Leandra Adcock

Boudreau
ENC 2135
25 September 2016
Different Opinions, Not So Different Genres
[Three friends plan to meet in a local coffee shop, the location in which they hope to settle an age
old debate once and for all. You see, these friends are agreeable in almost every subject except
for one: music. Once this hot topic creeps into their conversations, there is no turning back,
arguments never fail to ignite. The trio cant seem to accept any other type of music than the one
they listen to personally, but theyve agreed to debate one last time in hopes that this will be the
last colloquy. The first to walk through the door is Trevor, a sweet southern boy who loves
country music and his mama, followed by Stacy who thinks all mainstream pop music is a bore
and that Alternative is the only genre that is noteworthy. Lastly, Cierra, a sassy girl who loves to
pop, lock, jam, and break1 struts in listening to her favorite kind of music: hip hop.]
(They sit down at a nearby table. Cierra takes off her headphones just as Stacy begins to speak.)
STACY
Im not really sure why this is a still a discussion after so many years of arguing but I think that
the best way to end this entire discourse is to go head to head.

TREVOR
1 High School Musical reference

What, like a contest or something?

STACY
Yes, exactly! It will be a battle of the genres. Well each pick our favorite song and explain why
we like that specific one and what significance it has for us or our genre.
TREVOR
*shrugs* Sounds fine to me.
CIERRA
Fair enough but no judging! We all know how opinionated you can get, Stacy. So lets just
keep our cool and hear each other out.
(Stacy rolls her eyes)
STACY (continues)
ANYWAY, I will just go ahead and start it out then. As you both already know, I listen to
Alternative music. My favorite song is Car Radio by Twenty One Pilots, and actually I think Ill
just go ahead and play it out loud so you guys can get the whole mood of the song.
(Car Radio begins to play; Tyler Josephs voice fills the void in the empty caf.)
So this song has so many relatable lyrics in it that means so much to me and to many others who
endure the same struggles. Ooh, this is my favorite part!
Im forced to deal with what I feel
There is no distraction to mask what is real
I could pull the steering wheel.

On the surface it seems like he is referring to the literal absence of noise (because as he said
earlier someone stole his car radio) that is leading him to think and ponder on present
predicaments. He also could be referring to the distractions of life that allow you to avoid
addressing all of your inner demons. Tyler alludes to suicide and depression in many of his
songs, topics that not many songwriters are able to successfully integrate into song lyrics as
masterfully as he has. He does it in such a way so that the issues are addressed but without
making it sound so dismal. Songs like these are meaningful, focusing on real world problems
that everyone faces rather than something meaningless like pick-up trucks. This can be said
about every song by this band.
Cause somebody stole my car radio
And now I just sit in silence.
(The song ends.)
CIERRA
I mean, that wasnt too bad considering it was basically a rap song.
STACY
Well thats the thing about Twenty One Pilots, theyre so many genres at once that they dont fit
into one alone. Sometimes they pull from hip hop influences or even rock, but theyre classified
as alternative because they dont fit any mold.
TREVOR
Hey wait a minute, just because you think most country songs are about taking drives down dirt
roads in pick-up trucks doesnt mean that there arent messages in them too!

CIERRA
Told you she was too opinionated for her own good!
TREVOR
Country music may not mean much to you but it means a whole lot to me. I grew up listening
to it with my dad. He would play guitar and we would sing songs written by George Strait, Willie
Nelson, and all the greats. My all-time favorite song is Live Like You Were Dying by Tim
McGraw. This song talks about living life to the fullest, which is what we all need to do
sometimes: kick back and enjoy life before it passes you by. However, there are songs that dont
mean much when you listen to whats being said but they do mean something when you listen to
the sounds that are being made. Thats because country songs use real instruments. In the song
we just listened to, I could barely tell what instruments were playing or if they were even real
instruments to begin with. Its not like that with country. You can always make out the twang
from the guitar or banjo and nothing can beat the authentic sounds these traditional instruments
make.
CIERRA
Music doesnt have to have guitar in it to sound good! Hip-hop thrives on the beat! My favorite
song is hands down Views by Drake. Ill just have to play it for you, I promise youll love it.
This song is just so great because Drake always keeps it original. He talks about his life and
preaches about all of the messed up things in this world. In this song specifically, he highlights
just how far hes gotten in his life and career.
I dropped out right before I graduate
Six credits left, my mama had her saddest day

Its only up from here, I promise, you just gotta wait

And she took my word for it, thats all I had to say
Even though he didnt graduate, he promised his mom hed be successful and look at him now!
This song is proof that you can overcome any obstacles before you if you have the right amount
of determination. Through it all Drake is very humble and doesnt let haters get him down, which
is a good way to be.
If I was you, I wouldnt like me either.
(The song ends.)
(The barista that works at the caf, overhearing the entire debate walks over to partake in the
discussion)
DALE
Hey guys, so I dont mean to intrude but I overheard you talking and was wondering if I could
put in my two cents.
STACY
Sure!
DALE
Well let me just start off by saying Im a music major and have always been interested in music
and the debates it sparks. For starters, I just wanted to outline the general instrumental
differences between each genre. Country musics instrumentation centers on guitar as well as
banjo, fiddle and even harmonica; so Trevor was right about that. Hip Hop on the other hand is
focused on a beat, so drum machines, synthesizers and turntables are all common but live

instrumentation is also used when desired. For example, Drakes album views features harp and
cello. Alternative music is a kind of catch-all term for music that does not exactly follow the
rules. Because this genre is so broad, it is difficult to pinpoint the instrumentation, but a basic
example would include drums, an electric guitar, and a bass. In the case of Twenty One Pilots,
they use drums, piano and sometimes ukulele.
TREVOR
Okay but you have to admit that country music has the best song layout. The melody in a country
song beats everything else!
DALE
Actually the song structures of most popular songs are very similar. Verses lead into prechoruses, pre-choruses lead into choruses, choruses lead into the next verse and onto the bridge.
This layout is called the Verse/Chorus structure and is very common and easy to fit song ideas
and lyrics into, which is why it is so widely used. Ultimately it is left up to the artist to decide
how they want the song set up. A chorus could be at the beginning of the song if they choose to
do so. Another example is the AABA structure in which section A provides a basic musical
theme that is repeated (often with different words) and then separated by Section B which
provides a musical and lyrical contrast to the theme from section A. Both of these are types of
Sectional Forms. In Hip Hop, there will sometimes be no chorus, just a constant rap to deliver a
straightforward message to listeners. This is called the AAA structure, because there are three
parts of a song that are played consecutively, all sounding alike.
STACY
So what about the messages of songs? Dont you think alternative music is more meaningful?

DALE
I think all music has a message. Thats the fundamental foundation of music itself. Whether it is
conveying a feeling or explicitly sending a message to the listener, it is all very meaningful. Let
me ask you guys a question. Why are all of you so close minded about music genres? Sure,
everyone has their own styles and subject matters but in general theres not much of a difference
among them.
CIERRA
I guess you do have a point
STACY
Yeah, I guess its just about perspective.
TREVOR
Music is just music, no matter how you define it.
STACY
So shall we call it a truce?
TREVOR AND CIERRA
Truce!
[The trio leave the coffee shop, thanking Dale for his unbiased insight which ultimately settled
their debate.]

Self-Analysis Questions Project 1

Howd it go?!?

My argument gets across to the reader pretty well. Its interesting because its simple to read and
easy to follow along, especially since the characters are similar to my peers and I allowing me to
portray an accurate representation. Using dialogue, I was able to argue in a more creative way. I
think I chose my examples well for the most part. While at first I regretted choosing the
Alternative genre because of its broad nature, it ultimately supported my argument that all genres
are similar. The analysis of each genre went well, once I introduced the song it was easy to dig
deeper. However, I dont think Ill ever feel satisfied with any of the essays that I write. Theres a
lot of gray area when it comes to writing so Im never sure if Im making the right choices
whenever I write each word or sentence. My goal for this essay was to be more comfortable with
writing in dialogue. While I definitely learned a lot, I wouldnt say that it is my favorite form. In
order to develop my thesis, I first began with the idea that the three genres I chose were
completely different, each having their own persona in the characters I created. But I soon
realized that there wasnt much different between the genres, fundamentally. So I had the
characters debate and introduced an unbiased party to make them realize that theyre a lot more
similar than they think. I think I did a good job of persuading the reader and myself. I struggled
with the organization of this essay. I used to hide behind the five paragraph essay as a way of
organizing my thoughts. Now that I had to write in dialogue I didnt know how to effectively
transition each idea. The easy part was the actual analysis, I knew what I wanted to say about the
songs before I started writing. The hard part was deciding how I was going to include it in a
smooth transitioning essay that effectively gets my argument across to the reader.

How is it going to go?!?

I made it interesting by making the arguments come to life. The characters conversations and
personality did all the work for me, helping the reader stay engaged and entertained. You can
surprise the reader by arguing things that they wouldnt normally agree with. For example,
anyone would say that country is different than hip hop, but wouldnt normally say they are
similar. For project 2, I will use personal narratives along with traditional analysis which is
different than the dialogue form from Project 1. By writing in narrative, the reader better
understands the point you are trying to make and stays engaged in your argument. I want help
with what my essay should look like when done. Im not exactly sure what formality or styles
should be used in my paper so it would be beneficial to me to see some examples of the kind of
work you are looking for.