• In our previous chapter page, we examined the trend of 19th-Century Nationalism through the music of Chopin.  Now, it is time to apply and update that concept. In this assignment, you will build a theoretical composition idea based on Romantic-era Nationalism using your own heritage.
• Let’s talk: Nationalism can be a troubling topic. In this class, we are examining Nationalism in relationship to the arts without going into the current and historical problems that nationalism has caused. For instance, many scholars attribute Nationalism as a leading cause of World War 1 (Williamson, p. 795). Many people might feel disconnected from their ethnic heritage through circumstances such as adoption. This assignment is about making connections to music.  If exploring connecting your heritage to music makes you uncomfortable in any way, please use the alternate prompts I have given below. 

Instructions

• You will write a 0.5 to 1.5 page paper with the following:
  1. Identify your heritage(s) and tell me a little bit about the role they played in your life so far, if you feel comfortable. Alternate prompts: 
     1. What social culture do you identify with that is not based on heritage? (You can get creative with this- for example, gaming culture)
     2. What social justice cause do you identify with?
  2. Explain what object or idea from this culture you would highlight in a piece of music.  Be specific–an answer that is too vague would be "sports."  "American football" is more specific and illustrative.  Anything that is meaningful to you is acceptable. Some ideas? Explain a tradition, a personality trait, holiday, fashion, decor, architecture, story or fairytale.
  3. Create an idea for a theoretical piece of music to express your concept for #2.  You should reference specific fundamentals of music learned at the beginning of the term, such as tempo, meter, dissonance, scale, genre, and form.  Make sure to include a minimum of 4 references to music fundamentals. Look below for a sample of how you might write about music, but DO NOT copy this sample in any way, including using the specific timbre words given in the sample. 
  4. In your explanation, make each fundamental of music you use bold.

How to Submit

• Type the assignment on the word processing platform
• Return to this page and upload one of these accepted file types: PDF, Word, Pages, or Google Doc
• Please note: This project will be submitted through TurnItIn (a plagiarism checker) to discourage plagiarism, unauthorized working together, copying of my sample work, and using answers off the internet.  Remember; I’m looking for YOUR best effort. If you didn’t understand the assignment or submit something that is subpar, I will give you an opportunity to resubmit it with my feedback to help you improve.  So, there is no need to act dishonestly!