Hello,
I know there’s not much time until the deadline, but I need a university-level paper for my music history class. This is my topic:
– Should we continue to teach and perform Wagner (or another problematic composer of your choice)?
- What are the issues in play with a composer like Wagner? What do we need to address, if we are to continue to teach and perform their works?
- My position is YES, we should.
And this is the prompt my professor provided to us:
– Argue for a clear position on your chosen topic.
- This must be communicated in a direct thesis statement.
– Be thoroughly researched.
- You must include a bibliography of 10 or more sources (those 10 sources have to be peer-reviewed sources).
– Connect to your own practice as a musician.
- Are you an educator, performer, composer, theoretician, or historian? Connect your argument to your own work – make it vital and important!
- I’m planning to be a music educator, so you can mention it in the paper.
I wrote my thesis but is still rough, so please make it sound nice and clear 🙂
Thesis: Although the works of problematic composers like Wagner raise valid concerns about endorsing harmful ideologies, there are three key reasons why we should continue to teach and perform their music. First of all, the study of these composers reveals invaluable information on historical and societal contexts that played a role in shaping their music. Second, by participating in these works, we are able to have a constructive discussion about some of the problems with music and the composer’s life that can encourage better knowledge and understanding of issues like racism and anti-Semitism. Finally, artistic and aesthetic value can still be offered by performing these works which are independent of the composer’s personal beliefs or actions.
I’m also attaching some files that will help you write the paper, so please make sure to check those out too. There are outlines that my classmates shared with me (on the same topic), and some sources you may consider using in my paper.
*My professor is very strict about cheating and uses the Turn-It-In program to detect any plagiarism, so please be aware of it, and rephrase it well if you got my information on the internet! 🙂
Let me know if you have any questions about the paper!