Student Projects


1			Spend some time listening to your local country music radio station and take notes on what you hear. What seem to be the identifying features of the style? Address such issues as instrumentation, vocal style, and lyric content.




2			Songs associated with the American railroad may treat their subject in various ways: songs may describe famous train wrecks, tell tales of people associated with the railroad, imitate the sound (especially the rhythm) of a train, or use the train as a metaphor. Listen to several other railroad songs such as "Wreck of the Old 97," "John Henry," "Orange Blossom Special," Duke Ellington's "Daybreak Express," or Pat Metheny's "Last Train Home." Describe the various ways in which these (or other) works use the sound, history, or imagery of the railroad.




3			Listen to recordings of Carter Family songs by others across a wide spectrum of musical styles (such as Uncle Tupelo's version of "No Depression," George Jones's "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," or Bill Frisell's "Wildwood Flower."). What changes or remains the same about these songs? How do they seem to have influenced American music?