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Tips for writing a musicology essay
The steps to success
| Step 1 | Find
a general topic area that is interesting, that you can find primary
sources for and that will allow you to meet the criteria outlined
above. |
|---|---|
| Step 2 | Start
by doing some broad reading. Gradually narrow down the topic until
you have a clear idea of what you can realistically achieve within
the word limit. Give some thought to the type of references you
read. General encyclopaedias are a useful starting point but rarely
provide sufficient detail for this purpose. It is better to seek
appropriate references of reasonable academic standing. |
| Step 3 | Focus
on specific musical concepts in the music you study and on in-depth
analysis of the music. |
| Step 4 | Discuss
your findings with someone who understands music, such as your
class teacher, instrument teacher or another student. This will
help you to start to formalise your ideas. |
| Step 5 | Write
an essay plan. A good structure is vital and should include an
introduction, body and conclusion. |
| Step 6 | Look
through the music you have analysed and start to insert relevant
musical examples. These may include manuscript, transcriptions
or quotes from the composer, and audio excerpts. These musical
examples should illustrate your points. |
| Step 7 | Discuss
this essay plan with your teacher. This will help consolidate your
argument and may bring up any flaws in your ideas or gaps that
need to be filled. |
| Step 8 | Rework
the essay plan if necessary, checking that you have added musical
evidence to support your points. |
| Step 9 | Write the first draft of your essay. |
| Stronger
essays Identify an interesting, manageable topic and present a well-structured discussion. |
Weaker
essays Select a topic too broad for the word count or so narrow that the discussion will be limited. |
|---|---|
| Are founded upon musical discussion well supported by examples. | Rely upon web sites and books rather than specific musical examples. |
| Can clearly be seen as the candidates own ideas and observations. | Often become bogged down in historic and biographical details. |
| Consider the concepts of music and their relationship to each other within the context of the essay topic. | Rely too heavily on the words of others, sometimes lapsing into plagiarism. |
| Follow each point through to its logical conclusion. | Express ideas without developing them. Present bar-by-bar observations without drawing any conclusions from these observations. |
| Have been prepared after extensive listening and reading of topic-specific sources. | Display evidence of limited listening and refer to general rather than specialised sources of information. |
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