Week 7 Arranging Project: Guidelines and Rubric
Real-World Application: Your uncle is getting married and, having learned that you are now a music student, decides that you should arrange his favorite song (Billy Joel’s “Piano Man”) for his church string quartet. How do we go about the process of arranging a pop song for a classical ensemble?
I. Dates and Times POD meetings: Monday 10/1–Thursday 10/4 (4 days), 8:00–8:50, location of your choice
Presentation: Friday 10/5, 8:00–8:50: room 238 (21616), room 123 (21613)
II. Project Description. Brief Description: As a POD, choose a pop song,1 transcribe it, then arrange it for an ensemble of your choosing. Play your arrangement on Friday, and talk about why you made the choices you did.
Step-by-Step instructions: 1. Bring in a song. Each person of the POD comes in first thing Monday morning with an idea of a song they’d like to arrange. Be able to play these for each other, and convince your POD why they should choose yours. Decide among your POD which of the four pieces to work on (suggested completion=Monday).
2. Working together,2 transcribe the song. See below for a list of the four functional layers of most pieces of music. At minimum, you must transcribe your song’s a) the primary melodic layer and b) the functional bass layer. You must also transcribe the harmonic filler layer using your choice of: c) chord symbols,3 roman numerals, or figured bass; or d) the actual instrument parts. Use an appropriate key signature, time signature, using proper clefs and accurate rhythms (suggested completion Monday or Tuesday).
1 I’m happy for you to pick something we wouldn’t normally call pop—however, you cannot pick a piece for which a score already exists—for example, a classical piece. The goal of the assignment is to transcribe something you hear and put it into musical notation yourself.
2 it might make the most sense for each person to take a part, but work however you see fit.
3 For a list of chord symbols, see http://openmusictheory.com/Graphics/Handouts/ LSandFBsymbols.pdf Music’s four functional layers; examples from both pop and classical
Functional layer Pop examples Classical examples primary melodic voice SATB: soprano lead guitar/lead synth string ensemble: violin wind ensemble: trumpet/flute piano: top voice functional bass electric bass SATB: bass piano left hand string ensemble: bass/cello synth wind ensemble: tuba/b. clarinet/ cello/bass bassoon piano: lowest note harmonic filler electric/acoustic guitar chords SATB: tenor/alto piano chords string ensemble: violin 2/viola/ choir/synth/string pads cello (whatever is playing chords) wind ensemble: trombone/horn/ clarinet piano: inner voices explicit beat drum set rare electronic/programed percussion vocal/body percussion
3. Make an arranging table. Decide which ensemble you will arrange for. Some common 3–5 part classical ensembles include string quartet, brass and/or woodwind quartet/quintet, and piano+strings/winds. The only soloist you can choose is solo piano. You may also choose to arrange your pop song for an ensemble of virtual instruments in Garageband. Make a table of how each instrument in the original will map onto your ensemble. For example, here is a Sigur Rós song I arranged for string quartet for my wedding! (suggested completion=Tuesday/Wednesday) A sample arranging table for Sigur Rós’s “Inní mér syngur vitleysingur” (from my wedding!)
Functional layer Sigur Rós Pod 3
primary melodic lead vocal violin 1
functional bass bass cello
harmonic filler piano/pitched percussion viola/violin 2
explicit beat drum set kick drum
4. Create a score. Using either pencil and paper or a notation program (e.g. Finale, Sibelius, Musescore), create a score for your arrangement. Write everything in an appropriate key signature and clef.4 Turn in one hard copy Friday morning at 8:00am (suggested completion=Wednesday/Thursday).
5. Create a playback.5 If you’ve done your score in an electronic format, you already have a playback—just press play. If you’ve done your score on paper, you’ll need to create a recording or performance on virtual instruments (in Garageband or similar). You may also choose to play it live, in which case you’ll need to rehearse (suggested completion=Thursday).
III. Procedure Checking in: So that you can have a private space in which to work, and can easily access any non-portable instruments, meet on rehearsal days wherever you like. To make sure you are all there, on task and on time:
1) email me a “selfie” no later than 8:05 with all band members and, if applicable, their instruments. My email address is
4 if writing for a transposing instrument (e.g., trumpet, alto sax, etc.), you may either notate it as a transposing part or in concert pitch. Notate on the staff name either “Trumpet in Bb” or “Trumpet (concert pitch).” If notating as a transposing part, be sure to adjust the key signature; for example, if a piece is in concert C, you’d write the trumpet part with two sharps.
5 You’ll only have a 1/8” stereo cable (e.g., headphone jack in a laptop/iPad/iPhone), or, if you are an Apple user, you can use Apple TV. Have your playback cued up and ready to go—we won’t have time for tech malfunctions. Presentation: Designate one or more members of your group the “presenter(s).” Put your score on the document camera during the playback. After the playback, the presenter(s) will share in just 1 or 2 minutes the arranging choices you made and why you made them.
IV. RUBRIC.
This assignment is one half of your “projects” column (weighted average=20%). As such, it is worth 10% of your total grade in the course.
Grade Broadcast Length Transcription Score/Notation Accuracy
A every POD arrangement was transcription score is made of standard member present between 1 and 5 accurately music notation, transcription, and on time, minutes represents the or improvisatory cues appearing on- original song camera at 8:00 with proper both days pitches and rhythm
B a member was arrangement was an transcription is score does not relate to the late between 1– inappropriate length for off in either arrangement in a meaningful 5 minutes the material (e.g., pitch or rhythm way repeats way too long or 3–5 times does not develop)
C a member was arrangement was more transcription is there is some notation which late more than 5 than 5 minutes off in either is vaguely musical in nature minutes pitch or rhythm 5–10 times
D a player was arrangement was less transcription is there is no score absent and/or than 1 minute off in either the broadcast pitch or rhythm was non- more than 10 existent times.