Is a Song a Work of Art? Examining Music Lyrics as Poetry
This 5 week online course examines song lyrics comparing and contrasting them with poems. We'll examine the literary elements that are present or missing in each form.
Leeyanne Moore MFA
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:(228)
What's included
5 live meetings
4 hrs 35 mins in-class hoursHomework
1-2 hours per week. There will be homework for each class. Some of it will be reading or listening to poetry and songs. Some of it will be documentaries or discussions of art movements, or cultural critique.Assignments
Student will be assigned an essay that will be completed at the end of the course.Projects
Student will be offered a chance to expand their creativity by creating a song or poem inspired by topics presented in class.Grading
The student will compile a portfolio comprised of homework notes, brain mapping, essay outline, and drafts of essay, along with creative project documents.Class Experience
US Grade 9 - 12
Beginner - Advanced Level
This is a class for students interested in music and making music who would like to look deeper into the study of song lyrics. We'll examine the similarities and differences in poetry and song lyrics. We'll also look at how poetry and music have changed over time, what revolutionizes the change in sound in both art forms, and examine influences, inspirations, and more recent controversies over cultural appropriation. The class is divided into segments which can include: lecture and presentation, discussion, and homework preparation. Other class days will involve homework review as well. The class is meant to be a space open to the original thoughts of the student. Students are encouraged to formulate hypothesis about art based on the material presented. They are encouraged to test these hypothesis or arguments, and to refine them or abandon them as needed. My teaching style is dialectic in nature. My goal is to introduce stimulating and interesting topics in aesthetics that will inspire not only excellent academic thinking and discussion but also creative production with an emphasis on forming a creative process. We will examine topics through a series of readings, video clips and movies.
Learning Goals
Learn the formal elements in poetry and song lyricsPractice comparing and contrasting -- in this case comparing and contrasting two art forms
Syllabus
5 Lessons
over 5 WeeksLesson 1:
Initial Brainstorming, Formulating a Hypothesis
We'll compare and contrast the differences between poetry and song, based on our own initial impressions while looking at examples and collecting others. We'll look at the study of aesthetics in philosophy as we begin to raise our own research questions and formulate tentative hypotheses. HOMEWORK: readings on song lyric elements and poetry elements. 55 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
How do songs benefit from poetry? How do poems benefit from song?
We'll go over the homework readings and then go on to discuss the overlap between the two art forms. We'll discuss and look at works of different art works that use/'steal' the tools and vocabulary from other art forms. Homework: We'll look at forms of poetry that 'break the mold' of the predominant sound of their era and how these art movements take over and predominate--creating a "sound" for a new era. Homework: a look at slam poetry. 55 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
"Creating a Sound" & Form vs. Content
We will sample different poems from different eras along with different songs from different eras of American music. We'll discuss the aesthetic considerations of form vs. Content. Homework: Podcast: The Only One For Me Jolene 55 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
"Jolene" looking at subversive takes on specific song genres
We'll discuss the specific niche sub-genres in music, how these songs lay out certain artistic conventions for listeners. Homework: poetry of ee cummings, research on Sound Poetry, . Homework: Watch the documentary Echo in the Canyon. Creative Homework: Identify two niche music sub-genres that you find endlessly fascinating. Be able to discuss the expected conventions of these music niches. 55 mins online live lesson
Other Details
Learning Needs
This class is appropriate for students with managable ADHD and highly functioning ASD. Students need to be compliant in class with the ability to write for sustained amounts of time, to watch and focus on the content.
Pre-Requisites
Learners ideally will be avid readers who enjoy talking about subjects that they like and are motivated to demonstrate new academic skills learned in the class.
Supply List
Learner will need supplies to annotate readings, such as stickies, and pens, access to a printer, and a folder in which to keep all materials.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
We will be using free online sources from the poetry foundation.org as well as various You Tube videos and British Encyclopedia Britannica entries.
Joined May, 2020
4.8
228reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Leeyanne Moore's B.F.A. was a special college designation at Smith College called Smith Scholar. For this degree she studied philosophy, specifically aesthetics of art movements. She has an M.F.A. in creative writing from Syracuse University and has taught rhetoric and composition at several colleges and Universities, most recently Longwood University in Virginia. Reviews
Live Private Course
$249
for 5 classes1x per week, 5 weeks
55 min
Completed by 1 learner
Live video meetings
Ages: 14-18
