NOTICE: Due to a variety of professional and personal reasons, I have chosen to stop updating this Bloopers page. It's not for lack of inspiration (I just had a student answer a question about Baroque music with the term "terrorist dynamics") but quite simply: time. I will continue to keep these pages up, as many folks haven't seen them, but they won't change. Thank you for your support over the years. And you know, kids say the darndest things!

Current through spring semester, 2001

Since December 11, 1995, this page has been visited times...

We've all seen sports bloopers and TV bloopers -- well, how about music bloopers?

Since I began teaching Music Appreciation at Clemson University, I have collected all of the unintentionally funny things that students have written in their formal papers. Everything you will read, including bad spelling and grammar, has been lifted directly off of these reports. (Do note, though, that I do not require my students to write in all of these formats each semester; I rotate among them.)

Disclaimer: for those students of mine who are currently enrolled in my class, you need not worry that your work is represented here; I've included bloopers from previous semesters only. Oh, and all of the names have been omitted to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent!

The bloopers come in seven flavors:

• Concert Reports: Students are required to write a two-page report on a concert or recital they attended. (updated May 8, 2001)

• Rehearsal Papers: I think attending a rehearsal can be as enlightening an experience for non-musicians as attending a concert, revealing to them the process of preparing for a performance. They explain their observations in this two-page paper. (updated May 8, 2001)

• Interview Papers: Students seem to get more personally involved in Classical music after they speak face to face with a real live musician.While conducting the interview they learn of the musician's training, current activities, and philosophical ideas relating to the art and business of music. (updated August 14, 1999)

• Tests: Students sometimes save their best stuff for the tests! (updated May 8, 2001)

• Radio/TV Papers and Video Reviews: periodically I assign this paper to familiarize students with public television and radio and the types of programs that are broadcast. This page also contains reviews of movies they may have watched for extra credit. (updated December 22, 2000)
  
  
• Comparison Papers: Since we can't manage to cover every composer in the book, I give students the opportunity to write a paper comparing two composers and a representative work of each. Though their understanding is not always complete, the students llearn a great deal from doing these papers, . (Updated December 22, 2000)

• Poems: Early in the semester, just after teaching them about the elements of music, I ask my students to write a poem; the only requirement is that it must include at least four elements and they must read it aloud in class. They get the chance to think over what they've recently learned and have a little fun with it. It's just a give-away assignment. (Note: don't expect them all to be "bloopers"; some are quite nicely done).

• Readings: Students are asked to read certain articles or book chapters and write a review on what they read. These excerpts are from Copland's What to Listen For in Music. (updated January 2, 1998)

Finally, sometimes it isn't the students but the professor who bloops (to coin a word). See what you missed by not taking a Survey of Music Literature class at Vanderbilt University!

Also visit Dan Mitchell's Quote File, a similar collection of bloopers from his classes at Da Anza College in Cupertino, California.

Return to Andrew Levin's Home Page.

Send comments to Andrew Levin at alevin@clemson.edu