One of my first content lessons in WRDS 150 develops situational awareness around the activities of writing. Genre studies is based on the idea that the situations of writing shape the content and presentation of written material (see Giltrow et al. 2014, chapter 1). Over the next few weeks we will explore different genres of scholarly research on music performance. Specifically, we will critically engage the way genres of music scholarship portray the activities of music performance. For now, we are simply looking at how our own writing changes in response to different writing situations.
This second writing activity presents a similar opportunity for cultivating self-regulation (see previous blog post), but in a very different genre. This time, the goal of the writing was to present me with a short bio to inform me about the experiences and interests that led to choosing a degree in Music. This provides a an opportunity for students to organize and present their goals and experiences on their own terms. This low-stakes writing also allows me to get to know my students better. I am, after all, a 20th century musician teaching 21st century students!
Your Bio:
TASK: Please write a short bio for yourself and hand it in. 10 minutes.
PURPOSE: To inform me about your background and interests.
FORMAT: Hand written, on paper, with name and date at the top of the page. Structure the bio as you would for a professional opportunity. Write about yourself in the third person.
KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED: Your decision to earn a degree in Music is an important one. As you write your bio, consider how your experiences have led you to that decision.
DISCUSSION: Musicians write many versions of their bio for different professional situations. Consider how your bio changes for each performance situation. What aspects of your experience do you put forward? What do you want your audience to know about you? What information might contextualize your performance for those who are there to witness it? How long should it be? Consider collecting bios from the concert programs you attend this year. Keep them in a scrapbook, or gather them as your corpus for analysis in WRDS 150.
Our course textbook: Giltrow, Gooding, Burgoyne & Sawatsky. (2014). Academic Writing: An Introduction. 3rd edition, Peterborough: Broadview Press. On Reserve in Koerner Library PE 1408 .G53 2014