If writing about music is like dancing about architecture, you'd do best to hone your chops and avoid clich�s (like the one that begins this sentence) by learning from the prime movers. How to Write About Music offers a selection of the best writers on what is perhaps our most universally beloved art form. Selections from the critically-acclaimed 33 1/3 series appear alongside new interviews and insights from authors like Lester Bangs, Chuck Klosterman, Owen Pallet, Ann Powers and Alex Ross. How to Write About Music includes primary sources of inspiration from a variety of go-to genres such as the album review, the personal essay, the blog post and the interview along with tips, writing prompts and advice from the writers themselves. Music critics of the past and the present offer inspiration through their work on artists like Black Sabbath, Daft Punk, J Dilla, Joy Division, Kanye West, Neutral Milk Hotel, Radiohead, Pussy Riot and countless others. How to Write About Music is an invaluable text for all those who have ever dreamed of getting their music writing published and a pleasure for everyone who loves to read about music.

Table of contents: Preface 1. Music Terminology 2. Narrative Text 3. Citations 4. Musical Examples 5. Tables and Illustrations 6. The Printed Program 7. Electronics 8. Best Practices for Student Writers Appendix: Problem Words and Sample Style Sheet Bibliography.

Suitable for exam boards: Edexcel, AQA, OCR, WJEC The Writing about Music Workbook will develop students' skills in writing about music for AS, A2 and undergraduate level. Exercises appear at every stage to challenge and provide examination practice for students. These range from naming musical features and spotting grammatical errors to devising essay plans and analysing sample answers. Beginning with fundamental writing requirements, this workbook moves the student on to describing the features of a musical work, as well as how to make comparisons and contrasts between specified pieces. There is advice on how to approach research, what to retain and reject, and how to structure an essay. Detailed, analytical and dissertation-style essays are addressed, as well as writing programme notes. The Writing About Music Workbook promotes the development of skills which will be of use in many areas of academic life: collecting information, selecting relevant material, presenting arguments for and against particular propositions, and expressing ideas effectively and correctly in English. "Wightman has achieved just the right tone, with very clear explanations... I would feel confident giving it to pupils to read in their own time, as it’s very easy for them to work from it, making it a useful resource to reinforce the comments I write on their essays... I think it's probably one of the most genuinely useful books of its type." - Russell Millard, Head of Academic Music, Charterhouse

Writing in Music demystifies music writing conventions and methods by offering strategies for the types of writing that students most often encounter in college courses on music. The book offers guidance through the writing process and, for research assignments, through the research process. Geared for an audience of music majors and other students taking undergraduate music-major courses--as well as for master's students in music desiring more training in academic writing--Writing in Music covers the two approaches common to academic coursework in virtually all music-major programs: the study of music with a focus on its cultural and historical contexts, and the exploration of works using the tools of music analysis. Whether students want to apply a specific approach or take a broader, interdisciplinary stance, this guide prepares them to think and write about music.

Looks at each of the National Standards for Music Education and breaks them down into concepts that are teachable in any music classroom.

This book is designed to serve as a practical guide to music handwriting and music-writing procedures.