Workshop Questions

Global

·       Is there a clear theme identified?

o   Does the theme seem important for understanding the album?

o   Is the discussion of the theme interesting and important?

o   Does the author spend more time discussing the theme or the music

o   Does the piece feel 

·       Is reading this enjoyable?

o   At any point does it feel too dry, academic, or boring

o   Is the voice consistent?

§  Look at specific points where the voice falters and try some collaborative re-writes.

§  Brainstorm different ways to keep a light tone while dealing with serious topics

·       Alternatively, consider if we as music critics need to take these topics seriously just because academics do. Can we take the arguments seriously but still have fun with language/style.?

·       Alternatively, are there points where music critics need to take things more seriously?

·       What do you get from reading this?

o   Is the analysis interesting?

o   Does the reviewer tell you anything that is not obvious?

o   How does the analysis enrich your listening to the album?

Meso

·       Layout

o   Is the blog readable

o   Are images and videos laid out with a clear purpose or do they seem random?

o   Is the layout consistent

§  Paragraph breaks

§  Fonts

§  Colors

§  Image formatting

·       Do Paragraphs work together?     

o   Does each paragraph build from its preceding paragraph and establish a reason for the paragraph afterwards?

o   Might your review benefit from different section headings?

o   Does the introduction establish were the argument is heading or a major theme?

o   Are any of the paragraphs superfluous?