Song Review (Learn at Home Edition)

You are going to write, record or video a Song Review. Read on!

Step 1

The first step is of course to have a song chosen. Without a song, you have no review! Be sure to find a song that you feel has enough substance to review. Don't forget: you don't have to choose a song that you like. In fact, you may feel particularly quite the opposite about your chosen song. You may cringe every time you hear it! (see example in Step 4).

Either way, choose a song and have a few listens to it, if you haven't already. Get familiar with all of the elements. Let it sit for a few days in your ears. How do you feel about it a few days later? Did your sentiments change? Did your liking of the song go down or go up?

Once you have a song, please move to the next step and start writing!

STEP 2 - FIND YOUR LANGUAGE

Writing a song review is like writing a book review or a movie critique. You have to analyze the song, think about what its qualities and characteristics are and then you must develop an opinion about it.

You must develop an opinion and be able to state it using musical terminology. A good review isn't about saying this is "good" or this is "bad". You also want to go deeper than saying, "I like this song because it sounds good". You should be stating why you like the song and why you think it is good. 

You may require some extra help to find suitable language. Let's look at Letterpile.com's review writing guide. Look through these descriptive words to help you write your review.

For melodies:

• Positive: tuneful, interesting, shapely (or well-shaped), strong, melodious, memorable, original.

• Negative: plain, shapeless, tuneless, boring, too simple, overly complex, unoriginal.

For vocals:

• Positive: distinctive, rich, warm, expressive, feeling, strong, attractive, appealing, confident, conviction, heartfelt, clear, stylish, soulful, impressive, pitch range, dynamic, edgy, raw, powerful.

• Negative: thin, weak, inconsistent, out-of-tune, pitch problems, expressionless, bland, self-conscious.

For lyrics:

• Positive: original, amusing, thought-provoking, inspiring, heart-warming, punchy, meaningful, clever, deep.

• Negative: plain, uninspiring, weak, pretentious, cheesy, corny, cringeworthy, obscure, confusing, predictable, repetitive, offensive.

For instrumental accompaniments:

• Positive: balanced, varied, full, rich, rhythmic, engaging, compelling, competent, smooth, accomplished, imaginative, creative, solid, original, exciting, powerful, driving, atmospheric, ethereal.

• Negative: weak, plain, safe, uninspired, lacking conviction, poor balance, untogether, over-sentimental, unvaried, lacking contrast, strident, harsh.

For artists:

• Positive: talented, imaginative, professional, creative, accomplished, competent, skillful, careful, experienced, natural.

• Negative: unimaginative, predictable, careless, unprofessional, untogether, dated, awkward.

C. (n.d.). How to Write Meaningful Paid Song Reviews on Slicethepie. Retrieved November 13, 2016, from https://letterpile.com/writing/slicethepie-reviews

QUICK REVIEW OF WRITING YOUR REVIEW:

• Start your podcast with the opening given in the "Important" section to the left.

• Use descriptive language to describe 3 aspects of the song.

• Plan on using 3 song clips to illustrate some points.

• FORMAT:

  • Quick Intro

  • 3 Aspects of the song

  • 3 song clips

  • Quick Summary of your opinion

STEP 3 - CHOOSE YOUR FORMAT

You may decide to record yourself talking for your review or you may try to video yourself and make a video review. You can also write a review and submit that. It’s your choice: recording, video or written.

If you choose to record yourself, you can try a software package called Audacity (if you want to use a computer). This is free and will allow you to edit your review. You can even just use Voice Memos from your phone or a similar app. There are many audio recording apps but the free one that comes with your phone is fine as well.

STEP 4

AUDIO & VIDEO FORMAT: If you chose to make a recording, add your clips in. WRITTEN FORMAT: You must include in your written review a link to the song on Youtube. You can write in the review the timing of the clips you want to highlight. For example: “Listen to 1:15-1:42 in the link.”

Once you have finished your review, proceed to Step 5.

Here is a sample podcast for you:

EVALUATION

Have a look at the rubric below to look at how you will be evaluated for this podcast. 

The criteria are: Podcast Quality (10), Musical Language (20), Proper Review Format (20), Example Clips (10).
Of course, if you did not review or video your review, the top row (Podcast Quality) will not apply.

The total project = 60 marks.