The Soundtrack
of Your Life
Music
has become an integral part of human existence.
It motivates us, calms us, inspires us, at times irritates us, and
basically becomes the backdrop against which we live our lives. Songs can bring vivid memories of persons,
places, and events from our own past and serve to document our thoughts,
feelings, and emotions at a given time or place.
Part II Assignment: You have at least eight events chosen and
songs picked out to accompany each event.
Just as music producers do, try to create a progression in the sequence
of your chosen songs. For example, your
songs might be listed in the chronological order of the events they document,
or they might be mixed together so that all of the slow songs are not back-to-back. DO NOT just list them randomly. Put some thought into the order of your songs
and the complete package you are presenting.
Song Title Artist
or Group
Track
1 ______________________________________ ________________________
Track
2 ______________________________________ ________________________
Track
3 ______________________________________ ________________________
Track
4 ______________________________________ ________________________
Track
5 ______________________________________ ________________________
Track
6 ______________________________________ ________________________
Track
7 ______________________________________ ________________________
Track
8 ______________________________________ ________________________
(extra) ______________________________________ ________________________
(extra) ______________________________________ ________________________
Part III Assignment: Now that you have created the imaginary soundtrack to
your life, write a reflective letter (addressed to “Dear Listener,”) that
explains why you chose the particular songs that you did. For each song you will need to reflect on the
experiences, persons, places, etc. that inspired this selection. Obviously you will also need to explain who
you are as a person and then offer some type of reflection upon the imaginary
album as a whole. Again, for the
purposes of this assignment, be sure that this letter is school
appropriate. Use the outline below to
help you construct this letter. You need
to cover each topic listed in the appropriate number of paragraphs; however the
questions listed are only there to help you begin thinking about the
topic. You do not need to answer each
and every question or any of the questions as long as you have sufficiently
explained the topic of each section. Remember,
in reflective writing longer is usually better!
Topic #1—Explanation of
yourself (One paragraph)
This paragraph is basically a brief autobiography:
·
Who are you?
·
Where are you
from?
·
Where are you
now? Etc. etc.
Topic #2—Explanation of
this soundtrack (One paragraph)
This paragraph outlines your rationale or purpose in
creating this soundtrack:
·
What is this
album you have created?
·
Why are you
completing it? (because it is an assignment is NOT an answer!)
·
What do you hope
to get out of this project?
·
What do you see
yourself doing with this later in life?
·
What goals did
you have for creating it?
Topic #3—Explanation of
each song on the soundtrack (One paragraph per song)
This
section is made up of many smaller paragraphs.
Song by song be sure to explain:
·
What is the name
of the song and the artist?
·
Why is each song
important to you?
·
How does each
song connect to your life?
·
What does each
song reveal about the kind of person you are and what you think is important in
you life?
Topic #4—Final remarks and
reflection on the soundtrack as a whole (One paragraph)
This
paragraph is your conclusion in which you should thank your reader for taking
the time to listen to your soundtrack and offer any final reflections upon this
project as a whole.
Part IV Assignment: Now that the writing portion of this assignment is
complete (deep breath), it is time to present a very small section of your
soundtrack to the class. This
presentation requires that you read one of your eight tracks to the class. Also, make and explain a visual aide by
creating a CD cover, concert poster or flyer, or other idea that somehow
represents your soundtrack.