How to write an outstanding music essay
Music is life. Music is an artistic combination of sounds which can transmit us feelings and thoughts. Ever since the man was man, we have been making music. No wonder we have a lot to say about it. However, if you were requested to write a music essay, you may feel like you don’t know where to begin. Don’t worry! Music essays can be fun and simple. Listen to your favourite musicians and bands as you try to find an inspiration, and then, let’s begin to write.
Finding the topic
Music essays can be written from a wide variety of topics: from different musical periods (music in the Renaissance, or Classical music), to different composers (Beethoven’s music, Chopin’s music, U2’s lyrics, etc.). From particular albums or songs (The first #1 hit song from The Beatles) to special events (My experience with Oasis in Concert). From music and life (How music helps children relax and be better students) to life in music (The tragic life of Kurt Cobain). The important thing is finding a topic you can enjoy writing about. After all, researching for an essay about music should be as fun as listening to your favorite artists play.
Organize your work properly
As in any other written assignment, a proper organization is a must. Prepare an essay plan before you actually start to write the final version (keep in mind writing a proper introduction and closing the paper with a conclusion), prepare an index with the title and the subtitles you divided the essay into. Another good idea is quoting from books, newspapers and magazine articles, of course always mentioning the source (otherwise it would be considered plagiarism).
Step 1 - Choose a Good Topic
Сhoose a topic that is not too broad. For example, do not write about football. Choose something more specific, like football drills, the greatest football team, football equipment, football practice, etc.
Think of three main ideas that you want to discuss in the essay.
Step 2 - Organize the Essay
Organizing an essay can be done in many forms. Some people like to use graphic organizers like a web. It looks like a spider web with circles connected. In the middle circle, write the main topic. Then make three "spokes" off of the main circle and make three more circles. These will be your body paragraphs' main ideas. Write the topics in those three circles. Then from those, add two to five more lines or "spokes" from those circles to become details you want to talk about in your essay.
Another way to organize an essay is to follow this basic outline form:
Topic______________________________
Thesis Statement _____________________
Body Paragraph 1 - main idea __________
Detail 1_____________________________
Detail 2_____________________________
Detail 3_____________________________
Body Paragraph 2 - main idea __________
Detail 1_____________________________
Detail 2_____________________________
Detail 3_____________________________
Body Paragraph 3 - main idea __________
Detail 1_____________________________
Detail 2_____________________________
Detail 3_____________________________
Conclusion (leave reader with interesting thought)_________________________________
Step 3 - Writing the Essay
The essay is quite easy to write. Your ideas are organized. It is important to have good transition words between each main paragraph, such as first, second, third, also, furthermore, hence, etc. The five paragraph essay includes an introduction, three body paragraphs and a conclusion.
Another tip is not to start the essay with "my essay will be about" or "I am going to write about." These are boring and not interesting essay beginnings. Think about interesting facts about the topic or famous quotes about the topic to put in the introduction. Make sure to include a thesis statement to inform the reader about the essay's topic. The introduction can be the hardest part to write; however, it is very important that it is strong.
Another part of the essay that many students forget to write is the conclusion. A good way to get the reader to remember your essay is to leave the reader with an interesting thought.
Use proper writing conventions, such as good spelling, usage, mechanics and grammar.
An essay is usually graded on the following criteria: interesting content, organization and writing conventions.
