how to write a musical title in an essay

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How to write the title of a musical in an essay.

Posted by Buddy Iahn | Dec 6, 2021

Writing a musical essay can sometimes be a daunting task, especially if it’s in an academic setting, and you are writing it for the very first time. Most academic essay writers see it as a creative challenge, and as such, they go all out brainstorming different ideas trying to determine the storyline or to create the one-line story summary. An academic writer can even try studying musicals to get inspiration on what to write. All these steps are very important in creating a good musical essay; however, most academic writers ignore a very important aspect of a musical essay. This aspect is the title writing. Lauren Bradshaw, a professional academic writer from CustomWritings.com , once said that “Good titles not only serve as a beacon that attracts people to a good essay but also reveal how good the essay is going to be before actually reading it.” and I support this, there is no better way for a writer, especially academic writers to expect a good response about their musical essay without putting in some work in writing the title.

How do you write the title of a musical in an essay? What strategy should you employ in writing the title of your musical? This article aims to answer all these questions and more, as you will find out as you continue to read through. By the end of this article, you are guaranteed to know how exactly to write a good musical title in your essay, especially if you are an academic writer Writing a good musical title is generally all about knowing +how to use punctuations and when to apply italics or underline. However, when writing an essay, different essay types require different forms of punctuation. For example, lengthy essay titles are mostly italicized or underlined, while smaller essay titles depend more on what style of composition you intend to use. Below are some composition styles and the appropriate way of writing its title.

1. APA Style

This is one of the most frequently used guidelines by even the American association of psychological studies. Many academic writers use this style for concise, powerful, and persuasive scholarly communication. Although this method is general and can be used by students of scientific discipline, It is mostly used by social science students such as sociology, physiology, and political science. According to the online writing library at Purdue University, the APA style requires that the title is enclosed in quotation marks, especially when it is referred to in the body of an essay. However, it is essential to note that the title should never be underlined when the APA guidelines are followed. Also, the references in this style of writing should be double-spaced. More importantly, the title should be placed at the center.

2. MLA Style

The Modern Language Association (MLA) citation and publication style is generally used by all students who major in different areas of humanity, such as history, but students mostly follow it in both literature and English class. So you can say this style of writing is for arts and humanities. The MLA style requires all its titles to be underlined or italicized, except its song titles. The song titles under this guideline are expected to be enclosed in quotation marks. In this style, the title should also be at the center.

3. AP Style

The Association Press style is mostly used by academic journalists or communication writers while writing musical essays. It is the go-to style and guide for magazines and newspapers as well. Its title is enclosed in quotation marks, and under no circumstances should it be underlined.

4. Chicago Manual of Style

Many academic writers prefer this style in different disciplines, including literature, art, and history. It is mostly the basis for formatting essays in college classrooms. The Chicago manual of style published the guide online and created an active site to ask Chicago-style academic writer’s experts questions. The proper way of punctuating a musical’s proper style in Chicago style is to enclose it in quotation marks, just like the APA and MLA styles.

It would be good to recognize the guidelines you are using to be able to know the exact rules of title punctuations are to be followed and how to use them appropriately.

How To Put Quotation Marks For Your Title

To write titles for musicals in short musicals while observing guidelines like the AP, APA, MLA, and Chicago Style, you need to put your titles in quotation marks. That’s why it’s important to know how to put quotation marks in your title. To do this, all you need to do is first press the key(“) and then put in the title, before finally pressing the key(“) again to close it. With this, you are done, and you have successfully put quotation marks on your title.

How To Italicize Your Titles

Are you aware that almost lengthy essays are to be italicized? Therefore, as academic writers, you need to know how to italicize titles to have a shot in writing appropriate titles for musicals. To be able to italicize words generally, whether one phone or a laptop, here are simple steps to easily italicize your titles. Firstly, you have to type your title and select it either by a long press or by a right click of your mouse. After which, you click Italian on the home page; it is recognized by a slanted I, and your title will easily be italicized. Examples of musical italicized essay titles include: Matilda The Musical, Miss Saigon, etc.

To find and learn more about how to write better titles for your musical essay, you can easily visit Custom Writings for more amazing rules that you can observe to make title writing all the easier for you.

About The Author

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: [email protected]

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Do You Use Quotation Marks or Italics for Song and Album Titles?

by Liz Bureman | 40 comments

Are you making any playlists for the new year? I love music, and when I write about a song or album, I know when to use quotation marks and when to use italics. Do you? Are song titles italicized? Let's discuss.

how to write a musical title in an essay

I love music. I've been teaching myself to play guitar, and I can stumble my way through four or five songs without wanting to poke holes in my eardrums, but my main appreciation for music is when other people play it. I'm an avid Spotify user, and I take a lot of pride in my ability to make kickass playlists. One of my girlfriends has even given me the green light to create her hypothetical wedding reception playlist.

Not everyone writes out the titles of their favorite songs or music albums regularly, so it's no surprise I sometimes hear people ask, “Are song titles italicized?”

The answer is no.

Here's how it works:

Song Titles in Quotation Marks

Song titles are always surrounded by quotation marks, like *NSYNC's “Bye Bye Bye,” or “A Whole New World” from Disney's Aladdin .

Anytime you write out the title of a song, you'll put that song title in quotation marks according to standard grammar rules. Think of a song as a shorter work like a short story. Short story titles are always in quotation marks.

Album Titles in Italics

Musical album titles, on the other hand, are always italicized. For example, while I will openly admit to loving Journey's power ballad song “Faithfully,” I think pretty much every song on their Greatest Hits album should be sung at karaoke nights across the country.

When you write out an album title, you'll put it in italics.

It may help to remember that the music album is a longer work, like a novel. Titles of books are also written in italics in most major style guides.

Are Song Titles Italicized in Classical Music?

Classical music isn't typically arranged into an album, per se, but the general rule still applies. The shorter songs and movements would be in quotation marks. If it is a full length longer composition, like a full sonata, concerto, or opera then use italics for titles indicating the full work.

For example: The aria “Der Hölle Rache” is probably the most famous piece in Mozart's opera The Magic Flute .

Liz Bureman

Liz Bureman has a more-than-healthy interest in proper grammatical structure, accurate spelling, and the underappreciated semicolon. When she's not diagramming sentences and reading blogs about how terribly written the Twilight series is, she edits for the Write Practice, causes trouble in Denver, and plays guitar very slowly and poorly. You can follow her on Twitter (@epbure), where she tweets more about music of the mid-90s than writing.

40 Comments

It was blowing up a storm when we started to practice, but that don’t stop Effie. He thinks you gotta play no matter what. If the tornado sirens go off down in town and one of our old ladies calls to tell us so, he’ll say, “Ya’ll can go get in your fraidey holes if you want to. Me, I’m playing my fiddle.”

Well, you can’t go to the storm cellar with your tail between your legs, so we stay, me and Vander and Larry, even though Larry, who plays the washtub, lost his house in the tornado of ’96 and he shakes when the sky rumbles. And then Effie’ll start in on some song like “When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder,” just to put his spin on how things might turn out if a twister does find us.

So we’re playing, me on the bass, and we’re looking out the window, where you can see the sky turning the color of a two-day bruise, and Larry’s sweating and Vander’s got his eyes shut like he does when he plays mandolin, and Effie, truth be told, is a flat-out bully. So he’s getting the show list together and acting like everything’s business as usual.

“I think we should start with “Sitting On The Front Porch,” he says. Crowd pleaser, every time. And then, “Baby’s Little Shoes.” And then “Walking With Clementine” for the old folks. We’ll finish with “God Bless the U.S.A,” since the veteran’s home is bringing a bus.

Lightning is hitting closer, the sky like the Fourth of July. Larry’s done sat down, turned all pale as fresh milk. Larry’s a big man. He can’t button his overalls up all the way on the side, so when he doubles over and then falls out of the fold-up chair, none of us knows what to do.

“I ain’t doing mouth-to-mouth,” Effie says, while the rest of us are trying to right him.

Larry comes to soon enough, just as the hail starts.

“My new truck,” he says, and shakes his head. You know when people say you’re green at the gills? Well, Larry is.

All our trucks are parked outside, and all of ‘em are getting blasted. I see my old Dodge, the one I’ve had since May left me, the hail, big as cotton bols hitting it, and it makes me sick.

And then I remember Effie’s truck. His is in the carport. Well, sure it is, I think.

Vander, who preaches every other Sunday over in the Cavanaugh bottoms, says, “Shit fire,” and hits the wall. We are in the town hall of Rudy, a little Craftsman house donated by Mayor Giles Walker’s family when he passed, and the photos of the veterans shake when he does it.

The rain flashes down. Pounding everything, soaking through my back windshield that was shattered by the hail.

“Mercy sakes,” is all I can say.

Larry stands up, grabbing my arm to do it. He’s about as wide as he is tall, and he’s near about pulls me down.

“I’m off like a prom dress,” he says, “so don’t try to stop me.” And then he turns to Effie.

“You’re about as helpful as a boar with teats,” he says, you know that? You act like you’re the bread and butter of The Frog Bayou Boys.” He points to me. “But Columbus here, he might not play as good as you like, but he’s the one got the news folks out here to do that story calling us the best band in the River Valley. And he books every show, and when you get drunk, let’s just be honest here, when you get drunk, you can’t play worth shit.”

Effie came after Larry. Effie’s a little action figure of a man, but he fights mean, and it took Vander and me to stop him.

We were holding Effie by his scrawny arms, and he was kicking, his cowboy boots flying off the wood floor, so that we were mostly holding him up.

“You are a liar and a snake,” Larry Brammel. “A liar and a snake. You’re going to go straight to hell with gasoline drawers on, and when you do, I’ll play my fiddle on your grave.”

Vander stepped in. “Ya’ll cut it out. Nobody’s dying,” he said. “Effie,” he said, and pointed, “you and Larry need to quit showing your butts. That show on Saturday pays $100, plus they feed us. We ain’t had a show like that since we played that Red, White and Bluegrass gig for the rich ladies who wanted to dress up in thousand dollar boots and wear tight jeans and drink beer in front of their husbands.”

And then Vander bowed up, like I never seen him do before. “And Effie, we ain’t playing “Walking With Clementine.” The old folks can do without it for one dang night. I wrote my own song and I want to sing it. It’s called “She Broke My Heart And Stole My Wallet.” That’ll get ‘em going,” Vander said.

I’d known Vander thirty-two years, and that was the first I’d heard of his songwriting. His new girlfriend, the one who brought over the Mexican casserole when Vander’s wife died, was likely the inspiration for this new tune.

Word was, she was over in Branson now, hooked up with a cowboy singer who wore a Bolo tie and colored his hair.

Effie face was red. He looked hotter than blue blazes, like he might catch fire at any minute. And then he backed down, his shoulders falling. He looked at all of us, me and Larry and Vander, and then he said, “Fine, that’s fine with me. I been carrying you ya-hoos for way too long.”

Larry cuffed him on the arm, and then they shook hands, and the rain fell, and the thunder roared, but nobody moved for a minute.

Effie had a bottle in his fiddle case, and he went to get it. “Ain’t nobody driving till the rain stops,” he said. “And that includes you, Larry.”

And then we sat down, and passed the bottle until Vander started singing. “I loved a girl from Minnesota. Loved her with a passion true. And then stole my dad burn wallet, took it out and followed you. You must be a handsome cowboy. You must look like Johnny Cash. But when I find my little Cindy, I will tell her that she’s trash.”

We were laughing then. And Effie brought out his fiddle, and I picked up my bass, and Vander his mandolin. Larry drug out the washtub, and we got back at it, the Frog Bayou Boys, just as good as new.

Wow, Marla, if you’re not from those parts then you’ve got one wild imagination, girl! Well done, and then some. The phrasing, the way you used the anarchic terminology, and even the names were spot on, perfect. Beautiful!

Thank you, Yvette. I can’t take credit. I live with these people and these voices. It’s like music to me. We get teased A LOT but I wouldn’t trade the dialect or the cadence for anything.

I love this!!! The gig, the music, the attitudes. And the dialogue is genuine county-folk! Good work, Marla!

You’re so nice. I love the music we have in the South, the twangy, ball-your-eyes-out stuff that connects us all and makes us feel less alone. And I know men like these, I’ve heard them play, so writing this was easy.

Great writing Marla. I agree with the others you really have that dialect (which I’m also familiar with) down pat.

Thank you, Mariaanne. Where are you from?

I live in Lynchburg Va now but was originally from Norfolk. The accent you are writing sounds like an Appalachian accent to me. Where are you from?

Mariaanne, I live in Lynchburg, too! We have two crit groups here and would love for you to join us. Email me at charmainetdavis at yahoo dot com.

Charmaine – I can’t believe it. Will you please email me? [email protected]. I’d love to join you. When and where do you meet?

I had a playlist for my wedding that included “One Day My Prince Will Come” and “If You Wish Upon a Star.” Since I’m still single, it’s “The Impossible Dream.”

It depends if you’re writing for American or British publications. In the US, song titles are always “Jumping Jack Flash” but in the UK they’re often ‘Midnight Rambler’. It’s caused me no end of headaches writing for both.

They punctuate dialogue differently in the UK too don’t they? I think the way they do it makes more sense actually but I don’t like to think about it too much or I get confused. I imagine it’s hard to write both ways.

Agreed. The UK punctuates more logically. I had points knocked off of college papers for employing that punctuation, & tried to defend it with no success. Ha! Punctuation Wars – my kind of rebellion!

I’m in the US. In high school, I got marked off for spelling aluminum as “aluminium.” The teacher actually asked if I was British.

Ten years later, I’d still argue I was technically correct.

sorry so long to reply. Yet, after recent happenings, I can only hope that we can just get back to debating language. God Bless us All. Thanks for replying Eric Foster!!

Does also apply to other works that have a part/whole relationship? I’m thinking specifically of “short stories” and The Collection They Come in or “poems” and Chap Books.

I can’t make any italics work in this application, so I’ll indicate italics with [i] at the beginning and at the end of each title I intend to be italicized.

My practice:

The state-of-the-art bus pitched only slightly with the dips and rolls of Interstate 35 — not like those death-traps they used to ride in the ’40s and ’50s — on the way up to Fort Worth and Billy Bob’s. He walked down the aisle toward his stateroom with the practiced sea-legs of an old salt, noticing that his harp-player, Mickey, had gone to sleep and was droolin’ in his lap.

“HEY MICK YOUR FLY’S OPEN!” he barked in that sargeant’s voice he could assume on a moment’s notice. Mickey jumped awake and then amiably shot him the bird. He laughed in his baritone voice and walked on into his quarters.

Billy Bob’s. Let’s see — that crowd likes the ’70s stuff off the concept albums, sprinkled ’round the edges with the early Nashville songs. Let’s do, let’s do — he got his legal pad and licked the point of his stubby pencil — Let’s do “Bloody Mary Mornin'” and “Walkin'” from [i]Phases and Stages[i]. Follow that with “Hello Walls” from [i]And then I Wrote[i]. He sat before the big window and watched the country roll by, remembering. Remembering.

The world was a different place when I got started. I’m an extrememly lucky man, he thought. All the close shaves — I could easily have gone the way of Hank. All the little one-horse planes I’ve flown in, I also could have had the same end as Jim Reeves, or Patsy, God love ‘er.

Gotta do “Crazy” tonight in honor of Patsy. That’s another’un offa [i]And Then I Wrote[i]. Sold that’un for fifty dollars when my kids needed shoes, and I’d do it again too.

He picked up the old spanish guitar with the hole in it where his right hand had worn through the wood over the decades, and began to strum it. Key of E. Began to sing just a little bit, soft and low: “In___ the twighlight glow I see__ her . . .” And then stopped. All those years. All those songs. All those changes. Phases and stages.

Yes, I’m lucky, it’s still hard to believe just how lucky.

Gotta find a spot for “Blue Eyes” tonight too. [i]Red-Headed Stranger[i].

Sometimes, he realized, I look in the mirror and that’s who I see.

Wow! I love this. The part about the hole in the guitar is gold. And I love your main character. I’d go hear him, in a heartbeat.

Thank you all for your kind comments. The piece is about Willie Nelson, I just didn’t name him. All of the album and song titles are real, as is the hole in his guitar; just look closely the next time you see him playing on tv and you’ll see it. I had a lot of fun writing this!

I’ve always been amused by Willie’s “holy” guitar. He’s such a kook.

I forgot DISQUS doesn’t allow italics. Sorry about that John. Way to make it work 🙂

That was really well done John. It’s kind of sad to hear him thinking about old times but he seems to be a pretty happy guy overall. I like the hole in the guitar too as well as the guy drooling in his sleep. Gross but probably about right.

Good article. Quick and to the point. Thanks!

Not kickass playlists if they have Journey in them lol…

It will really depend on how are you going to use those kind of quotations in your writing but I what I have observed, this kind of thing was being used by most writing especially if when they emphasized a title on their writing.

I was going to ask about the title of a composition and the movements but after reading the program magazine I realized that italics are used for both.

I think I have been doing that correctly. I was worried.

Her hand twisted the edge of her shirt as the smell of sawdust filled the air. The crowd’s noises dimmed, her heart beat louder in her ears and her palms dampened as she climbed the stage stairs. Though she had practiced long hours she was nervous anticipating singing “China Girl” from John Cougar Mellancamp’s, (italics American Fool italics), album.

You should try djing. It’s easy if you can already make a good playlist. If you’re already a good selector, all you have to do is pre-cue the next song in your headphones then drop it on the 1. Really easy stuff. You can buy the app, djay, for ios devices and log in with your spotify account for access to your playlists and stuff. We need more female djs.

My first concert experience was of one that I would not easily forget, it was Summer Jam hosted by Hot 97. The concert had a majority of middle class rappers playing their hot singles. I came there for a select few: 50 Cent, Fabolous and Young Thug. The other performing artists were mainly for the female demographic, like Fetty Wap and Ty Dolla $ign. What I really enjoyed about this concert is they did not only play songs from this current generation, they reached out to other generations as well. The biggest example of this is seeing 50 Cent preform. He played hits from his Get Rich or Die Tryin’ album all the way up to his recent The Kanan Mixtape. I was going ballistic when I heard him preform a new track “I’m the Man” and decided to take us back to 2003 with “In da Club” immediately after. The artists I came for did not disappoint.

And if you are writing dialogue, I do not recall seeing two double quotation marks at end of dialogue. Maybe I am wrong. For instance, “Baby, you know I love Ted’s “Stranglehold,”” he fired back. I have seen a single followed by a double quotation at end of dialogue after the comma or period. So maybe that’s why the King’s English prefers single over double?

This saved my essay. Thanks Liz!

Dear Liz, I was looking for some advice about quote/italics for song/movie/book titles and got totally side-tracked by your Journey reference. When I rule the world, I promise you will get your wish. Journey will be piped directly into people’s heads so they can all become happier and more well rounded. Tee Hee. Keep up the good work. 😉

The Excavators play Brady Wilkenson’s 8th Birthday Bash!

This past Saturday afternoon was Brady Wilkensen’s birthday party, and he could think of no better live entertainment than his father’s heavy metal band, The Excavators. When Brady suggested the idea, his dad felt honored, albeit unsure whether the mothers of his son’s 8-year-old classmates and friends would appreciate the lyrical content of his band’s hits, especially “Rotting Flesh” and “Glory Hole” off their latest album (i) In it for the Lingue Hall. (i)

Instead of becoming the third grade parents’ worst nightmare, Mr. Wilkensen figured he’d tone things down quite a bit to become more palatable to the kids and their discerning parents. He got the members of the Excavators together, sure, but instead of “Rock My Grave,” the afternoon’s selections included “Punk Rock Teacher” and “All My Friends Headbang” off their pseudo EP (i) Songs for the Peanut Gallery (i).

The party was to be held at Bringadown Hall, in a posh country club in the suburb where Brady and his family resided. Mr. Wilkenson figured that his band had better revamp their look for this gig as well. Instead of their usual studs and leather, the Excavators came to the party dressed in red t-shirts, jeans, and letter jackets that evoked high school in the ’70s.

The band decided to even craft some improv tunes on the subject of the party’s goings-on and present them to Brady and his guests at the end of the show. “Pizza on my Face, What a Disgrace!” did so well among Brady’s friends that the Excavators decided to include it on their upcoming album, (i) Smells like Burnt Crust (i).

Rather than the utter disgust that would have been sure to follow had the band performed its signature material, (i) Songs for the Peanut Gallery (i) was lauded by parents and children alike as a “too-cool-for-school crowd pleaser.”

Brady bragged from that day forward that he had the coolest dad in town, and his 8th birthday party became the epitome of birthday bash success in the eyes of the entirety of Willten Elementary School’s student body, whether they’d attended the party or heard about it from a friend-of-a-friend’s brother.

“Whew,” Mr. Wilkenson said to his wife when the party was over, “that was a good call!”

Thanks Liz, good info!

Here’s my sentence in question: “They just ran out the back door singing it to the tune of ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’.” It is dialog, and according to what I’m reading, I should use double quotes around the song and at the end of the sentence. Correct?

thanks for the help!

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How Do You Indicate Song Title When Writing? Clear Instructions

My name is Debbie, and I am passionate about developing a love for the written word and planting a seed that will grow into a powerful voice that can inspire many.

How Do You Indicate Song Title When Writing? Clear Instructions

Different ⁣Ways to⁤ Indicate Song Titles in Writing

Using quotation marks to‍ highlight song titles, using italics to emphasize song titles, capitalizing the first letters of each word in a song ⁣title, including the ⁤song⁤ title in parentheses, providing⁢ contextual information ⁣with song titles, guidelines for writing song titles in academic papers, maintaining consistency in ‍indicating song titles, frequently asked⁤ questions, wrapping up.

One commonly used way to indicate‌ song‌ titles⁣ in writing is to use quotation marks. This helps to⁣ distinguish the title from the surrounding text and gives ‍it prominence. ‍For example, you could write, ⁤”I just listened to one of my all-time ⁢favorite ‌songs, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by⁤ Queen.” By enclosing the song ⁤title⁢ in quotation marks, it becomes clear ⁣to the reader that you ‌are referring to a specific⁣ piece‍ of music.

Alternatively, you can also italicize⁢ song titles to ⁣set them apart. ⁢This method is ‌particularly useful when writing in a format that⁢ does not support quotation ‍marks,⁤ such as some social media platforms or⁢ handwritten notes. For instance, you‌ could‌ write, “I can’t ‍get ‍enough of the catchy tune *Shape ⁢of ⁤You* by Ed ‌Sheeran.” By italicizing ⁣the song title, it adds ⁢emphasis and ensures that the reader recognizes it as a distinct title.

Another way‍ to denote song ⁢titles is by capitalizing the principal words. This method ‌is often used for longer song⁣ titles or when quotation marks or italicization cannot be used. For example, you could⁤ write, “Have you ever heard ‘Dancing Queen’ by ABBA? It’s an absolute classic!” By ⁤capitalizing the principal words, such⁢ as nouns, ‌verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, the title ⁣stands out ‍and is easily recognizable.

Moreover, ⁣you can also use a combination of capitalization and⁣ quotation‌ marks ⁢to⁣ indicate song titles. This‍ method is useful when you want to ‍provide special distinction to a specific song within a⁣ sentence or a paragraph. ‍For example, you ⁣could ‌write, “I have been⁤ humming that unforgettable melody, ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams, all day long.” By capitalizing the principal words⁤ and enclosing the title in quotation marks, it‍ ensures that the song title is clearly indicated.

Ultimately,‌ there are various ⁣ways to indicate‌ song titles in writing, including the ‍use of quotation marks, italics, capitalization, or a combination of ⁣these methods. It’s crucial⁣ to be ⁢consistent in your approach throughout your⁤ writing‌ so‍ that readers can easily identify‍ and differentiate the song titles from the rest of the text. Whether you choose to enclose‌ titles in quotation marks, italicize them, capitalize principal words, or ⁣use a combination ‍of formatting styles, the ⁣goal is⁤ to make the ‌song‌ titles ⁢clear and distinguishable within the ⁣context of ⁤your writing.

Using ‌Quotation Marks to⁢ Highlight ⁤Song Titles

When ⁢it ⁢comes to writing, using‌ quotation ⁢marks can help distinguish‍ the titles of ⁢songs and make‌ them stand out. Quotation marks are a ⁢simple yet effective way to⁣ convey that⁢ you are referring to⁤ a specific ‍song title. Here’s a guide on how to make your song titles shine ⁣with ‍quotation⁣ marks:

1. Enclose the song title in double ‌quotation marks: “Song Title”. This clearly indicates that you‌ are⁢ referring to⁢ the title of ⁢a song, making it easier for readers ⁣to identify and distinguish⁤ it from the rest of⁢ the text. 2. Use⁤ italics within the quotation‌ marks: “ “Song Title” “. By adding italics to the text within the quotation marks,⁣ you ⁢give the song title ⁤even more emphasis and make it‌ visually distinctive, capturing the reader’s attention.

Italics are a valuable ⁣tool for adding emphasis and ‌visual distinction to ‍your writing, especially ‍when it comes to song titles. By using italics,⁤ you ⁤can ‍make song titles stand out in your ⁣text, helping readers identify the exact‍ name of⁣ the song ‍and enhancing‍ the overall reading experience. So, how can you‌ effectively use italics to emphasize song titles? ⁢Let’s explore a few guidelines:

1. Consistency: When using italics⁣ for song titles, consistency is key. Ensure that you consistently apply‍ italics for all ‌song titles throughout your work‍ to maintain ⁣clarity and uniformity. 2. ‍Use HTML tags:‌ In HTML, you can‍ easily ‌format text using the “ ” tags to insert italics. Simply⁢ enclose the song title within⁤ the opening and closing tags, like “ Song Title “, and‌ watch⁢ the magic happen.

Now that you know the⁤ basics, it’s time to explore a few specific use cases:

– ⁤Song titles within a sentence: When incorporating a ⁣song title ‍within ‍a sentence, use italics to set it apart from the surrounding text. For example, “In her latest ⁣single, Dream on a Cloud , the artist ⁢expresses⁣ deep emotions⁤ through poignant lyrics.” -‍ Song titles as‌ headings⁣ or subtitles: If you’re writing ‌a review, a ⁢blog post, or an article ⁤specifically about ‍a‌ song, consider using ⁤the song title as a heading or a subtitle. This will not only ⁤catch the reader’s attention but also allow the title to shine. Remember to format the heading⁢ in a larger and bolder font to maximize ‌readability‌ and‌ impact.

is ⁣a common practice in the music ⁣industry. This technique not only enhances the visual appeal of the title but also helps in conveying the artistic⁣ intent ⁤and separating ⁢each‌ word for easier reading.‍ Here are some⁣ reasons why capitalization is important in song titles:

1. Visual Impact: Capitalizing the first letter⁤ of each ‌word in a song title instantly⁤ makes it stand out. It adds ⁣a ⁤touch of professionalism, elevating the overall‍ aesthetics and making the title ⁢visually appealing. 2. ‌Clarity and Readability: By ⁣capitalizing each word,⁣ it becomes easier⁣ for readers‍ or⁣ listeners to identify⁢ and comprehend the individual words in the title. This ⁢is especially helpful in longer ⁤titles or when words are unfamiliar or unique. 3. ‌Artistic⁤ Expression:⁤ Song titles often carry significant meaning ⁤ and convey ⁤the‌ emotions ‍or⁣ themes explored in the⁣ lyrics.⁤ Capitalizing ‍each word can lend ⁤a sense ⁢of importance to the title, emphasizing the artistic ‌expression behind it. 4. Industry Standard: ‌Capitalization of song titles has become an ‌industry standard, making it easier to⁤ recognize ⁤and categorize ⁤songs‍ across various platforms and‍ databases.⁣ This consistency aids in ‍organizing music libraries and⁤ searching for⁢ specific songs. 5. Promotional Purposes: A well-crafted, capitalized song‍ title is ‌more ⁣likely to catch the attention of‌ potential listeners ⁤and stand out among a ‍sea of other ‌songs. It‍ can pique ⁤curiosity and‍ generate interest, ‌giving the artist or band a ‌competitive edge.

Including the Song⁤ Title ⁢in Parentheses

One‌ popular practice ‌in the music industry is⁣ within the album or‍ track‌ listing.⁤ This simple addition provides ‌a convenient ⁢way ⁣for⁣ listeners to ⁤identify and refer to specific songs, especially when discussing them with others. By encasing the⁣ title ‍within parentheses,‌ it⁢ stands out ⁤from ‍the rest of the text and ⁤serves as a sort of visual cue. This ‍convention ⁢has become prevalent ⁢across⁤ various music⁣ genres and formats, allowing fans to easily locate‍ their favorite songs and create playlists based⁣ on individual tracks.

Providing Contextual Information with Song ⁤Titles

Music has⁣ always had a way of capturing the ‍essence of moments and emotions. When it⁣ comes to providing contextual information, song titles can be a ⁤powerful tool. They have the ability to set⁣ the tone, convey a message, or even tell a story just by ⁢their⁤ mere presence.⁣ By ⁤using song⁢ titles strategically, we can add depth‍ and meaning to various forms of content.

One way⁤ to utilize ⁤song titles⁤ is⁤ in ⁢written articles or blog posts. Incorporating them⁣ into headings or subheadings can ‌instantly grab the reader’s⁤ attention and give them a glimpse ‍of what to expect. For example, if you’re writing an⁢ article ‍on traveling, using a song title like “Wanderlust Boulevard” can convey a⁢ sense ⁣of adventure and inspire⁤ curiosity ‌in your⁤ audience. Additionally, song titles can‌ serve as creative hooks within the content itself, highlighting ⁤key⁢ points or providing ‌relevant examples .‍ This approach not only engages the reader but also adds a unique ⁤flair to the overall tone of the piece.

Another medium where song titles can offer‍ contextual⁣ information is in ⁣visual content, such as presentations or infographics. Incorporating song‍ titles into ⁣slides or graphics ⁣can⁣ enhance the⁢ overall theme or message‍ you’re trying to convey. Using ‌bold and larger fonts for the song titles can draw ⁤the viewer’s⁣ attention and create a‌ visual hierarchy. Whether you’re presenting ‍data about climate⁣ change and using a title like ‍”Earth’s Anthem” or showcasing the success of a business with a title like “Chart-Topping Growth,” song titles ‍can help reinforce ⁣your key ⁤points and make your content more memorable.

Incorporating song titles‍ into‌ various forms of content can provide a unique‍ way to engage your ⁢audience, convey emotions, and add a touch of creativity. From ‍written‍ articles to visual presentations, ‌the power of song titles lies in their ability to capture the essence of a moment or⁣ concept in⁢ just a few words.⁢ So, ‌next ‌time ‌you’re creating content, consider⁤ how song titles can ‍help ‌provide that extra dose of contextual information ‍and⁤ captivate your audience in a way that resonates with their emotions and interests.

Writing song titles in academic ⁢papers can be a ⁣tricky task, as‌ there‌ are specific guidelines to‍ follow. To ⁤ensure ‍consistency and⁢ accuracy, here are some essential guidelines to consider when including⁤ song titles:

1. Capitalization: When writing a⁣ song⁢ title in your academic paper, capitalize the principal words of the title. This includes nouns, pronouns, verbs, ⁤adverbs, ‍and ⁣adjectives. However, do not capitalize articles⁣ (a,⁤ an, the), prepositions (in, on, of), or‌ conjunctions (and, but, or) unless they are the first word ‍in ‍the title.

2. Quotation Marks: Enclose‍ song titles⁢ in quotation marks to ⁣indicate that‌ it is a title. This convention allows readers to identify ‍the title ⁢clearly and distinguishes it from the rest of the text.‌ Make‌ sure to place quotation marks at the ⁤beginning and end of the song title. For ⁢example:⁤ “Bohemian Rhapsody” or “Imagine”.

3. ‍Italics: Another option is to ‌italicize the song titles ⁤instead of using quotation marks. Italicizing is commonly⁣ used in academic⁢ papers and can help differentiate the song title from the surrounding ⁤text. Ensure consistency in your ‍paper by either italicizing⁢ or ⁤using quotation marks throughout the text, ⁤depending on your preferred style.

4. Punctuation: Maintain proper punctuation within⁣ the song title. Place any⁤ necessary punctuation marks (e.g., commas, exclamation points) ⁤inside‍ the quotation⁢ marks ⁤or italics. However, if the‍ punctuation is not ⁣part of the song title itself, it‍ should ⁢be placed outside the quotation marks or italics.

Remember‌ to consult‍ the specific formatting ⁣style ⁣guide recommended by⁤ your academic institution or instructor.⁣ Following⁢ these‌ guidelines ⁣diligently will enhance the professionalism of your academic paper and ‌contribute⁤ to overall clarity ⁢and readability.

When it comes to indicating ⁤song titles,‌ consistency is key. Whether you’re a writer, a blogger, or simply someone who loves sharing ‍music, using a ⁤unified style for song titles can greatly enhance the ⁢readability and aesthetics of your content. Here are some ⁢tips and guidelines to help you maintain ⁤consistency⁣ in indicating song titles:

Italicize or underline: One common practice⁢ is to italicize or⁤ underline song titles to make them stand out. This helps distinguish ⁢them⁣ from regular text and indicates ‌that they‍ are specific works of art.
Capitalize important words: When formatting song titles, capitalize⁣ all important words, ‍such as⁤ nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and ⁣adverbs. However, ⁢articles, conjunctions, and‍ prepositions should‍ be lowercase unless ⁢they are the first ⁣or last ‍word ⁣in the title.
Use quotation marks: Another option is to enclose song titles in quotation marks. This style is particularly useful when you’re working with a platform⁣ or‌ medium where it is challenging ‍to apply italics or underlining, ‍such as social ‍media posts or handwritten notes.

By‍ adhering to a⁣ consistent ⁤style ⁢for ⁤indicating ⁤song titles, you ⁣provide⁣ clarity and structure to your content. ‌Not only does this⁣ make it easier for readers to identify and search for specific ⁣songs, but it also‍ showcases your⁢ attention to detail. Remember, not only enhances the visual appeal of your work but also portrays your professionalism⁤ in the‍ music-loving community.

Q: How should ⁤I indicate a song title⁣ when ‍writing? A:⁣ When writing about songs or‍ including⁣ song titles‍ in your writing,‍ it’s important to follow certain formatting guidelines to ensure clarity and accuracy. Here’s how you can indicate song titles effectively:

Q: Should song titles be ⁤italicized or put in quotation marks? A:‍ Generally, song titles are written in quotation marks. For ⁢example, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” However, if you’re creating a formal piece of writing⁤ (such as a research paper) that⁢ requires consistent use of italics for emphasis, you can‍ also ⁢italicize song titles ⁣instead.

Q: Do I⁣ need to ⁣capitalize⁢ every word in a song title? A: In ⁤song titles, it’s common‌ to capitalize the first letter⁢ of each major word. Major words include‌ nouns, pronouns,‍ adjectives,‌ verbs, and adverbs; articles ⁣(a, an, the), conjunctions (and,⁣ but, or), and ⁤prepositions (in, on,⁢ at) are⁢ typically not ⁤capitalized unless they are ‍the first or last‌ word of the title. Examples include “Sweet Child o’‌ Mine” and “Love Me Do.”

Q: What if a song title includes punctuation marks ⁢or special characters? A: Punctuation marks and special ⁣characters in song titles should be treated and ⁤written exactly as they ⁤appear. ⁣This includes apostrophes, hyphens, exclamation points, question marks,⁣ and any other unique symbols. ‍For instance, “Livin’⁢ on a Prayer” and “Hey,⁣ Jude” should ⁣be ‌written exactly like that.

Q:‍ How should I format a‌ song title within a sentence? A: When including ⁢a song⁤ title within a‍ sentence, you should still enclose ‌it in‍ quotation marks. Additionally, proper ‍punctuation and capitalization should be maintained. ⁤For example, “John dedicated ‌his performance to his‍ favorite song, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.'”

Q: ⁣What should I do if the song title is in a language other than English? A: Song titles ⁣in languages other than English⁢ should still ⁤follow the same formatting rules as⁢ mentioned ⁢earlier. Therefore, they should be‍ written in ⁤quotation marks ‍with correct capitalization. However, remember ‌to ‍preserve any special ⁣characters ⁤or ⁢diacritical marks ‌that may⁤ be present ⁣in the ⁤original title.

Q: Are there any exceptions to these ⁢formatting guidelines? A: Yes, ‍there ‌are a few exceptions. ⁢Some musical compositions ⁤that are divided‌ into smaller parts, such as movements in symphonies or classical pieces, are⁤ often italicized instead of being put in quotation marks. However, it’s always best to consult a style guide or follow ‌the specific guidelines provided by your instructor or publisher.

Remember,⁢ properly indicating song‍ titles in ‌your writing gives ‌your‌ readers a clear understanding and maintains consistency throughout your⁢ work. ‌Following these guidelines‍ will help you accomplish just that!

In conclusion, ‌properly indicating ⁢song titles when writing is⁤ crucial ‍to maintain clarity and consistency. Whether ‍you italicize, underline, or ⁣use quotation marks, following⁣ a specific⁢ style guide will ensure your readers understand ⁤and appreciate your⁣ musical references. So go ahead, write with ⁣confidence, and ⁣let the music flow‍ in your writing.⁢

Do We Quote Titles When Writing Papers? Best Practices

When Writing an Essay: Underline the Title for Clarity

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Musical Titles

Formatting and punctuation.

Generic titles should not be italicized or put in quotations:

Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A Major, op. 92

Piano Concerto in A Minor by Robert Schumann

Mozart, Requiem, K. 626

Note that in titles the pitch and the tonality are capitalized.

Opus numbers appear last, without capitalization, and are preceded by a comma.

The abbreviation for any cataloguer (Kchel = K.) is given as a capital letter.

If a work such as those listed above also has a title, the title is listed at the end, in italics, preceded by a comma:

Mahler's Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, Resurrection

Symphony No. 5 in D Major, op. 107, Reformation by Mendelssohn

In a paper, the first appearance of a title should appear in full, as in the examples above. Subsequent references to the same work can be in shortened form, such as:

The Resurrection Symphony by Mahler

Beethoven's Seventh Symphony

Non-generic titles should be italicized, including song titles that are not a part of a larger work or cycle. Here are several examples:

Bartk, Concerto for Orchestra

Brahms, Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn , op. 56a

Schoenberg, Gurrelieder

Ravel, Alborada del gracioso

R. Strauss, Also sprach Zarathustra

Schubert, Erlknig

A hierarchy of italics (opera title) and quotations should be used for aria titles:

Wagner, "Ein Schwert verhiess mir der Vater" from Die Walkre

Verdi, "Sempre libera" from La Traviata

"Ein Schwert verhiess mir der Vater" from Wagner's Die Walkre

"Sempre libera" from La Traviata by Verdi

Note that the title of the opera is in italics, and the title of the excerpt, recitative or aria is in quotes. This system can also be applied to any work where individual sections have titles separate from that of the complete work, including oratorios and song cycles:

Schubert, "Der Lindenbaum" from Winterreisse

Strauss, "Klnge der Heimat" from act II of Fledermaus

For recitatives and arias or sections of a scene, give both titles (first few words) connected by three dots between the texts.

Return to Music History Resource Guide

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Music enthusiasts are often confused about how to format song titles properly in written documents such as essays, research papers, and articles. While some people might think that formatting song titles is not essential, it is a crucial element in writing that can change the meaning or context of a song. The following guidelines will help you correctly format song titles in written documents.

1. Capitalization:

The first letter of every word in a song title should be capitalized, except for articles, conjunctions, and prepositions that are shorter than four letters.

Example: “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses.

2. Italicize:

Song titles should be italicized when they appear in a written document, such as when they appear in a sentence or a paragraph. The only exception to this rule is when the document is handwritten.

Example: “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen is one of the most popular rock songs of all time.

3. Quotation Marks:

When a song title is part of a larger work, such as an album, an opera, or musical theater, use quotation marks to distinguish the song title from the rest of the work. Example: “Don’t Stop Believin'” is a song from the album, “Escape” by Journey.

4. Punctuation:

When referencing a song title, place a comma before and after the title.

Example: The song, “Time After Time,” was a hit for Cyndi Lauper.

5. Acronyms:

If the title of the song consists of an acronym, all letters must be capitalized, and the acronym should also be placed in quotation marks.

Example: “YMCA” by the Village People.

In conclusion, proper formatting of song titles in written documents is crucial in expressing the correct information to the reader. Failure to adhere to these guidelines may result in misinterpretation of song titles and changing the context of the song. By following these simple guidelines, music lovers, students, and authors can confidently format song titles in written documents.

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Proper Formatting of Song Titles in Written Documents

Learn when to use italics and quotation marks to write clearly

Animation & Video

What to Know

Refer to the style guide specified by your employer, client, or teacher.
In the absence of a style guide, the general rule is to use quotation marks for song titles and italicize CD or album titles.
Don't use underlining in place of italics unless you are using a typewriter or writing titles by hand.

This article explains the proper formatting of song titles in written documents and includes examples.

How to Format Song Titles in Written Documents

For matters of style when punctuating and formatting titles of any kind, turn first to the style guide prescribed by your employer, client, or teacher. In the absence of a style guide, use the following guidelines:

Put quotation marks around song titles : For best appearance in professionally typeset material, use proper typographical quote marks and apostrophes ( curly quotes ).
Set CD/album titles in italics : In typeset material, watch out for fake italics . That's not a grammar rule but it is a good design and printing rule.
Do not use underlining (in place of italics) unless you're using a typewriter or writing titles by hand.

In desktop publishing and word processing software, create character styles to quickly format song titles and other types of titles used throughout a document.

Example References to Song Titles and Albums

Here are two examples of text that includes song titles and album titles:

Trace Adkins' first #1 single “(This Ain’t) No Thinkin’ Thing” is from his 1997 CD Dreamin’ Out Loud .
The title cut from Toby Keith’s How Do You Like Me Now? was the most-played country song of 2000. Other favorites from the same album include “You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like That” and “Country Comes to Town.”

When the song/album is the same : In the second example, although “ How Do You Like Me Now? ” is the song title, it is also the album title and in that context is treated as the album title, using italics. It would be just as correct to write: My favorite song on the How Do You Like Me Now? album is “How Do You Like Me Now?”

Punctuation in titles : When a song title ends in a question mark, exclamation point, or other punctuation, that punctuation goes inside the quotation marks because it's part of the song title. The beginning portion of the Adkins song title in parentheses is contained in the quotation marks the same as the other part of the song title.

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Guide on How to Write a Music Essay: Topics and Examples

Let's Understand What is Music Essay

You know how some school assignments are fun to write by default, right? When students see them on the course syllabus, they feel less like a burden and more like a guaranteed pleasure. They are about our interests and hobbies and therefore feel innate and intuitive to write. They are easy to navigate, and interesting topic ideas just pop into your head without much trouble.

Music essays belong to the category of fun essay writing. What is music essay? Anything from in-depth analysis to personal thoughts put into words and then to paper can fall into a music essay category. An essay about music can cover a wide range of topics, including music history, theory, social impact, significance, and musical review. It can be an analytical essay about any music genre, musical instruments, or today's music industry.

Don't get us wrong, you will still need to do extensive research to connect your opinions to a broader context, and you can't step out of academic writing standards, but the essay writing process will be fun.

In this article, our custom essay writing service is going to guide you through every step of writing an excellent music essay. You can draw inspiration from the list of music essay topics that our team prepared, and later on, you will learn what an outstanding essay on music is by an example of a music review essay.

What are Some Music Topics to Write About

There are so many exciting music topics to write about. We would have trouble choosing one. You can write about various music genres, be it country music or classical music; you can research music therapy or how music production happens.

Okay, forgive us for getting carried away; music makes us enthusiastic. Below you will find a list of various music essay topics prepared from our thesis writing service . Choose one and write a memorable essay about everyone's favorite art form.

Music Argumentative Essay Topics

Music essays can be written about an infinite number of themes. You can even write about performance or media comparison.

Here is a list of music argumentative essay topics. These edge-cutting topics will challenge your readers and get you an easy A+.

Exploring the evolution of modern music styles of the 21st century
Is it ethical to own and play rare musical instruments?
Is music therapy an effective mental health treatment?
Exploring the Intersection of Technology and Creativity in electronic music
The Relevance of traditional music theory in modern music production
The Role of musical pieces in the Transmission of cultural identity
The value of historical analysis in understanding the significance of music in society
How does exposing listeners to different genres of music break down barriers
Exploring the cognitive effects of music on human brain development
The therapeutic potential of music in treating mental disorders

Why is Music Important Essay Topics

Do you know which essay thrills our team the most? The importance of music in life essay. We put our minds together and came up with a list of topics about why music is so central to human life. Start writing why is music important essay, and we guarantee you that you will be surprised by how much fun you had crafting it.

Popular Music and its Role in shaping cultural trends
Music as a metaphorical language for expressing emotions and thoughts
How music changes and influences social and political movements
How the music of different countries translates their history to outsiders
The innate connection between music and human beings
How music helps us understand feelings we have never experienced
Does music affect our everyday life and the way we think?
Examining the cross-cultural significance of music in society
How rock music influenced 70's political ideologies
How rap music closes gaps between different racial groups in the US

Consider delegating your ' write my essay ' request to our expert writers for crafting a perfect paper on any music topic!

Why I Love Music Essay Topics

We want to know what is music to you, and the best way to tell us is to write a why I love music essay. Below you will find a list of music essay topics that will help you express your love for music.

I love how certain songs and artists evoke Memories and Emotions
I love the diversity of music genres and how different styles enrich my love for music
I love how music connects me with people of different backgrounds
How the music of Linkin Park helped me through life's toughest challenges
What does my love for popular music say about me?
How the unique sounds of string instruments fuel my love for music
How music provides a temporary Release from the stresses of daily life
How music motivates me to chase my dreams
How the raw energy of rock music gets me through my daily life
Why my favorite song is more than just music to me

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Music Therapy Essay Topics

One of the most interesting topics about music for an essay is music therapy. We are sure you have heard all the stories of how music cures not only mental but also physical pains. Below you can find a list of topics that will help you craft a compelling music therapy essay. And don't forget that you can always rely on our assistance for fulfilling your ' write my paper ' requests!

The effectiveness of music therapy in reducing stress and pain for cancer patients
Does pop music have the same effects on music therapy as classical music?
Exploring the benefits of music therapy with other genres beyond classical music
The potential of music therapy in aiding substance abuse treatment and recovery
The Role of music therapy in Addressing PTSD and Trauma in military veterans
The impact of music therapy on enhancing social interaction and emotional expression in individuals with developmental disabilities
The use of music therapy in managing chronic pain
Does musical therapy help depression?
Does music reduce anxiety levels?
Is music therapy better than traditional medicine?

History of Music Essay Topics

If you love analytical essays and prefer to see the bigger picture, you can always write a music description essay. Below you can find some of the most interesting topics for the history of music essay.

The Significance of natural instruments in music production and performance
Tracing the historical development of Western music theory
How electronic music traces its roots back to classical music
How the music industry evolved from sheet music to streaming services
How modern producers relate to classical composers
The Origins and Influence of Jazz Music
How folk music saved the Stories of unnamed heroes
Do we know what the music of ancient civilizations sounded like?
Where does your favorite bandstand in the line of music evolve?
The Influence of African American Music on modern pop culture

Benefits of Music Essay Topics

If you are someone who wonders what are some of the values that music brings to our daily life, you should write the benefits of music essay. The music essay titles below can inspire you to write a captivating essay:

How music can be used to promote cultural awareness and understanding
The benefits of music education in promoting creativity and innovation
The social benefits of participating in music groups
The Impact of Music on Memory and Learning
The cognitive benefits of music education in early childhood development
The effects of music on mood and behavior
How learning to play an instrument improves cognitive functions.
How music connects people distanced by thousands of miles
The benefits of listening to music while exercising
How music can express the feelings words fail to do so

Music Analysis Essay Example

Reading other people's papers is a great way to scale yours. There are many music essay examples, but the one crafted by our expert writers stands out in every possible way. You can learn what a great thesis statement looks like, how to write an engaging introduction, and what comprehensive body paragraphs should look like.

Click on the sample below to see the music analysis essay example.

How to Write a Music Essay with Steps

Writing music essays is definitely not rocket science, so don't be afraid. It's just like writing any other paper, and a music essay outline looks like any other essay structure.

Start by choosing a music essay topic. You can use our list above to get inspired. Choose a topic about music that feels more relevant and less researched so you can add brand-new insights. As we discussed, your music essay can be just about anything; it can be a concert report or an analytical paper about the evolution of music.
Continue by researching the topic. Gather all the relevant materials and information for your essay on music and start taking notes. You can use these notes as building blocks for the paper. Be prepared; even for short essays, you may need to read books and long articles.
Once you have all the necessary information, the ideas in your head will start to take shape. The next step is to develop a thesis statement out of all the ideas you have in your head. A thesis statement is a must as it informs readers what the entire music essay is about. Don't be afraid to be bold in your statement; new outlooks are always appreciated.
Next, you'll need a music essay introduction. Here you introduce the readers to the context and background information about the research topic. It should be clear, brief, and engaging. You should set the tone of your essay from the very beginning. Don't forget the introduction is where the thesis statement goes.
One of the most important parts of essay writing is crafting a central body paragraph about music. This is where you elaborate on your thesis, make main points, and support them with the evidence you gathered beforehand. Remember, your music essay should be well structured and depict a clear picture of your ideas.
Next, you will need to come up with an ideal closing paragraph. Here you will need to once again revisit the main points in your music essay, restate them in a logical manner and give the readers your final thoughts.
Don't forget to proofread your college essay. Whether you write a long or short essay on music, there will be grammatical and factual errors. Revise and look through your writing with a critical mind. You may find that some parts need rewriting.

Key Takeaways

Music essays are a pleasure to write and read. There are so many topics and themes to choose from, and if you follow our How to Write a Music Essay guide, you are guaranteed to craft a top-notch essay every time.

Be bold when selecting a subject even when unsure what is research essay topic on music, take the writing process easy, follow the academic standards, and you are good to go. Use our music essay sample to challenge yourself and write a professional paper.

If you feel stuck and have no time our team of expert writers is always ready to give you help from all subject ( medical school personal statement school help ). Visit our website, submit your ' write my research paper ' request and a guaranteed A+ essay will be on your way in just one click.

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FAQs on Writing a Music Essay

Though music essay writing is not the hardest job on the planet, there are still some questions that often pop up. Now that you have a writing guide and a list of essay topics about music, it's time to address the remaining inquiries. Keep reading to find the answers to the frequently asked questions.

Should Artists' Music be Used in Advertising?

What type of music is best for writing an essay, why do people love music.

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Hamersly Library

APA Style Guide 7th Edition

Music/Audio
About This Guide
Direct Quote
Block Quote
Indirect Quote
Summary/Paraphrase
Tables/Graphs/Images
Personal Communications
Book/E-book
Journal Article
Website/Webpage
Social Media
Conference Papers/Presentations
Thesis and Dissertations
Video/Film/TV
Visual Works
Student Paper Guidelines
Professional Paper Guidelines
Creating Original Tables, Graphs, and Images
Additional Help

General Guidelines for Music/Audio

Writer Last name, First Initials. (Year). Title [Description]. Publisher.

Music Album

They Might Be Giants. (2009). Here comes science [Album]. Walt Disney Records.

Single Song or Track

They Might Be Giants. (2009). Speed and velocity [Song]. On Here comes science . Walt Disney Records.

Kamenetz, A. (Host). (2019–present). Life kit [Audio podcast]. NPR. https://www.npr.org/ podcasts /510338/all-guides

Podcast Episode

Kamenetz , A. (Host). (2019, June 26). The darker side of screen time (No. 29) [Audio podcast episode]. In Life kit . NPR. https://www.npr.org/2019/06/20/734532122/the-darker-side- of-screen-time

Notes About Author, Date, Title, and Source

Author

List each author alphabetically by the authors last name and first name initial(s)
For music albums and songs, use the recording artist or group as the author.
For classical works, list the composer. For example: Mozart, W.A.
For podcasts and podcasts episodes, list the host followed by (Host) in parentheses.
Enclose the date of publication in parentheses followed by a period. For example: (2020).
If the publication date is unknown or cannot be determined, list the date as n.d. (which stands for no date). For example: (n.d.).
For classical works, include the original publication date in parentheses and the end of the citation after the publisher. For example (Original work published 1775).

Title

The first word of the title and subtitle is capitalized as are proper nouns but all other words are lowercase.
For albums and podcasts, italicize the title.
For songs, keep the song title in regular font while italicizing the album title.
For Podcasts in brackets after the Podcast title, include if it was an audio or video podcast. For example: [Audio podcast].
If a title ends with a question mark or exclamation point, use those punctuation marks instead of a period at the end.

Publisher

Include the name of the production company(s) with all major words capitalized.
For online albums, songs, and podcasts accessible to the public without a subscription to a service, include the web address.
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Last Updated: Jul 16, 2021 2:43 PM
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Crafting Song Titles and Artist Names: A Guide for Writers

A pen and paper with correctly formatted song titles and artist names, symbolizing the topic of writing song titles and artist names in this blog post.

When writing about music, accurately presenting song titles and artist names is essential for clarity and professionalism.

Table of Contents

Formatting Song Titles

Capitalization rules.

Song titles should follow specific capitalization rules, typically capitalizing the principal words. Learn how to format song titles correctly to maintain consistency and readability.

Quotation Marks or Italics?

Discover when to use quotation marks and when to italicize song titles in your writing, depending on the citation style or context.

Artist Names

Handling individual artists.

Learn how to write the names of solo artists correctly, including their stage names and real names, and when to include additional information.

Collaborative Artists

Understand how to credit multiple artists in songwriting collaborations and feature songs accurately.

Song Titles in Text

Incorporating song titles.

Explore methods for seamlessly incorporating song titles into your writing, ensuring they fit within the flow of your content.

Citing Song Titles

Citation styles.

Get an overview of common citation styles like APA, MLA, and Chicago and how they differ in citing song titles in academic or professional writing.

Real-World Examples

Analyzing song references.

Analyze real-world examples of how song titles and artist names are written in various contexts, from articles to essays.

Summarize the key takeaways from this guide, emphasizing the importance of accurate song title and artist name presentation.

Frequently Asked Questions: Writing Song Titles and Artist Names

The choice between italics and quotation marks depends on the citation style you're using or the context of your writing. In general, italics are often used for longer works (albums, movies), while quotation marks are suitable for shorter works (songs, articles). Always check the specific guidelines of the style you're following.

Song titles within a sentence should typically be enclosed in quotation marks and follow capitalization rules (e.g., "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen is a classic rock anthem). Ensure the title seamlessly integrates into the sentence's structure.

When including song titles in titles or headings, use appropriate capitalization and formatting based on your style guide. It's common to use title case (capitalizing principal words) for titles and headings.

Individual artists' names, including stage names and real names, should be written following standard capitalization rules. If an artist has a stage name, it can be presented as "Stage Name (Real Name)" on the first mention.

When crediting multiple artists or songwriters, ensure that each contributor is acknowledged. List their names as per the standard format, separating them with commas and using "and" before the final contributor's name (e.g., "Song Title" by Artist A, Artist B, and Artist C).

Citing song titles in academic or professional writing depends on the citation style you're using (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago). Each style has specific guidelines for formatting citations. Refer to the relevant style guide for detailed instructions on citing songs.

While it's generally best to use the full song title on the first mention, subsequent mentions can use abbreviations or shortened versions as long as it doesn't compromise clarity. Ensure that readers can easily identify the song being referred to.

Some song titles may intentionally use unconventional capitalization or formatting for artistic or branding reasons. In such cases, follow the artist's intended presentation while maintaining consistency within your writing.

Including song lyrics in your writing may require permission from the copyright holder. If you have permission, format song lyrics as block quotes with appropriate citation, following the guidelines of your chosen citation style.

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Writing Tips

How to Cite a Song or Album in MLA Referencing

3-minute read

7th April 2021

If you write about music in your work, you might have to cite a recording. But how do you cite a song or album in MLA referencing ? This post will explain the basics.

To cite a song or album in MLA referencing , simply give the artist’s last name or the band’s name in brackets in the relevant part of the text:

Her latest album has a strong environmental theme (Sturgeon).

“Wildlife in America” (Shearwater) comments on US culture.

And to cite a specific part of a song, you can add a timestamp :

The middle eight in “Air and Light” (Sturgeon 2:14–2:29) is truly haunting.

In the above citation, for example, we are citing a section that runs from 2 minutes 14 seconds to 2 minutes 29 seconds into the song.

Musical Recordings in an MLA Works Cited List

All references contain certain core elements in MLA style. And for a musical recording, each entry should include some or all of the following:

Artist or band name – For individual artists, give their surname first, followed by their first name (e.g., Young, Neil). For artists who don’t follow this naming convention (e.g., U2 or Lady Gaga), just use the full name they are known by.
Song title – If you are citing a specific song, give the title in quotation marks.
Album title – Give the name of the album you are citing (or that the song you are citing comes from) in italics.
Version – If relevant, include information on the version of the song next (e.g., if there are different versions of a song on different albums).
Publication details – The name of the publisher (i.e., the record label that released the album or song) and the year the recording was released.
URL – If you accessed the recording online, include the URL. For songs accessed via a streaming platform, give the platform name in italics.
Format – If it is relevant to your work, you can optionally add the format of the recording at the end of your reference (e.g., CD, vinyl, MP3).

You won’t always need all of this! For many references, the artist’s name, song and/or album title, the publisher, and the year of publication will be enough. But whatever you cite, make sure to include enough information in the Works Cited list to guide readers to the exact version of the recording you have used.

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Example References

Below, you can see example references for an album, a song on an album, an album accessed via a streaming platform, and a single song accessed online:

Talk Talk. The Colour of Spring , EMI, 1986.

Song on an Album

Shearwater. “Animals in America.” Jet Plane and Oxbow , Subpop, 2016.

Album on a Streaming Service

Sturgeon, Jenny. The Living Mountain , Hudson Records, 2020. Spotify , https://open.spotify.com/album/7Kt6kaJ8dGIo6cngVA7dcB

Single Song Online

Benin City. “Freaking You Out.” Bandcamp , https://benincity.bandcamp.com/track/freaking-you-out

Make sure to add a hanging indent for each line after the first in all references.

Expert MLA Referencing Proofreading

To ensure all your referencing is error free, get in touch with our expert proofreading team. You can even get your first 500 words checked for free !

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267 Music Essay Topics + Writing Guide [2024 Update]

Your mood leaves a lot to be desired. Everything around you is getting on your nerves. But still, there’s one thing that may save you: music. Just think of all the times you turned on your favorite song, and it lifted your spirits!

So, why not write about it in a music essay? In this article, you’ll find all the information necessary for this type of assignment:

267 brilliant music essay topics,
a sample paper,
a step-by-step guide and writing tips.

And don’t forget to bookmark  custom-writing.org  where you can find helpful essay tips in articles like this one.

🔝 Music Essay Topics: Top 10
🎵 Music Essay Definition
🎼 Essay Topics
✍️ How to Write
📑 Essay Sample

🔗 References

🔝 music essay topics: top 10 .

Compare different recording formats.
The purpose of music.
Ternary and rondo: compare and contrast.
Music as a lifestyle.
The benefits of singing.
Ethnomusicology as a career.
Evolution of the radio.
The importance of school musicals.
Music as a tool for meditation.
Music in sports.

🎵 Essays about Music: What Are They?

A music essay describes or analyzes a piece of music, its context, or one’s personal attitude towards it. This type of assignment requires a compelling primary argument and a clear structure.

To write well about music, you don’t have to be a professional musician. All you need is to be able to listen, understand, and evaluate it. You should also provide your interpretation and opinion on it.

Writing about Music: Assignment Types

An essay on music is a popular assignment in high school and college. However, many students find it hard to describe sounds in a written form. In this article, we will give you some tips on writing about music.

Here are the typical tasks that you might receive:

Concert report. It requires describing the music you’ve heard using as many details and terms as you can.
Historical analysis of a piece. Your aim is to describe the historical context of a piece or its relation to the historical setting. For this type of assignment, you may need to do some research.
Song analysis. In this type of essay, you explore song lyrics’ meaning and show how they work together with the melody.
Performance or media comparison. Here you need to compare several interpretations or performances of one piece of music.

The picture shows different tasks related to writing about music.

All of these assignments require a different approach and topic. You will find topics for these types of tasks below.

How to Choose a Music Essay Topic

First things first, you need to find a suitable music essay topic. To accomplish this task, you might want to take the following steps:

Analyze your relationship with music . What role does it play in your life? Your topic choice will be different if you are a musician or merely a listener.
Think about how music influences your everyday life . For instance, you can study how listening to music affects our mental health. Impressing your readers with some historical facts from the world of music is also a great idea.
Try reflecting on the role of different music genres in your life . Whether you prefer rap or classical music, exploring a genre is an excellent topic idea. Topics related to musical instruments are also worth attention.
Narrow your topic down. Otherwise, it will be too difficult to focus your essay on just one idea.

🎼 Music Essay Topics List

The first thing you need to do is to choose your topic. We have prepared a variety of music topics perfect for research papers and short essays. You can also use them for speeches or college application essays.

Argumentative Essay about Music: Topics & Ideas

Argumentative essays about music are usually concerned with a specific music-related issue you choose to address. Just like with any other argumentative essay, you should present both sides of the topic. Also, reliable facts are a must for this type of essay.

The influence of modern technologies on the music industry. Technologies allow artists to create and promote their songs independently. Because of this, record labels are less critical to musicians than before. However, the emergence of new technologies also gave rise to piracy. Do the positives outweigh the negatives?
What’s the effect of pop music on the modern generation? Today’s pop songs are usually commercial . Because of this, some people say that pop has ruined the current generations’ perception of music. Others argue that contemporary pop music expanded the possibilities of the genre.
Rock music makes people more aggressive. Some consider rock music merely an arrangement of aggressive tunes that foster violence. On the counter side, science has proven that people who prefer rock to other genres are calmer and more concentrated. Which position do you agree with?
Can people with hearing impairments become famous musicians? Many believe that access to fame and fortune is limited for disabled people. The deaf may seem especially unsuited for the music business . Yet, the examples of Beethoven, Neil Young, and Chris Martin show that hearing problems don’t have to be an issue.
Will streaming completely substitute physical copies? Digitalization is on its way to replacing LPs and CDs. For most people, it’s simply more convenient. But their opponents claim that an MP3 file can never sound as good as a physical copy.
Some music genres can be a catalyst for violence. While their beats may be calm, hip-hop and rap’s lyrics are often aggressive and brutal. Does it have adverse effects on a listener?
Can a person become addicted to music?
Censorship on the radio: why stations shouldn’t bleep out obscenities.
Is mandatory musical education in high schools practical?
The impact of Mozart’s music on toddlers.
Should a musician’s personal life affect people’s perception of their art?
How susceptible are teenagers to political messages in songs?
Music influences one’s mental and physical capabilities .
Are children who listen to music more intelligent than others?
Music genres are inherently dependent on musical instruments .
Is music as an art form more popular than cinema ?
Debate whether rap musicians promote a frivolous and careless lifestyle .
Many musicians became famous only because they’ve had connections.
Music festivals are the best form of entertainment.
Does music always sound better live than on records?
Is classical music better than modern genres?
Is it justified that some religions view music as a sin?
Typically, music defines a culture and its traditions: true or false?
Rap music has a strong connection to rebellious movements.
Jamaican music’s link to the stoner lifestyle is unjustified.
Synesthesia: how is music related to visuals?

Opinion on Music: Essay Topics

Opinion essays about music might seem similar to the argumentative type. Here, you are expected to write your personal opinion on a topic. Naturally, you can have many opinions on musical topics. Why not broadcast them? Keep in mind that you also need to provide reasons for your point of view.

Music therapy can help people with mental illnesses. It’s a well-known fact that music affects the human brain. This ability makes it perfect for treating mental health problems. On the one hand, psychologists established that listening to classical music increases one’s cognitive capacity . On the other hand, listening to heavy rock impacts responsiveness.
The questionable treatment of women in the music industry . While it may seem that both sexes are treated equally, women still earn much less than they deserve. Moreover, the extreme sexualization of girls persists as one of the most pressing problems in the industry.
Which musician or band impacted your worldview ? Discuss what makes your favorite artist special. Consider analyzing their lyrics, genre, and evolution. If you want to, add a review of one of their albums .
What are the challenges of being an independent artist? Typically, independent artists deal with all the financial, promotional, and distributional affairs by themselves. In the increasingly complex music business, this is not an easy task.
Is social media efficient for promotion? Almost every modern artist uses social media to promote their albums or songs. Users often check their networks for updates, which increases the musician’s visibility. But do such methods help in the long run?
Passion is the essential personal quality for every musician . If an artist is not eager to continually produce high-quality output, they’re unlikely to succeed. However, qualities such as responsibility, honesty, hard work, and creativity are also vital.
Is music good for stress relief?
How does music connect people ?
Analyze qualities that good musicians shouldn’t have.
Who are the most excellent musicians in the country genre ?
Is it possible to live without interacting with music ?
Choose three successful rappers and analyze their influence.
How can a musician become famous without having money or connections?
What are the difficulties of being in a band?
Who impacted the development of indie music the most?
Is pop music losing its popularity? If so, why?
Three factors that affected your choice of a favorite genre .
Which artists are the most prominent in power metal?
Which record label is the most influential now?
Can Justin Bieber’s songs be considered legendary?
Did Kanye West introduce a new kind of rap?
Which rock bands lost their fame because of a scandal ? How did it happen?
Discuss Dire Straits’ impact on music history .
Who are currently the most successful women pop singers ?
Why are some music genres more popular than others?
What does success in the music world depend on?

Topics for a Persuasive Essay about Music

Is there anything music-related you want to convince people of? A persuasive paper is your chance. Carefully craft your arguments to show your readers you’ve always been right about the beauty of cowbells. If it’s not your jam, consider these essay topics about music:

A seven-string guitar is superior to a six-string one. The additional string gives more room for creativity. It might be challenging to master, but in the end, the music has a fuller sound . Do you think it’s worth the effort?
The lyrics don’t matter as long as the melody is good. It’s possible to like songs from different countries, even if the listener doesn’t understand the language. The singing is simply part of the composition. Does this mean that what the vocalist says is unimportant?

The picture shows the information about the oldest surviving musical composition.

Most people living in big cities neglect country music. People from urban areas tend to think that country music is tasteless. For them, its tunes and lyrics sound too simple. Does the strong association with cowboys, farms, and long roads simply not appeal to the city lifestyle?
Should rap music be performed only by black people? The genre hosts a large portion of African American artists . Not only that, but black rappers are widely considered the best of their craft. Do white artists do the genre justice?
Music that artists make merely to get money is soulless. Passion is a critical factor for every musician. If money is the primary driver for creating a song, the result is inevitably flawed. Do you agree?
Pop music is undergoing a transformation. Listeners acknowledge pop as the primary genre of contemporary music . Yet, new musical instruments are changing the game. Even the lyrics touch on more serious topics than before.
Indie is the new pop. Indie music is a relatively novel genre. Still, it continues to gain popularity. The light-hearted tunes paired with existential lyrics have captured the audience’s hearts. Is it possible to envision the future of music without bands such as Coldplay, The 1975, and the Arctic Monkeys?
The meaning of freedom for jazz as a musical genre .
Punk rock has recently witnessed a renaissance.
Exposing plants to classical music makes them grow faster.
Classical music: intellectually stimulating or relaxing ?
Is it justified that some countries legally prohibit artists from performing?
Is it easier for children to learn with music?
Can a person ever become a great artist without a natural talent ?
Should workplaces allow their employees to listen to background music ?
Jimi Hendrix’s guitar skills are still unmatched.
The impact of pop music on European culture and trends.
Kurt Cobain’s death should have been a wake-up call for the music industry .
Why is music beneficial to society?
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s legacy can be felt even today.
Nintendocore is a legitimate genre that the industry should take more seriously.
Should you listen to a bands’ music even if you disagree with their opinions ?
Musicians should receive more government support.
Patriotic songs make people feel passionate and energetic about their country.
Depressive and sad tunes can worsen a person’s mood.
Doctors and therapists need to understand the importance of music.

Music Evaluation Essay Topics

Do you want to know how to evaluate music? The point is to divide your overall impression into several parts. Music evaluation requires much attention and concentration, so try to do your best to stay focused while listening.

Use these criteria for evaluating music performances:

	Pay attention to their emotions, intonation, and body language.
	Here you need to decide whether they played or sang the right notes, follow the rhythm, and make transitions.
	Think about how the music is relevant to the time period, nationality, and genre they represent. Evaluate the setting, costumes, and other details.
	Maybe they talked when it wasn’t necessary, or perhaps someone interrupted the performance. Try to notice everything relevant.
	This question involves a subjective opinion, but it’s better to try to answer it as objectively as possible.

Now all you need to do is choose a topic and get down to writing!

Discuss the rise and fall of hardcore punk. Many bands that started in the hardcore punk scene softened their sound over time. Why did this genre disappear from the mainstream?
Copyright laws are going too far . It’s getting increasingly difficult to use somebody else’s intellectual property. Creators on YouTube have to fear lawsuits for creatively repurposing copyrighted music. Moreover, laws such as the DMCA are frequently abused to generate revenues.
More bands should use their influence for political purposes. Renowned artists have a broad reach. Bands like Rise Against or Anti Flag use this influence to raise political awareness among their fans. Is it a fair approach?
Borrowing and plagiarism in contemporary music . New artists don’t emerge without having listened to other musicians. They draw inspiration from their predecessors. Thus, songs are always a mix of already existing tracks. In your essay, discuss the difference between homage and plagiarism.
What are the similarities between poetry and song lyrics? Songs and poems are similar in that they deliver a message to the audience. Their creation demands extensive knowledge of rhyming, literary devices, and other components.
Why do some musicians ask others to write lyrics for them? It is a common practice to have a crew of songwriters who create texts for performers. Sometimes it happens due to a lack of imagination or inspiration. Does finding out that your favorite artist doesn’t write their lyrics destroy the magic of their music?
How can popular music diversify as a genre? Pop music reached its peak. Adding and borrowing elements from different genres can be one way to diversify a streamlined genre.
The history of music as political propaganda.
Explain the difference between high and low contemporary music culture .
How is contemporary music related to that from other periods?
What are the connections between pop music and the hip-hop genre?
What connects popular music and contemporary culture ?
How does music in the United States relate to Spanish music ?
Analyze the evolution of Indian music .
Discuss why certain albums manage to climb to the top of the charts.
The link between social classes and musical genres.
Differences and similarities of music and other art forms .
How does a musical instrument’s origin influence its development?
What is the role of traditional music today?

The picture shows a Victor Hugo quote about music.

What are the main processes in music production?
How is music theory relevant today?
Analyze which contemporary artists’ albums had an effect comparable to that of Queen’s A Night at the Opera .
Eurodance: Europe’s most extravagant genre.
Songs and everyday life of Michael Jackson vs. Madonna: who wins the ultimate pop crown?
What difficulties has Eminem faced throughout his career?
Over-ear headphones provide a better sound experience than on-ear ones.

Topics for an Expository Essay on Music

An expository essay explains or describes a subject. In the colorful world of music, topics can range from the physics of sound waves to artists’ social impact.

The importance of Blues music in the late 19 th century and now. Blues originated in the 19 th century American South. It was an outlet for African Americans to express their sorrows. Later, it exceeded by far the cultural boundaries that confined it.
The role of music in prison camps. Singing was an essential part of life in the Nazi concentration camps. One of the most well-known songs of that time is called Peat Bog Soldiers . In your expository essay, explore why prisoners started singing and how it developed.
How did Chester Bennington’s death impact the music industry? Linkin Park was a giant in the business for decades until depression made their lead singer take his own life. The event sparked debates surrounding mental health and pressure in the creative industry. What long-lasting effects did these discussions have?
How did Baroque music reflect the zeitgeist? Compared to the Renaissance period, Baroque was in all aspects very pompous. The artists of the Sun King’s time didn’t shy away from the extravaganza. This ideal is especially prominent in architecture. How does music fit into the picture?
Investigate the development of musical harmony. The Ancient Greeks already had an idea of some tones fitting together better than others. However, it wasn’t until the 1600s that tonality became a crucial part of music theory.
Music in commercials: an analysis. Songs and jingles are commonplace in TV commercials. But what are they good for? In your essay, you can compare the success of advertisements with and without music.
What causes music trends to change? It’s easy to define various eras of music . Naturally, the invention of new instruments has influenced this development. What other factors played a role in these transformations?
Why is 4/4 a universal beat?
Examine the origins of The Star-Spangled Banner .
The effects of dissonance on the human mind .
How do staccato, legato, and other forms of articulation influence the perception of a musical piece?
Discuss the significance of music in video games.
Music drives people’s motivation.
Explain the calming effects of nature sounds .
How does music influence literature?
Celtic music is known to have an extraordinary impact on the psyche. How does it work?
How does music impact the discharge of hormones such as dopamine?
Music therapy is suitable for those who have bipolar disorder.
What made Falco such a unique artist?
How does the perception of a silent film differ from that of a movie with sound?
A rock concert by Kansas: How the relevance of live concerts changed over time.
Is being able to read music important for a composer ?
How did Beethoven write music after losing his hearing?
Should all songs have proper rhythm and structure?
Why do so many indie artists become commercial?
Is it essential for song lyrics to rhyme?

History of Music: Essay Topics

If you’re interested in the evolution of music, you’ve come to the right section. Historical research reveals the significance of music throughout time. Unsurprisingly, songs and melodies have been part of human culture for centuries. Dive deeper into this exciting subject with one of the following ideas:

How did the Catholic Church influence music development in Europe? During the Middle Ages , religious movements had a significant impact on music. Consequently, composers used to create more sacred music. It became a way of personal expression since it often contained religious texts. 
The cultural meaning of Renaissance music and its influence on other styles . During the time of the Renaissance , sacred and secular music heavily impacted each other. As a result, more variety emerged. The chanson and madrigal, for example, became popular around Europe.
Research archaeological findings of early musicality. The search for the oldest musical instrument delivers thrilling insights. Archaeologists have excavated a flute made of ivory and bird bones, dating approximately 43,000 years ago. They found it in a cave in Germany where Neanderthals lived.
History of early music and appearance of musical instruments. The beginning of the human culture was the turning point of musical instruments’ appearance. They were primarily used for spiritual rites; typically, they were horns or drums for ceremonies.
Louis Armstrong’s contributions to the jazz world. Jazz originated in New Orleans and was a favorite among African Americans. Louis Armstrong’s improvisations forever changed the genre, making the soloist-improviser the center of the performance.
The phenomenon of pop music and its origins. Popular music dates back to the second half of the last century. It comes from the US and the UK. Its main peculiarity lies in the variety of tunes and lyrics .
Native American music before the discovery of the New World . Incas and Aztecs had particular styles of music. Findings show that these ancient civilizations used instruments for ceremonies. Researchers also discovered that various American cultures mingled, thus creating new techniques.
The use of string instruments in classical Greek songwriting.
Famous composers of 18th century Italy and their influence.
Mozart vs. Beethoven: comparison of techniques.
Deliver a thoughtful analysis of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony .
What role do acoustic instruments play in jazz compositions?
Explore the history of the Ocarina.
Due to what circumstances did Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart become one of the greatest musical geniuses in history?
Influence of the Romantic period on modern music.
How and why were the swing era and jazz connected?
Rock and roll as an international language in the 20th century.
Explore the rise of techno music.
Is there a historical connection between music and math?
How did music become a staple subject in many schools?
The greatest musicians of World War I.
Industrialization and its effect on music development.
How did female producers such as Kate Bush impact the music industry?
Analyze Frédéric Chopin’s contribution to classical music .
Music evolution in ancient Greece vs. the Roman Empire.
How does archeology help to uncover musical traditions ?
Tupac’s influence on modern rap music .

Classification Essay about Music: Topic Ideas

In a classification essay, you explain how a whole relates to parts or vice versa. To do it, you need to divide one broad category into several subcategories. Each classification paragraph focuses on one subcategory, so you need to find a key feature that will be your basis of division. For example, you can divide music by genre, volume, musical instruments, etc.

Here is our list of musical topics for this essay type:

The most popular types of alternative music among teenagers. Naturally, teens like different kinds of rock and experimental music . Try to dig deeper and ask some teenagers about their preferences to get a clear picture.
Types of modern dance music . Describe the tendencies and popular genres. You can also focus on a specific country.
The most popular types of jazz music in Europe. Although jazz emerged in the United States, this genre became recognizable all over the world. You can analyze the most popular streamed songs, or the concerts and other mass events.
Rock music in the ’70s. You can describe the genres, styles, or types of performers. The concerts, clothes, and lifestyles are also suitable for this topic.
Blues musicians of different time periods. Analyze the lyrics, the musical instruments they used, and how long their careers lasted.
Classification of music for children . Some of it can be for dancing, development, or just listening. Research the purposes of different kinds of music for children.
Types of music used in films. The soundtrack is one of the main things we remember after watching a movie. There can be popular songs or tracks composed specifically for a film .
Rock bands that represent different subgenres.
Rap subgenres in the United States.
Periods of classical music.
What motivates people to start a musical career?
Different kinds of music for relaxation.
The industries where composers work .
Types of opera singers and instrumental music.
Different professions in the music industry.
Unpopular genres of independent music.
Different types of music listeners .

College Essay about Music: Topics

When you apply to your dream college, you need to write an impressive essay. Admissions officers pay attention not only to your grades and achievements but also to your personality. Your writing can indicate your motivation, academic interests, and how well you fit into the college. Writing an essay about “music in my life” is a great way to demonstrate your passion and creativity.

Choose one of these topics related to music for your college essay:

The role of music in your life . Describe what music means to you, how often you listen to it, and how it helps you in life. For example, you can write about inspiration, motivation, or the sense of freedom that it gives you.
What are the essential aspects of music for you? Try to write down everything you like about music. It might be melodies, lyrics, vocals, or mood. You can choose several aspects if you feel that you can’t decide.
The time when music changed your life. In this essay, you can pick one occurrence or describe how music changed your life gradually. It’s important to indicate where you started from and where it led you.
How do you see the future of the music industry? Demonstrate to the admissions officer how well you know the art and the business.
Your role model in the music industry. You may write about the qualities of the person you admire and why you want to develop them in yourself. Remember that admission officers want to read about you, not your idol.
How did your musical taste change over the last ten years? Describe the evolution of your preferences. Explain why you have changed some of your past choices. Do you think your musical taste has improved?
Your favorite musical genre .
Does listening to music help to heal body and spirit?
What is the best music performance you have ever seen?
Why do people become fans of particular musicians?
Your favorite song lyrics .
Can people be judged by their musical taste?
Why is music an essential part of human culture?
Quote about music that appeals to you the most.
How can music education help you in the future?
Do you prefer listening to music or performing it?
How can music change your mood?
Why you want to become a musician.
Which culture has the most beautiful ethnical music?
Is music more of an art or business?
What are the essential parts of musical education ?

✍️ Music Essay: How to Write

So, you have chosen your essay title. Now it’s time to start writing! But before you begin, read the sections below and learn how to organize your work.

How to Describe Music in Writing

You might think that writing about music is like dancing about architecture. Well, it is not an easy task, but we know how to cope with it.

Follow these tips while writing:

Make a comparison. Explain which characteristics of a piece remind you or are identical to those of another one. It’s better to avoid comparing music from different composers in this case. Instead, evaluate and analyze two musical pieces from the same composer.
Describe the melody and dynamics. You may want to use musical terms to show your knowledge and proficiency. Define the genre and what kind of instruments and tones are used.
Explain how it makes you feel. You can use basic human emotions to describe the feelings of a listener. For example, it can be anger, tenderness, irritation, excitement, or nostalgia.
Use metaphorical language. You may try using your imagination to create analogies. Be careful not to make your metaphors overcomplicated, as it may confuse the readers.

Essays about Music: Descriptive Words

Do you want your essay on music to be interesting and expressive? Then you may want to use descriptive vocabulary. Here are some of the terms that you can use in your essay to make it sound more professional:

Tempo is the “speed” of music. There are fixed expressions to define tempo—for example, largo, moderate, or presto. You can also describe how fast the music feels.
Timbre is the term that evaluates the “color” of music. Even if two instruments play the same note of the same volume, the sound is still different. This is how you can notice the color of the tone. For example, gentle, clear, heavy, or warm can be the adjectives to describe timbre.
Dynamics define the volume levels of music. The volume can be the same all the time, for example loud or soft. If the volume of music changes, you can use such expressions as “gradually gets louder” “or suddenly becomes soft.”
Harmony characterizes how all the notes and chords sound together. The sequence of chords—chord progression—defines how satisfying the melody is for the listener. For example, if the transitions are smooth, you can use such words as “relaxed” or “warm.”

Music Essay Outline

Like any other assignment, writing about music requires a proper essay outline that will guide you through the writing. The following sections will help you with that.

Before you start, here are some tips that will help you prepare for writing:

Do some prior research. Try to learn as much as possible about the piece you will be writing about. It’s also helpful to listen to the music several times with headphones to notice more details.
Don’t be afraid of asking questions. Consult your instructor if you’re unsure about your topic or the piece you have chosen.
Choose the topic that you like. If you’re passionate about a subject, it is always easier to write about it. Who said that homework could not be interesting?
Follow the recommendations that your instructor gives. It includes word limit, formatting style, deadline, and essay type.

Music Essay Introduction

The introduction is the section where you come up with a brief explanation of the topic. You may start it with a quotation, definition, or short statement that catches your reader’s attention and leads them to the essay subject.

A thesis statement is usually the last sentence of the introduction that defines the content of body paragraphs. It needs to be specific and not longer than two sentences. If you decide to shift the focus of your essay while writing, it’s crucial to change your thesis too.

Different types of essays require different thesis statements. Let’s take a closer look:

Essay type	Explanation	Thesis example
	You need to evaluate an issue or idea. It can be a review of a concert or music piece.	Pink Floyd’s use of multimedia in enriched the listener’s experience and created additional meanings.
	Here you need to explain an idea, problem, or opinion to your readers.	Modern rap performers influence behavioral patterns among teenagers through their lyrics and visuals.
	Your aim is to introduce a claim and justify it by using evidence.	David Bowie became one of the most significant musicians of the 20 century by mastering various music genres.

Music Essay Body

Your essay’s body is the most significant part of your writing. Here, you provide evidence and explanations of your claims.

The typical body paragraph structure includes:

A topic sentence explaining the argument for a particular paragraph.
An introduction to the evidence you gathered to support an argument.
Quotes and facts (don’t forget about proper citation!) and their explanation.
A connection between the evidence and the essay topic.
Paragraph transitions  leading your reader to the next section.

Topic Sentence about Music

Topic sentences can be used as a roadmap to writing your essay. Each body paragraph begins with a topic sentence that defines what the paragraph is about. It introduces the argument or main thought that will be explained. It’s also connected with the thesis statement.

It’s essential to make your thesis easy to understand, so it’s better not to overcomplicate it. For example, here’s an unsuccessful topic sentence with unnecessary words:

As stated above, the guitar is an essential musical instrument in rock music that defines how it sounds.

Instead, you can formulate it like this:

The guitar is the most iconic musical instrument in rock music that defines how it sounds.

Music Essay Conclusion

When writing a conclusion for your essay on music, you can use the following structure:

Summarize the text in a few sentences.
Review the key points of your paper.
Paraphrase the thesis.

To make your essay conclusion more effective, avoid the following:

❌	. Try to and analyze it, and add some information from the body paragraphs.
❌	You don’t have to fully paraphrase your thesis statement. However, you can mirror it in some way.
❌	It’s like finishing a movie with an unsolved problem. It’s also better to avoid rhetorical questions as they are not specific enough.
❌	You can use quotes in the introduction or body paragraphs, but make sure to use only your own words in the conclusion. Otherwise, the readers might think you don’t have a personal opinion on the topic.

📑 What Music Means to Me: Essay Example

Now you know all about writing an essay on music! To make it even easier for you, we’ve prepared an essay sample that you can use for inspiration. Check it out:

Title: Music in my life
Introduction	Music is an essential part of my life. It makes everyday experiences fuller and brighter. The charm of music is in its ability to match my every single emotion.
Thesis statement	For me, music is connected with happiness, relaxation, and motivation.
1st body paragraph	First of all, music makes me happy. I listen to music whenever I am very cheerful or upset. In the first case, it makes my happiness double stronger. It brings the feeling of euphoria and makes me want to dance and jump. In contrast, whenever I’m depressed, music helps me forget about my problems.
2nd body paragraph	When I listen to my favorite songs, I feel relaxed. If I have a busy day, the best thing I can do in the evening is put on my headphones and turn on the music. It also works every time I’m stressed out or nervous. Songs make me feel calm and help me to make decisions.
3rd body paragraph	Last but not least, music keeps me motivated. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed and just want to give up. That is why, as soon as everything seems pointless, I turn on upbeat, inspiring music. In such circumstances, I try to listen to the lyrics of my favorite songs. I always find the exact words that keep me going.
Conclusion	All in all, I cannot imagine my life without music. It helps me to stay optimistic when going through my troubles. I wouldn’t be who I am without music.

Now all you need is to turn the music on and get down to writing! We hope you liked this guide. If you did, don’t hesitate to share it with your friends.

✏️ Music Essay FAQ

Music is a vast topic. An essay might deal with anything ranging from trends in the 1950s to the best guitarists of all time. Writing an introduction to certain music styles or bands is also possible. In any case, the paper should be well-structured, logical, and cohesive.

Writing about music doesn’t necessarily require any specific skills. If you’re not familiar with the theory of music and can’t play musical instruments, you can just write about the music you like. Here are some topic ideas: favorite music band, style, or how you perceive music.

You can interpret music as a topic in various ways. If you are getting a degree in this field, you might want to write something more specific and technical. If your essay aims to merely inform and entertain, write about your favorite music style or band.

If you are writing an essay for school, a good choice would be an expository essay. It doesn’t require any specific knowledge of the music industry. Title suggestions might be: “My perception of music,” “My favorite band,” “How music can change the world.”

What is the Music Industry? Definition and Facts: Study.com
What Music Do You Write To?: Writers & Artists
A Music Review: British Council
Music: UNC Writing Center: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Sound and Sense: Writing about Music: Colorado State University
Music analysis Research Papers: Academia.edu
The Power of Music Therapy: Belmont University
Musicology: Northwestern Bienen School of Music
Musicology: Areas of Study: Indiana State University
Music Facts: Facts.net
Music History from Primary Sources: Library of Congress
Music: Encyclopedia Britannica
A History of Classical Music: Part 1: The List
What Is Jazz: Smithsonian Institution
The 50 Greatest Composers of All Time: Classical Music
Musical Terms and Concepts: SUNY Potsdam
Ethnomusicology: University of Oxford
Music Research Process: Syracuse University
Journal of Popular Music Studies: University of California Press
The History of Pop Music in 5 Defining Decades: The Culture Trip
Music of the 20 th Century: Lumen Learning
Explainer: Indie Music: The Conversation
Your Brain on Music: University of Central Florida
Music and Health: Harvard University
The Psychological Function of Music Listening: NIH
Essays that Worked: Hamilton
Writing in Music: Writing Thesis Statements: The City University of New York
Academic Writing about Music: University of Denver
How to Write Song Lyrics: Berklee
Essay Introduction: University of Maryland
Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements: Purdue University
Writing Body Paragraphs: Monash University
Some Tips for Writing Efficient, Effective Body Paragraphs: University of California, Berkeley
Writing a Paper: Conclusions: Walden University
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Thank you very much for this post on music essay writing! You don’t know how long I looked for the helpful information on writing music essays!

Music takes an important part in my life. I wake up and go to bed listening to music. And now when I’m writing my music essay, I also listen to music. And it’s also a pleasure to read an article on how to write an essay on music!

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Academic writing

Forging good titles in academic writing

Published on March 20, 2015 by Shane Bryson . Revised on July 23, 2023.

The title is the first thing your reader will see, and most readers will make their first judgements of your work based on it. For this reason, it’s important to think about your titles carefully.

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Informative, striking, appropriate, title templates, writing effective headings, other interesting articles, informative title.

Your title should, above all else, convey the topic of your paper. In other words, no matter how witty, clever, original, or otherwise appealing your title may be, it fails if it is not informative.

Decide whether you’ve given a sense of the paper’s topic and claims by comparing your title’s content to the most important aspect(s) of your dissertation statement or hypothesis and conclusions.

Striking title

A striking title is one that entices your audience to read, so know your audience’s tastes.

The analogy of cultivating sexual attraction in a prospective mate is useful here: some audiences will be enticed by a title’s edginess (as with, for example, V. Alneng’s “‘What the Fuck is a Vietnam?’ Touristic Phantasms and the Popcolonization of [the] Vietnam [War],” published in Critique on Anthropology ); others will almost always prefer a more straightforward title (as with J.C. Henderson’s “War as a tourist attraction: The case of Vietnam,” published in the International Journal of Tourism Research ).

You should be able to gauge how edgy your title can be by the tone of your discipline or the publication you’re submitting to, and your main concern should be forming a title that appeals to your readers’ specific tastes.

Consider also that a title that highlights the paper’s fresh insights will often be striking.

An endocrinologist, for example, might become very excited upon seeing the collaboratively authored article “Comparison of the effects on glycaemic control and β-cell function in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients of treatment with exenatide, insulin or pioglitazone: A multicentre randomized parallel-group trial,” published in 2015 in the Journal of Internal Medicine .

This rather long title is more acceptable in the sciences, where what readers tend to find provocative in a title is the degree to which it reveals the paper’s specifics.

Appropriate title

Ensuring that your title is appropriate in a way of making sure not only that your audience understands it, but also that its appeal contributes to its meaning. To make sure the title will be understood, you need to consider how familiar your research topic will be to your audience.

In an academic essay, you can use highly technical terms in your title, but generally avoid terms that the average well-read person in your discipline might not know.

In any writing that has a broad audience, titles need to avoid language that is too sophisticated; a news article, for example, should be easily understood by all.

As a second consideration of appropriateness, make sure that your title does not entice without substance.

The title of Alneng’s paper, for example, does not use “fuck” merely to shock and therefore entice the reader; the uncommon use of a swearword here helps convey the topic of the article: more or less vulgar representations of Vietnam.

The same is true for other striking titles, such as Nancy Tuana’s “Coming to Understand: Orgasm and the Epistemology of Ignorance,” published in Hypatia .

The title’s sexually charged play on words (“coming to understand”) hooks the audience, but is not merely a hook. The pun is directly relevant to the essay’s argument, which is that sexual pleasure offers an important form of knowledge.

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Use key terms. Find words that your audience can easily identify as markers of the topic matter. These will include, for example, terms that convey the field of research, central concepts, or subjects of study.
Identify the context (sometimes called “the location”). By context, I mean the source or the setting of the discussion, depending on discipline. In a history paper this might be a certain century or era; in literary studies a certain book or author; and in the sciences an organism or compound.

The following is a list of title formats, with examples of each. I’ve given the names of the publications in brackets to give a sense of how different disciplines treat titles.

Note that these are not mutually exclusive patterns (i.e. it’s possible to have various combinations; e.g. General & interesting: Informative & specific). Note also that this is not meant to be an exhaustive list.

Striking: Informative – The Specter of Wall Street: “Bartleby, the Scrivener” and the Language of Commodities ( American Literature )
Informative: Striking – Carbon capture and storage: How green can black be? ( Science )
General: Specific – The issues of the sixties: An exploratory study in the dynamics of public opinion ( Public Opinion Quarterly )
“Quotation”: Discussion (social studies) – “I’d rather not talk about it”: Adolescents’ and young adults’ use of topic avoidance in stepfamilies ( Journal of Applied Communication Research )
“Quotation”: Discussion (literary studies) – “I Would Prefer Not To”: Giorgio Agamben, Bartleby and the Potentiality of the Law ( Law and Critique )
Simple and precise – Methodological issues in the use of Tsimshian oral Traditions (Adawx) in Archaeology ( Canadian Journal of Archaeology )
Topic: Method – Mortality in sleep apnea patients: A multivariate analysis of risk factors ( Sleep )
Topic: Significance – LC3 binds externalized cardiolipin on injured mitochondria to signal mitophagy in neurons: Implications for Parkinson disease ( Autophagy )
Technical and very specific – Single-shot quantum nondemolition measurement of a quantum-dot electron spin using cavity exciton-polaritons ( Physical Review )

Although similar, headings are not the same as titles. Headings head paragraphs and help structure a document. Effective headings make your paper easily scannable.

Common high level headings in dissertations and research papers are “Methods”, “Research results”, and “Discussion”. Lower level headings are often more descriptive.

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Performing Arts

How to Write a Musical

Last Updated: June 10, 2024 Approved

This article was co-authored by Stephanie Wong Ken, MFA . Stephanie Wong Ken is a writer based in Canada. Stephanie's writing has appeared in Joyland, Catapult, Pithead Chapel, Cosmonaut's Avenue, and other publications. She holds an MFA in Fiction and Creative Writing from Portland State University. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 25 testimonials and 86% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 322,020 times.

Writing a musical can seem like a daunting task, especially if you are a fan of the genre and are trying to create one for the first time. You may decide to write a musical as a creative challenge or be assigned to write one for a class. To write a musical, start by determining the storyline. Add in the music and the songs to create an experience that feels polished, entertaining, and touching to your audience.

Starting the Musical

Consider why an idea might work better in the musical format than in the short story or novel format. Music and singing need to feel necessary to the story idea in some way. For example, you may realize that you can only tell the story of your parents’ meeting in New York in the 70s through the music they loved in that time period.
You may also try going for a walk in a park or sitting in a public square to get inspiration. Watch people interact and notice any behaviors or actions that seem interesting to you. You could then create a storyline based on the lives of other people in your everyday life.
Try to choose a story idea that you are truly passionate about. Having a story that you really care about can help you stay motivated to write the musical and see it performed one day on stage.

For example, a one line story summary for the musical Fiddler on the Roof could be, “A Jewish peasant tries to marry off three of his daughters and deal with anti-Semitic values that threaten his village and their way of life.”
This summary includes the major plot points and also includes key themes, such as a “way of life” and “anti-Semitism”, that play out in the musical.

Step 3 Study other musicals for inspiration.

Fiddler on the Roof
The Phantom of the Opera
My Fair Lady
Sweeney Todd
Guys and Dolls
The Greatest Showman
Into the Woods
Dear Evan Hansen

Writing the Musical

Step 1 Determine the emotional core of the story.

For example, the musical Sweeney Todd is, at the surface, about a Victorian barber out to kill the men who stole his wife and sent him to prison on false charges. But at the heart, the musical is about the high cost of revenge and how anger and resentment can ruin your present day life.

You may try writing down a rough list of scenes and then creating storyboards for each scene. Try to get the essential visual elements for each scene on the storyboard. Don’t be afraid to use many storyboards for each scene, as the more detailed you are, the more depth the musical will have.

If you have written music before, you may try writing music for each scene that you have storyboarded. Or you may start by writing one to two pieces that you feel are key, such as the theme for the show.
You may also try using music writing software on your computer that helps you translate humming, singing, or whistling into written music. This may be ideal if you have never composed music before but are musically inclined and want to somehow translate your ideas into a score.

Once you have written the music, you should create a list of songs. Notice if you have more songs than scenes. Having many songs is not a bad thing, but you want to be sure that the musical flows well from dialogue to song and from scene to scene.

Step 5 Put the music and the story together.

For example, you may notice that you have a scene between a father and daughter, followed by a song that is sung by the daughter. You should make sure the song relates somehow to the scene and that the daughter addresses her relationship with her father in the song. This will make the musical flow smoothly.

Polishing the Musical

You may underline or mark any sections that feel off to you. You can then go back and revise them so until they are at their best.

For example, if you want to notate that there is going to be a number in a scene, you would add in “Music starts playing (insert musical number here)” into the script. This will signal to the actors that a song is going to be performed.
You should also include details about where the actors enter from into a scene, such as STAGE RIGHT or STAGE LEFT.
You should include notes about a character’s reaction, but only if it is an important reaction in the scene. For example, “VELMA (aghast) How could you do that?” or “JOHN (crying) I can’t sing anymore.”

Step 3 Get actors to perform the musical.

You may also seek out actors and playwrights who have had success to get advice on how you can get your musical produced.

Writing Help

Community Q&A

Reader Videos

Everybody has a different process for writing or creating a musical, so follow what feels right to you! Don't be afraid to collaborate with others who have different skills than you to create the final product. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

Practice playing the piano or another instrument. After a while, original melodies will start coming to you naturally and you'll feel more confident experimenting with different sounds and styles.
Sometimes it takes a lot of time to get the songs right. Try singing all of them to the same people and the song that the people like best is the song you use. Make sure you like the song, too!
Think of the lyrics before pairing them with music, since the lyrics convey important character and story details.
Make sure that the title or main plot of the musical doesn't already exist as a musical, play, book, etc.

↑ http://www.musicals101.com/write.htm
↑ https://koomandimond.wordpress.com/2012/05/03/the-7-deadly-sins-of-musical-theatre-writing/

About This Article

To write a musical, start by coming up with the basic story and the characters that will be in your show. Then, map out your musical by drawing storyboards for each scene so you know which characters will be on stage in each scene and what actions will take place. Once you've got your story laid out, write the music for each scene and type up the script and stage directions for the actors. To learn how to write music for your musical, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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67 Popular Music Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best popular music topic ideas & essay examples, 🎓 good research topics about popular music, ⭐ simple & easy popular music essay titles.

The Concept of Pop Music Deriving from rock and roll, Pop music found its distinctiveness in the 1950s to not only become one of the world’s most listened style of popular music, but also one of the very few styles […]
Korean Pop Music and Youth Identity Korean pop music has become a powerful genre that connects many youths to their counterparts in different parts of the world.
History of Pop Music in the World: Cultural and Social Changes Later, following the evolvement of industries and development of urban centers, also the lifestyle of poor people improved considerably and this lead to the improvement of music among the poor and the rich.
Roots of Contemporary Popular Music In conclusion, the popularity of R&B music is attributed to the fact that many young white listeners preferred this type of music over country music because it was more colorful and rhythmic than country music.
The Evolution of Popular Music The economic evolution of consumerism in the late 19th century and the early 20th century was marked by the advent of credit and the growing popularity of consumer goods.
The Influence of Radio on American Culture and Popular Music The rise of a national audience was one of the remarkable changes in popular music during the first half of the twentieth century.
Social Commentary in Pop Music Industry Thus, using the emotional potential of music, a popular artist has the opportunity to give the listener a deeper sense of the problem underlying the message of the song.
Popular Music at the Times of Racism and Segregation The following work will compare and contrast the compositions of Louis Armstrong and Scott Joplin and examine the impact of racism on popular music.
Popular Music: Curtis Mayfield’s and Bob Marley’s Songs The most distinct feature that the songs “People Get Ready” by Curtis Mayfield and Bob Marley’s One Love”, is the message that they are trying to communicate to the audience.
American Popular Music and Its Evolution Compared to the country blues popular in the 1900s, classic female blues combines its features with urban theater music, and “Crazy Blues” is one of the first songs of this genre.
The National Center for Popular Music This was due to the untimely closure of the National Centre for Popular Music. People referred to it as a museum, but in a real sense, it was not or it was because the music […]
The National Centre for Popular Music in Sheffield The design of the building, which has unusual features acquired a number of nicknames that are local like curling stones, drums and kettles as the drum tops that were to rotate in the wind no […]
The Cultural Production of Popular Music While most people in this debate express their opinion that the role of digital technologies in the development of music is positive, there exists a category of participants who argue that digital technologies kill the […]
Origins of Popular Music: Discussion The organization of listening in the correct room, along with the separation of music from medieval ritual, the development of specialist musicianship, commercial publishing and the invention of synoptic scores enshrined the individual performer or […]
The Development of Artistic and Popular Music Through the Ages The development of modern music includes the introduction of synthesizers and computers to manipulate the sound thus giving the music a high quality compared to ancient times.
History of Pop Music in the Early 20th Century Jansen has given a detailed analysis of the musical and the particular song and he suggests that the sheet music and the performance reveal a combination of different types of ragtime music.
American Popular Music History It is only possible to produce it in economic industries, which look at the popular music in terms of monetary value in which it is considered as a commodity.
The Dynamic Between the Popular Music’ Sound and Look The purpose of this paper is to analyze the dynamic between the sound and the look of two representatives of the Soul Jazz music genre Adele Laurie Blue Adkins and Amy Winehouse.
Popular Music and Accompanying Visual Representation Essentially, popular music is the kind of music that is distributed to wide audiences through the music industry. To address the question, it is needed to explore the connection between music and visual representation.
Disco, Rock, Jazz and Popular Music: Comparison With the support of God, the songs encourage the audience to believe in the power of God to overcome the unfortunate events.
“Pop Music, Pop Culture” by Chris Rojek The title specifically prepares the reader for the interconnection between culture and popular music, as it is one entity that is a great part of human society and the music industry.
Popular Music: Meaningful Contributions to Social and Political Change Music has different classifications depending on various factors including the period in which the music was developed, the type of instruments that the musicians use, the cultural identity of the society that subscribes to the […]
Canuck Rock: A History of Canadian Popular Music Besides, the book helps one understand the evolution process of the Canadian music industry.”Canuck Rock” is a determined assessment of the inception and development of trendy music in Canada starting from the late 1950s to […]
Popular Music in Uzbekistan It is aimed at demonstrating the wit of the participants to each other and the spectators. Apart from the folk music of Uzbek, modern pop music in the country is also significant.
Pop Music Nature and History Classical music was for the high class, the affluent in the society, but the rapid urbanization brought by the industrial revolution came with a type of music popular to the middle and lower classes.
Popular Music and Thinking Errors The message in the lyrics of rock songs is mostly that life is not worth living with the lyrics filled with numerous pessimistic and angry lines.
Western Popular Music Influence in Asia
Popular Music of the Chinese Culture
Culture Industry: Avant-Garde Struggles in Popular Music
Payola: The Dirty Side of Popular Music
Sexuality and Gender: Popular Music and Cultural Identity
Cultural Impact of Popular Music on Society
The Driving Force Behind Popular Music
Historical Relationship Between Art and Popular Music
Popular Culture and History: Representations of the Past in British Popular Music
Similarities Between Classical and Popular Music
Today’s Pop Music May Have Too Much Sex, Not Enough Love
Value Chain Envy: Explaining New Entry and Vertical Integration in Popular Music
The Popular Music Culture of the 1980s
Values Portrayed in Popular Music
The Relationship Between Popular Music and Sexuality
American Popular Music: A Wide Variety of Styles and Trends in Society
The Most Important Impulses of the Popular Music Field
Popular Music Encourages Recreational Drug Use Among Adolescents
Consumer Choice and the Popular Music Industry: A Test of the Superstar Theory
Popular Music: Theory, Method and Practise
Popular Music and Populist Politics
The Issues Surrounding the Attempts to Control the Content of Popular Music
Courses on Popular Music, Film, Advertising and Television
Vietnam War’s Effect on Popular Music
Censoring Offensive Lyrics and Images Portrayed in Current Popular Music
Production and Use of Contemporary Western Popular Music
Economics and the Ecology of Creativity: Evidence From the Popular Music Industry
Popular Music: The Creative Process
Existentialism and Its Impact on Popular Music Essay
Contrast Between Popular Music and Jazz
Popular Music and a Political Position
The Aesthetics for American Popular Music
K-Pop and Korean Popular Music
The Internet and Value Co-Creation: The Case of the Popular Music Industry
Music and Modern Literature: Impact Literature at Popular Music
Gender Stereotyping of the Women in American Popular Music
Popular Music Perpetuates Rape Culture
Bob Dylan and Popular Music
Social Change and Popular Music
Popular Music, Gender, Sexuality, and Cultural Identity
YouTube Topics
Dance Essay Ideas
Music Therapy Ideas
Festival Essay Ideas
Mozart Essay Ideas
Piano Essay Topics
Sound Research Topics
Television Ideas
Chicago (A-D)
Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, March 2). 67 Popular Music Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/popular-music-essay-topics/

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Book Titles in Essays: Formatting Rules and Examples

How do you write the title of a book in an essay?

A short answer: You look at the assignment’s requirements, see the citation style you should use, and go to a corresponding manual to see what rules it prescribes for writing book titles.

That’s when you might hit a snag:

Most rules for the main styles — APA, MLA, and Chicago — seem identical at first glance. It’s easy to miss a preposition or punctuation rule, capitalize a wrong word, or forget about italics. The devil is in the details, and the final grade for your paper depends on them.

Why not gather the formatting rules for all the citation styles in one place so that it’s more comfortable to compare them and spot specifics?

We’ve got you covered:

In this article, our essay writers share the guidelines for citing book titles in five styles. You’ll see how to write a book title in an essay and how to introduce authors. For the sake of clarity, examples are also here.

What is the title of a book in an essay?

You have several options for formatting a book title in your essay.

First, you can mention it in the essay’s body if you are quoting or paraphrasing information from the book. Also, when compiling a bibliography of the resources you used for research, you’ll need book titles for the reference list.

A book’s title and the details of its author are also essential components in the structure of book review . You’ll mention it in the introduction before summarizing a book’s plot, characters, and themes.

How to put book title in essay:

Use italics
Don’t underline or use quotation marks, please
Don’t capitalize minor words like prepositions and conjunctions of three or fewer letters ( a, of, to, the, etc.) unless they are the first or last word in a book’s title

How to write a book title and author in an essay?

Details to consider:

Is it an in-text mention or part of a reference list?
Are you writing about an entire book or one of its chapters?
Does the book have one or several authors?
Does the book have a subtitle?
Is it an independent publication or a collection of essays, series, or short stories? Are you introducing a poem in your essay?

The answers to these questions will give you a clear understanding of how to write a book title and author in an essay. The formatting rules will depend on the above factors and the citation style you should follow. (We’ve covered the two main styles — APA and MLA — in our essay writing book , available on Amazon.)

There are also some general rules to remember, regardless of the style. Let’s move to them and explore the principles of citing book titles inside and out.

How to Introduce a Book in an Essay: General Rules

Here’s what all the styles agree on in terms of how to introduce a book in an essay:

1 — Italicize the titles of self-contained books. If you mention a novel, a movie, a stand-alone poem, a play, a database, or a website, there’s no need to use quotation marks. For example:

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
If by Rudyard Kipling

2 — The titles of parts within a book should go in quotation marks: chapter titles, titles of poems inside a collection, acts or scenes in a play, and so on. For example:

The Great Gatsby’s “Chapter 5: The Meeting”
“The Mirror of Erised” from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

3 — Capitalize both stand-alone book titles and the parts within a complete work. For example:

The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger by Stephen King
“Sometimes They Come Back” from Stephen King’s Night Shift

4 — When the title of a book goes within another title (like in cases with monographs about novels or poems), you should also use italics for independent works and single quotation marks for short stories and parts of books.

For example, this is how to write the title of a journal article containing the book’s title:

“The Unbearable Weight of Authenticity: Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God and a Theory of Touristic Reading.”

And this is how you’d write a journal article title containing the title of a short story:

“Individualism in O’Connor’s ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find.'”

When to use a capital letter is the trickiest part of writing book titles in essays. The rules vary between style guides and their editions, which can appear confusing and make it more challenging for students to align with the requirements and ensure consistency.

Below, we’ll explore how to put book title in essay according to five different citation styles: APA, MLA, Chicago, CSE, and AMA.

How to Write the Title of a Book in an Essay: Citation Styles

While most students use APA and MLA citation styles in their academic papers, some institutions also assign alternatives like AMA or CSE. We’ve chosen the five most widespread styles for this guide so that you can have all the rules in one place and see the tiny differences between them for more precise writing.

Here, you’ll find the book title writing guidelines for these styles:

APA (the American Psychological Association)
MLA (the Modern Language Association)
Chicago, aka CMOS (the Chicago Manual of Style)
CSE (the Council of Science Editors)
AMA (the American Medical Association)

We also recommend using an AI essay checker to revise your papers and reference lists once your drafts are ready. Whatever style you use to cite sources, this will help ensure that your text doesn’t look AI-generated. (Believe us, your teachers won’t appreciate it.)

APA is the documentation style that the American Psychological Association uses for citing sources. Originated in 1929, this form of writing is standard for social sciences like psychology, communications, sociology, and anthropology. Sometimes, it also relates to engineering, nursing, education, and other corresponding fields.

APA addresses manuscripts for journals and the academic papers students write in college. It’s the most popular and common citation style for the essays your teachers will assign during a course.

The latest version is APA Style’s 7th edition, released in 2020.

When it comes to formatting the title of a book in an essay, APA style’s requirements are easy to remember. Take a look:

Write the title in italicsDo not use quotation marks (unless you’re speaking about the book’s chapter, not the entire piece)Capitalize the first and last words, proper names, and all words of four or more letters ( etc.)Capitalize words that appear after punctuation marks (colons, semicolons, em dashes, etc.), even if it’s an article or a short prepositionCapitalize the second part of hyphenated wordsDo not capitalize articles ( ) or prepositions/conjunctions of three or fewer letters unless they come first or last
Examples:

Start with the last name, followed by the initials and separated with a commaIf a book has several authors, enumerate them alphabetically; use “&” before the last author in the listIf it’s an edited work, use the editor’s last name and initials and add “Ed.” In the case of several editors, enumerate them alphabetically and add “Eds.” after the namesIf the work has both an author and an editor, place the author in the beginning and add the editor’s name in brackets after the book titleIn the case of a corporate author, write the organization’s name in full
Examples:
Kulish, M.Fitzgerald, F. Scott, Hemingway, E., & Vonnegut K.Black S. . (White A. & Brown L., Eds.)American Psychological Association

MLA is a citation style created by the Modern Language Association and is mainly used in humanities like linguistics, literature, philosophy, and cultural and media studies. It’s the second most used style (after APA), with the most recent manual released in 2021 (the 9th edition).

The manual focuses on the formatting rules for in-text citations, which most users find challenging. It also has expanded guidelines on research papers, grammar mechanics, and inclusive language.

Here’s how to write a book title in an essay, according to MLA:

Write the title in italicsDo not use quotation marks (unless you’re speaking about the book’s chapter, not the entire piece)Capitalize the first and last words, proper names, all significant words, and subordinating conjunctions ( etc.)Do not capitalize articles ( ), prepositions (unless they come first or last), or coordinating conjunctions ( etc.)
Examples:

Start with the last name, followed by the first name and separated with a commaIf a book has several authors, enumerate them like on the title page: Use the last-first-name system for the first author and then name the others in the usual name-surname order. Place “and” before the last author in the listIf there’s a corporate author, use the organization’s name
Examples:
Yohansen, MaikKing, Stephen, and Owen KingModern Language Association

The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) is more common for published works than college papers. Many see it as the top one for writers, editors, and publishers to follow when formatting content. Unlike APA or MLA, Chicago style provides two methods for documenting sources:

Author-date , recommended for works in the physical, natural, and social sciences. It requires using parenthetical citations in the text, with a corresponding entry on the reference page.
Notes-bibliography , recommended for works in humanities and some social sciences. It requires using numbered footnotes in the text, with a corresponding shortened citation at the bottom of the page and a fuller citation on the reference page.

The author-date system is similar to APA style and, thus, more common for college essays. When in-text, you mention the author, the date, and the page number (if applicable) in parentheses after the quotation. Like this:

Enlightenment thinkers, such as Kant, believed in the “universal, eternal, and … immutable qualities of all of humanity” (Harvey 1990, 12).

We can almost hear you asking:

“Can you write my essay in this format?”

Yes, we can. Whenever necessary, ask our academic expert for help with your written assignments. When asking your question, provide detailed requirements, including the citation style you need, so that they know what formatting rules to follow.

Below, let’s explore how to put a book title in an essay in CMOS:

Write the title in italicsDo not use quotation marks (unless you’re speaking about the book’s chapter, not the entire piece)Capitalize the first and last words, proper names, and all significant wordsDo not capitalize articles ( ), prepositions, or conjunctions (regardless of their length) unless they are the first or the last words of the title or come after a colon
Examples:

Start with the last name, followed by the first name and separated with a commaIf a book has several authors, enumerate them like on the title page: Use the last-first-name system for the first author and then name the others in the usual name-surname order. Place “and” before the last author in the listIf there’s a corporate author, use the organization’s name
Examples:
Bahrianyi, IvanGolding, William, and Harper LeeUniversity of Chicago Press

Previously known as CBE (the Council of Biology Editors), this style provided formatting guidelines for the editors of biology journals. Today, we know it as CSE (the Council of Science Editors), and it includes many scientific fields in the life sciences, the physical sciences, and mathematics.

As with CMOS, CSE style recommends two systems for documenting sources:

Citation-sequence , listing sources on a reference page according to the order of their appearance in the document.
Name-year , which is similar to the author-date system used in Chicago and APA.

The complete guide is available in Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers (8th ed.) by the Council of Science Editors. Below, we’ll explore how to write a book title in an essay according to this citation style.


Do not use italics, underlines, or quotation marks for book titlesUse a sentence case; only capitalize the first word in the title, proper names, acronyms, and initials Examples: Plant cell culture: essential methodsThe man who loved childrenThe bridge of San Luis Rey	Start with the last name, followed by the initials and with no commas or periods between themIf a book has several authors, enumerate them like on the title page; use “&” before the last author in the listIf there’s a corporate author, use the organization’s name Examples: Salinger JDMoore A, Tolkien JRR, & Woolf VCouncil of Science Editors

AMA stands for the American Medical Association, so it’s a standard citation style in medicine. While it’s less popular than APA or MLA, we’ve decided to include it in this guide anyway, given that medical students might find it helpful.

Is AMA citation the same as APA?

Not quite. While sharing some nuances, the core difference between these two citation styles is that AMA doesn’t use an author-date system in the text. Instead, we use a superscript numbering system here. Like this:

“Smith² argues that….”

Also, unlike APA, AMA style doesn’t organize the reference list alphabetically, but numerically, based upon the order of the sources’ appearances in the text.

How to write the title of a book in an essay when you use AMA style:


Write book titles in italicsCapitalize all significant words, including two-letter verbs like “be” or “is”For book chapters, only capitalize the first words, proper names, and abbreviations that you’d typically capitalizeDo not use quotation marks Examples:	Start with the last name, followed by the initials and with no commas or periods between themIf a book has several authors, enumerate them like on the title page; use “&” before the last author in the listIf there’s a corporate author, use the organization’s name Examples: Fitzgerald FSBahrianyi I, Khvylovy M, & Pidmohylny VAmerican Medical Association

How to Format a Book Title in an Essay

Long story short, most citation styles agree on using the same format for book titles in essays: capitalized, italicized, and with no underlining or quotation mark (unless you write about a book’s chapter or a shorter work like an article, an essay, or a poem within a more extensive work).

Speaking of underlined titles:

When googling information on how to write a book title in an essay, you can find questions from people wondering if they need to underline titles in papers. It’s an old-time practice from when essays were written by hand: You can’t italicize when handwriting, so you underline a title to distinguish it.

Check any book review sample online, and you’ll see that underlining isn’t a common practice anymore.

How to format a book title in an essay in your reference list:


	Last name, Initials. (Year of Publishing). Publisher.	King, S. (2019). Scribner.
	Last name, First Name. . Publisher. Year of publication.	King, Stephen. Scribner. 2000.
	Last name, First Name. . Publishing place: Publisher. Year of publication.	King, Stephen. New York City (NY): Viking. 1989.
	Last name Initials. Year of publishing. Book title. Edition. Place of publication: publisher.	Schott J. 2002. Leading antenatal classes: a practical guide. 2nd ed. Boston (MA): Books for Midwives.
	Last name Initials. Publisher; Year of publication.	Gallagher EB. . Temple University Press; 1993.

So, How Do You Write the Title of a Book in an Essay?

Now that you’ve read our detailed guide on how to write a book title in an essay, let’s recap:

Read the guidelines from your teacher before writing: What citation style do you need to follow?
Check the manual for your assigned style (APA, MLA, or any other) to ensure that you format the book titles and author names correctly.
Most citation styles (except for CSE) tell you to italicize and capitalize book titles in essays. Nevertheless, proofread carefully to avoid mistakes with the formatting of prepositions, punctuation, and subtitles.

Are you looking for a title for your next paper? Get help from our essay title generator : Give it several keywords on your topic, and get relevant and creative titles that hook your readers.

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Reference Examples

More than 100 reference examples and their corresponding in-text citations are presented in the seventh edition Publication Manual . Examples of the most common works that writers cite are provided on this page; additional examples are available in the Publication Manual .

To find the reference example you need, first select a category (e.g., periodicals) and then choose the appropriate type of work (e.g., journal article ) and follow the relevant example.

When selecting a category, use the webpages and websites category only when a work does not fit better within another category. For example, a report from a government website would use the reports category, whereas a page on a government website that is not a report or other work would use the webpages and websites category.

Also note that print and electronic references are largely the same. For example, to cite both print books and ebooks, use the books and reference works category and then choose the appropriate type of work (i.e., book ) and follow the relevant example (e.g., whole authored book ).

Examples on these pages illustrate the details of reference formats. We make every attempt to show examples that are in keeping with APA Style’s guiding principles of inclusivity and bias-free language. These examples are presented out of context only to demonstrate formatting issues (e.g., which elements to italicize, where punctuation is needed, placement of parentheses). References, including these examples, are not inherently endorsements for the ideas or content of the works themselves. An author may cite a work to support a statement or an idea, to critique that work, or for many other reasons. For more examples, see our sample papers .

Reference examples are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Chapter 10 and the Concise Guide Chapter 10

Related handouts

Common Reference Examples Guide (PDF, 147KB)
Reference Quick Guide (PDF, 225KB)

Textual Works

Textual works are covered in Sections 10.1–10.8 of the Publication Manual . The most common categories and examples are presented here. For the reviews of other works category, see Section 10.7.

Journal Article References
Magazine Article References
Newspaper Article References
Blog Post and Blog Comment References
UpToDate Article References
Book/Ebook References
Diagnostic Manual References
Children’s Book or Other Illustrated Book References
Classroom Course Pack Material References
Religious Work References
Chapter in an Edited Book/Ebook References
Dictionary Entry References
Wikipedia Entry References
Report by a Government Agency References
Report with Individual Authors References
Brochure References
Ethics Code References
Fact Sheet References
ISO Standard References
Press Release References
White Paper References
Conference Presentation References
Conference Proceeding References
Published Dissertation or Thesis References
Unpublished Dissertation or Thesis References
ERIC Database References
Preprint Article References

Data and Assessments

Data sets are covered in Section 10.9 of the Publication Manual . For the software and tests categories, see Sections 10.10 and 10.11.

Data Set References
Toolbox References

Audiovisual Media

Audiovisual media are covered in Sections 10.12–10.14 of the Publication Manual . The most common examples are presented together here. In the manual, these examples and more are separated into categories for audiovisual, audio, and visual media.

Artwork References
Clip Art or Stock Image References
Film and Television References
Musical Score References
Online Course or MOOC References
Podcast References
PowerPoint Slide or Lecture Note References
Radio Broadcast References
TED Talk References
Transcript of an Audiovisual Work References
YouTube Video References

Online Media

Online media are covered in Sections 10.15 and 10.16 of the Publication Manual . Please note that blog posts are part of the periodicals category.

Facebook References
Instagram References
LinkedIn References
Online Forum (e.g., Reddit) References
TikTok References
X References
Webpage on a Website References
Clinical Practice References
Open Educational Resource References
Whole Website References

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COMMENTS

How to write the title of a musical in an essay
To write titles for musicals in short musicals while observing guidelines like the AP, APA, MLA, and Chicago Style, you need to put your titles in quotation marks. That's why it's important to know how to put quotation marks in your title. To do this, all you need to do is first press the key (") and then put in the title, before finally ...
Do You Use Quotes or Italics for Song and Album Titles?
Anytime you write out the title of a song, you'll put that song title in quotation marks according to standard grammar rules. Think of a song as a shorter work like a short story. Short story titles are always in quotation marks. Album Titles in Italics. Musical album titles, on the other hand, are always italicized.
How Do You Indicate Song Title When Writing? Clear Instructions
1. Enclose the song title in double ‌quotation marks: "Song Title". This clearly indicates that you‌ are⁢ referring to⁢ the title of ⁢a song, making it easier for readers ⁣to identify and distinguish⁤ it from the rest of⁢ the text. 2. Use⁤ italics within the quotation‌ marks: " "Song Title" ".
Musical Titles
Note that in titles the pitch and the tonality are capitalized. Opus numbers appear last, without capitalization, and are preceded by a comma. The abbreviation for any cataloguer (Kchel = K.) is given as a capital letter. If a work such as those listed above also has a title, the title is listed at the end, in italics, preceded by a comma:
Proper Formatting of Song Titles in Written Documents
The following guidelines will help you correctly format song titles in written documents. 1. Capitalization: The first letter of every word in a song title should be capitalized, except for articles, conjunctions, and prepositions that are shorter than four letters. Example: "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses.
Proper Formatting of Song Titles in Written Documents
In the absence of a style guide, the general rule is to use quotation marks for song titles and italicize CD or album titles. Don't use underlining in place of italics unless you are using a typewriter or writing titles by hand. This article explains the proper formatting of song titles in written documents and includes examples.
How to Cite a Song in MLA
To cite a song accessed through an online streaming service, list the performer (or group) as author, the song title in quotation marks, the name of the site in italics, and the URL where the song can be found. Omit "the" from a band name, e.g. "Beatles," not "the Beatles.". If relevant, use a timestamp to indicate a specific part ...
MLA Titles
Use quotation marks around the title if it is part of a larger work (e.g. a chapter of a book, an article in a journal, or a page on a website). All major words in a title are capitalized. The same format is used in the Works Cited list and in the text itself. When you use the Scribbr MLA Citation Generator, the correct formatting and ...
How to Write a Music Essay: Topics and Examples
The music essay titles below can inspire you to write a captivating essay: How music can be used to promote cultural awareness and understanding. The benefits of music education in promoting creativity and innovation. The social benefits of participating in music groups. The Impact of Music on Memory and Learning.
LibGuides: APA Style Guide 7th Edition: Music/Audio
For songs, keep the song title in regular font while italicizing the album title. For Podcasts in brackets after the Podcast title, include if it was an audio or video podcast. For example: [Audio podcast]. If a title ends with a question mark or exclamation point, use those punctuation marks instead of a period at the end. Publisher
How to Write Song Titles and Artist Names: A Comprehensive Guide
Citing Song Titles Citation Styles. Get an overview of common citation styles like APA, MLA, and Chicago and how they differ in citing song titles in academic or professional writing. Real-World Examples Analyzing Song References. Analyze real-world examples of how song titles and artist names are written in various contexts, from articles to ...
PDF Writing about Music: A Guide to Writing in A & I 24
Writing About Music You don't have to be an expert in music to write a good paper about it. You certainly don't have to be able to read music. You just have to be able to listen closely, analyze the music, and arrive at a view, an opinion, an interpretation of the music's meaning. So in many respects, strong essays about music are like ...
PDF How to Write an Essay in Music Planning, materials, analysis
Clearly state the reasons behind your argument and refer to the materials (music or literature). Do not rely on the reader to fill in the blanks or connect your analysis to the subject of the essay. Your writing needs to be logical and concise, so that your reader understands each point you are making clearly.
How to Cite a Song or Album in MLA Referencing
Song title - If you are citing a specific song, give the title in quotation marks. Album title - Give the name of the album you are citing (or that the song you are citing comes from) in italics. Version - If relevant, include information on the version of the song next (e.g., if there are different versions of a song on different albums).
PDF How to Write an Essay in Music Style
of writing essays in music. Here are some key points: Style Using jargon Do not assume that your reader will know every style-specific term you use. If you are not sure whether the term is something a university educated person will know, you should explain the term briefly. It is safe to assume the terms sonata, swing, and delay pedal, are not ...
632 Amazing Music Topics & Essay Examples
632 Music Essay Topics & Samples. Updated: Mar 2nd, 2024. 35 min. The scholarly analysis of musical history, theory, and cultural aspects of music is called musicology. If you are studying this subject, our team has prepared 507 amazing topics about music for your paper. We will write.
PDF Citing MUSIC SOURCES in your essay and bibliography
reviewed book. Remember that underlining a title = italics, and in the case of a book review BOTH the title of the journal and the title of the reviewed book must be italicized. 5. Robert Carl, review of Feminine Endings: Music, Gender, and Sexuality, by Susan McClary, in Notes: Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association 48 (June 1992 ...
267 Music Essay Topics + Writing Guide [2024 Update]
Choose one of these topics related to music for your college essay: The role of music in your life. Describe what music means to you, how often you listen to it, and how it helps you in life. For example, you can write about inspiration, motivation, or the sense of freedom that it gives you.
Forging good titles in academic writing
Writing effective headings. Although similar, headings are not the same as titles. Headings head paragraphs and help structure a document. Effective headings make your paper easily scannable. Common high level headings in dissertations and research papers are "Methods", "Research results", and "Discussion". Lower level headings are ...
How to Write a Musical: 11 Steps (with Pictures)
1. Run through the musical. Do this on your own or with a friend. If possible, get access to a piano or an instrument that is important in the musical's score. Then, read all the dialogue out loud and sing the songs to the tune of the instrument. Notice how the dialogue and the songs sound aloud.
67 Popular Music Topic Ideas to Write about & Essay Samples
To address the question, it is needed to explore the connection between music and visual representation. Disco, Rock, Jazz and Popular Music: Comparison. With the support of God, the songs encourage the audience to believe in the power of God to overcome the unfortunate events. "Pop Music, Pop Culture" by Chris Rojek.
Book Titles in Essays: Formatting Rules and Examples
Book titles: Author names: Write the title in italicsDo not use quotation marks (unless you're speaking about the book's chapter, not the entire piece)Capitalize the first and last words, proper names, and all words of four or more letters (from, among, except, etc.)Capitalize words that appear after punctuation marks (colons, semicolons, em dashes, etc.), even if it's an article or a ...
Reference examples
More than 100 reference examples and their corresponding in-text citations are presented in the seventh edition Publication Manual.Examples of the most common works that writers cite are provided on this page; additional examples are available in the Publication Manual.. To find the reference example you need, first select a category (e.g., periodicals) and then choose the appropriate type of ...
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