Short Assignment #1 - Playlist Essay

Everyone has a different relationship when it comes to music, ranging from how often we listen to it, what genres/artists we listen to, what songs we associate with certain moments in life, and how we create playlists. Any way you slice it, from the mixtape to the mix CD to the Spotify or Youtube playlist, music seems to say a lot about who we are. In this spirit, our first assignment asks you to use music as a way to introduce yourself to me (and also to stretch out and recover your voice as a writer if it's been a while since you've taken an English class).

The assignment: Choose three songs. List the name of the artist and the name of the song. (If music isn’t your thing, then choose three books, three movies, etc., three anything that you think expresses who you are).

For each song, please write a paragraph around 150-200 words (it can be longer if you'd like) explaining to me why you are using this song to introduce yourself.

• In each paragraph, you may refer to the lyrics of the song, to the visual language of the music video, to
  an event in your own life in which you listened to the song, to people that you associate with this song…
• Bring in any evidence that connects this song to you. Set the scene, tell the story, and just make sure that
  you are being specific and clear about why you have included this song in your mix.

Remember: This assignment, the writing part at least, is an exercise in expressing yourself as you are. Don’t worry about adopting some “writerly” tone or trying to sound “academic” or “collegiate” (whatever those words might mean). I want you to practice writing in your own voice about your own life. This is the first real skill to practice in college. So here’s your chance!

Evaluation: I will be responding to your writing, but this is a very informal assignment and will only be
graded on completion. That is, if you turn it in, then you will receive full credit for this assignment.

Why are we doing this? There are a few reasons I am asking you to do this in the first week. First, it helps me get to know you a little bit better. Second, it gives me a sense of your writing style and strengths. Finally, it is essentially an argumentative essay where you are practicing supporting a claim with evidence ("This song demonstrates __________ about me because of X, Y, and Z").