MUSIC AUTOBIOGRAPHY GUIDELINES

DUE DATE/TIME
Your essay is due in your Google Drive folder by the start of class on Friday September
4th.
LENGTH
No fewer than 4 pages, double-spaced, 12 point font. Try not to exceed 6 pages.
FORMAT
Use MLA style for the essay title, name/page number header, etc. Heres a link to a
sample essay using MLA format: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20090701095636_747.pdf
For any secondary sources you use, including images, sound clips, etc., you must use
both in-text citation and have a Works Cited entry corresponding to the citation. Praxis
includes a little information about MLA citation/Works Cited format (pgs. 228-34). Heres a
link to a good online source of information:
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/RES5e_ch08_s1-0001.html#RES5e_ch08_p0011

IMPORTANT ASSIGNMENT DETAILS

needs to have an interesting, appropriate title
should be factual but its okay to reinvent dialogue etc.
write in first person (I), using either literary present tense or past tense
feel free to be semi-formal in tone, word choice, and so on since this is a more
personal essay than most
its fine (good, even) to use contractions in this essay since its semi-formal
must include at least one piece of appropriate audio or visual material
BACKGROUND
Basically, this assignment grows out of the assumption that music has played a role in
shaping who we are even though we may not think that much about it.
ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW
For this first formal writing assignment, youll write an autobiographical essay that details
your experiences with music and makes a claim about what your interactions with music
say about you as a person today. Your audience for the essay is our class, including your
instructor. Your writing choices need to be made with this audience in mind.
Your purpose is to tell a compelling story about at least one (perhaps more) significant
memory related to music from your life. If you write about more than one memory, you
should find a way to thematically link them so the essay doesnt feel like a disconnected
list. Well discuss possible approaches in class. Whatever you choose, make sure you
focus on experiences that left a lasting impression on you, that you think reveal something
significant about you, and that you think your audience will find interesting. By the time
weve finished reading your essay, we should know how your interactions with music were
significant in your life and how theyve helped shape the person you are today.

QUESTIONS FOR INVENTION

As well discuss in class, invention (also known as brainstorming or prewriting) is a time to
come up with as many ideas and possible approaches as you can think ofdont worry yet
about which points youll include or how youll structure your autobiography. Here are
some questions to help you get started in the invention process, but youre certainly not
limited to them. The questions are given in brief form below:
What are some of your early memories about music, both good and bad?
How do the kinds of technology related to music and the ways you use them now
compare to when you were younger?
Was music always being played in your house growing up or was it seldom played?
How does the music you listen to or the ways you interact with with music reflect
your personality, interests, ideas, and values?
SAMPLE TOPICS
Just to give you an idea of some possibilities, here are some examples of topics:
a series of events in which you want the latest technological music device but your
family cant afford those thingsand how this pattern has shaped your attitude
toward early adoption of new technology as an adult
bonding with your mom by showing her the music you like and feeling rewarded
when she likes the songs
your most vivid memory conjured by a song
tracking how an artist affected you over the years in various ways and in different
moments in your life
SHAPING YOUR RAW MATERIAL INTO AN INTERESTING PERSONAL ESSAY
The music autobiography is at its heart a story, so the same rules apply here as to any
good story: audiences are moved by stories that contain conflict. Conflict happens when
what the main character wants (in this case, the main character is you) running up against
one or more obstacles (internal and/or external). In shorthand: character desire +
obstacle = story. Note that conflict can be fairly straightforward and even funnyor their
resolutions can at least be humorousso dont assume this essay needs to be serious
(though it can be if thats the kind of story you want to tell).
Try to think of your essay as a three-legged stoolyou need all of the following piecesin
good balancefor the story to work:
1. a beginning that gets your readers attention right awayno slow startsand
makes us want to keep reading;
2. a middle that doesnt bog down in unnecessary detailfind ways to naturally leave
out the parts that dont serve the story and its emphasis;
3. an ending that provides your reader with a sense of closurebut doesnt have to be
a big aha! moment.
Check out this article for more good specifics on writing an impactful personal essay:
http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/by-writing-goal/improve-my-writing/how-tocreate-a-narrative-arc-for-personal-essays
GRADING CRITERIA
Heres what Ill be looking for when evaluating this set of essays:
clear, specific memories from your music life that are unified by a dominant theme

smooth flow from one paragraph/idea to the next

concrete, sensory descriptions that reveal the significance of the story and evoke
feelings/associations for your readers
analysis of overall significance that accumulates over the course of the essay
rather than being tacked on in the final paragraph
real attempt to connect with your readers through the examples you select, word
choice, inclusion of photos/music/video, etc.
an opening and closing frame (introductory and concluding paragraphs, but may
take more than one paragraph each)
cleanly edited writing (very few, if any, typographical or mechanical errors)
correct use of MLA format and citations for audio/visual material

MLA FORMAT SAMPLE FIRST PAGE