete if you don’t know what the piece stands for. The concept of music and its educational role must also be highlighted in the essay.
- The writer must fully understand the musical work that you are writing on. Imagine if you are writing on a piece and you don’t have sufficient information on it. Writing an essay with little to no knowledge about the piece might get close to impossible.
- Define the genre that the music is related to. You must be able to identify the music piece and take out different interpretations that it might have on the audience.
Give Technical Information
Don’t just make your song analysis essay a plain one. The reader can find a lot of general essays on the internet. If you want to stand out and receive a higher grade than before, make sure to go the extra mile. To make your essay more technical, try to mention each and everything about the song. For example, it is important to include the composer, singer, and all the relevant credentials.
Always remember that the teacher is bored of reading the same old essays. If you want to make your essay stand out, try choosing a rare and popular piece. Giving out technical information will make your essay shine. It will tell the professor that you have put in much effort in crafting the essay, and it deserves a better grade.
Try not to get too technical. Most students use too complicated vocabulary to try and impress the reader. This is not a great move. Most professors like essays that are easy to read. Using easy but strong vocabulary will make it easier to read.
Here is some technical information that you might need to write in your essay on music:
- The Name Of The Composer
- The Date When The Song Was First Composed
- The Rhythm
- The Pitch
Determine What The Piece Stands For
It is very important first to determine the motive of the piece. Every song has a reason behind it. The composer must have presented some idea of why he chose to write that particular piece. Some pieces have a very rich history. They go back to years of hard work and practice. Whenever you find a song on which you have to write a paper, dig in its origination. It will give you a firm idea about your essay, and you won’t ever be at a loss of words during the writing process.
If you cannot find the information from the internet, try looking for interviews with the composer. Most lyricists talk about their pieces in interviews with different people or labels. Try to compile important facts about the song and write them on a piece of paper. This way, you won’t forget about the important details while writing.
Study The Lyrics Of The Song
Whenever someone asks me how to write a song analysis, I always tell them to study the song lyrics. Most students don’t realize this, but lyrics are a very important asset while writing. You can learn so much about the song by just reading the words. They will tell you the whole story and more.
If you cannot find any information about the song on the internet, or interviews, just read the lyrics and make sound judgments. But don’t just skim through the text. Make sure to be at your full potential while reading. There are always hidden messages in the lyrics that a normal thinker might oversee. Try to dive deep into the words until they start to make sense.
Try to think of the perspective of the composer. It might be a fine move to research the person who wrote the song so that you might understand the lyrics better. A good analysis is the one that is more focused on the lyrics of the essay rather than information that cannot be traced back to the singer. It must be authentic and should make sense.
Most professors give a structure that you have to follow while writing your essay. However, if you are not given a structure, try to use the most basic one. A general structure has three parts, Introduction, Main Body, and Conclusion. But since we all know that a music definition essay has a different structure, we don’t follow the common one.
Let’s look at a sample structure for your essay:
- Introduction: In this part of the essay, try to open for your song. Make sure to add general information and use a funneling approach.
- Expositional Part: Add your presentation for the music piece that you wish to analyze.
- Binder: The link between the main parts of your essay.
- Middle: This part must contain all the necessary arguments and technical information for your essay. Try to make this appealing to the reader.
- Reprise: Repeating The Topic
- Final: Add a conclusion and provide the summary for your entire music essay.
Having music for essay writing might be a challenging task for a novice student, but with some practice and hard work, you can become a professional. Try to find the optimal place for writing and choose the perfect piece that fascinates you. Happy Writing!