Example Of Article Analysis Essay

Joshua Fouse

Professor Allanson

Research 201-B35

5 March 2023

Article Analysis: The Arts Intro

Popular music has had a large impact on the public. With various genres from rock, pop, hip-hop, or country, there’s music out there for everyone. The effects of music on the world can really be seen in three easy ways, socially, culturally, and economically. First the social impact. Music has been used to promote social and political change. An example of this is the “Yankee Doodle” originally sang by the British to mock the American colonists, trying to promote change within the colonies. Music has also helped give a voice to communities that didn’t necessarily have one before. An example of this is “Say It Loud” by James Brown which was meant

The article “Performance Analysis and Popular Music: A Manifesto” by Philip Auslander has two main purposes. First, to explain how music-based performance categories are typically excluded from theatre performance studies. Second, to show a method for performance analysis that mainly focuses on well-known musicians. Auslander reviewed three existing works in his article. The first was, Performing Rites: On the Value of Popular Music Written by Simon Frith. This book offers a paradigm for considering popular music as a performance within the disciplinary framework of cultural studies. Second, In the Houses of the Holy: Led Zeppelin and the Power of Rock Music written by Susan Fast. Susan’s book effectively combines performance research and cultural research. The third book used is, In Musicking: The Meanings of Performing and Listening by Christopher Small. (Auslander 4) The specific arts-based research method used in this study was performance ethnography. In order to investigate and present ethnographic findings, performance ethnography employs theatrical or performative methods. It entails working more creatively and collectively with research participants, as well as using performance to share research results with a larger audience. (Hark

Ultimately Auslander isn’t trying to study just music, but to create a connection between the study of performances and the study of music. This way one is not seen without the other. Auslander says he wants to help encourage and develop readings that pay attention to the specifics of bodily movement, gestures, costumes, and facial expressions as much as vocal and musical sound in performances by well-known musicians. (Auslander 3) Auslander restricted his research only to well-known music even though some other genres are mentioned too. He also made clear that his research would include recorded music and performances not just live acts as most music is listened too on the radio rather than in concert so the findings would be more accurate. Auslander came to the conclusion that singers relate closely to actors in the idea that both have different personalities. Actors have their actual personalities as well as the one they’re acting out. Auslander argues that musicians do this too, off stage they’re themselves, on stage they put on a character to act out whatever song they’re performing. However, for musical artists this “Character” is a voluntary act. It doesn’t define the song. Along with that, the performance that goes along with the song isn’t always the