Essay 2 Worksheet

Overview of Worksheet:
Many professors will require that you use two types of sources: primary sources and
secondary sources. A primary source refers to the object, text, score, or piece that you are
analyzing directly as your topic – that is, you are examining it yourself, as if you are the
“first” person seeing it. A secondary source refers to an article that has been written about
the topic. It has an author, so you are viewing it indirectly, or “second-hand” – through
someone else’s eyes.
• Examples of primary sources include: music scores, composers’ letters, interviews,
diaries, performance videos, poems/librettos, autobiographies, etc.
• Examples of secondary sources include: articles, history textbooks, biographies,
magazines, encyclopedias (including Wikipedia), etc.

You should have already chosen a primary source for Essay #2. There are two parts to this
worksheet. In the first part, you will (1) find a secondary source (an article for your essay),
and then (2) begin the writing process by writing a response paper. Response papers are
useful because they provide a method for discovering a core observation and a thesis.

PART 1: FINDING A SECONDARY (OUTSIDE) SOURCE

A. Before you begin: To find an article to read, you will need to come up with some
words to use that will help you search. Librarians call these key words, which are
special nouns or multiword units that you use to search your topic? I’ve listed some
questions to help.
• What is the name of the musician or ensemble you chose?
Keith Jarrett
• What is the genre or style of music they are known for?
Jazz
• What is the name of a famous performance or work they are known for?
Keith Jarrett Standards Trio
• What are some adjectives or phrases associated with this musician?
(e.g. Mozart is often described as a genius, or a child prodigy; Lang Lang’s
performance style is often described as playful or flamboyant)
Innovative, poetic, polyphonic, musical, imaginative
• What are some synonyms for these words?
Creative, lyrical, contrapuntal, expressive, inspired

B. First, find two (2) sources using Google. Using your key words from part A, find two
(2) articles about this person on Google. (An “article” is an essay that has a specific,
 Essay 2 Worksheet

named author – that is, it is not anonymous.) Write down the information in the chart
below.
Title: Title:
‘The Köln Concert’: How Keith Jarrett Keith Jarrett: Alone in a Crowded Room
Defied The Odds To Record His
Masterpiece Author:
Author: Nate Chinen
Charles Waring
Website link:
Website Link: https://jazztimes.com/features/interviews
https://www.udiscovermusic.com/storie /keith-jarrett-alone-in-a-crowded-room/
s/koln-concert-keith-jarrett/

Do either these articles seem useful? Why or why not?

Yes, it is very useful because the articles provide a solid background about the artist.
Also, there are quotes from the artist so it is more effective and straightforward.

C. Next, find one (1) source using Sibley Library’s search tool. Go to the Sibley Music
Library page (https://www.esm.rochester.edu/sibley/). Click on the “Articles” tab.
Make sure you select “Full Text” from the drop-down menu. Then, enter your key
words. (See image for help.)

Choose one (1) titles and enter them in the box below.

Title of Article:
Keith Jarrett's transformation of standard tunes
Title of Journal, Magazine, or Newspaper:

Author:
Dariusz Terefenko
Website Link: https://search-proquest-
com.ezp.lib.rochester.edu/docview/305050495/FB8379D079524C50PQ/1?accountid=13567
 Essay 2 Worksheet

D. Finally, choose an article to use in your essay. Examine the titles from parts B and C,
and choose ONE that looks useful. Write your choice in the space below, and explain
why you chose it.
My choice is ‘The Köln Concert’: How Keith Jarrett Defied The Odds To Record His
Masterpiece. I choose this is because the article is very specific about a concern incident of
the artist, and based on that certain point to elaborate his style of music.

Part 2: WRITE A RESPONSE PAPER

(Combining Primary and Secondary Sources)

In this section, you will combine your primary and secondary sources to write a response paper.

A. First, take notes on your primary source – that is, take notes on your musician’s style
of speaking/writing. Carefully read through (or listen to) your musician’s website,
speech, video, etc. Just as you did with your Bernstein essay, you should try to find
images, language, or patterns that feel surprising, odd, or unusual to you. Use your
knowledge as a musician (as well as your knowledge of English) to measure whether
something is surprising. Write these reactions in the margin or on a separate sheet of
paper. Some possible reactions are:
• This part is boring.
• I love this example!
• This is completely new to me!
• I am surprised that he would say this.
• I disagree with this idea.
• This doesn’t seem relevant. I don’t get why he is talking about this.
• Wow! What a cool idea.
• This is an interesting metaphor/image.
• Isn’t this a little outdated?
• I never thought about ___ in this way before.
• Wow! There is a lot of stance language here!

In the space below, write down 3-5 reactions that you had. Use first person and write
sentences that express your feelings. Do not try to write academically or use formal
English. Can you identify one of these responses as especially significant? If so, put a
star next to it. This might become a core observation.

Wow! That’s a really interesting metaphor, but also very true.

Omg this is very vibey. But it is pretty surprising that he would say that.
I can tell why he said that by listening to his music.

B. Next, write a response paper. Remember that a response paper is approximately 250-
500 words and consists of 2 parts: summary and response. The summary should use
neutral language, whereas the response should use lots of stance language.
 Essay 2 Worksheet

• First, discuss your musician in a neutral way – that is, the common knowledge or
viewpoints about this person. What do most people know about this musician?
How do they perceive him/her? For this part of the, you should read and
summarize the article that you chose in part 1.

• Second, you should discuss what you found most interesting about this
musician’s rhetoric. To write this section, use your opinion and stance language,
and the evidence from part 2 of this assignment.

Keith Jarrett is one of the most influential and versatile pianist in a variety of genres,
such as jazz, jazz fusion, classical, contemporary music, and free improvisation. The most
noticeable characteristic that people can immediately perceive is the way of his playing.
He shouts, screams, and sometimes stands when he plays, which none of the other jazz
pianists will do. The reason why he would make noises when he plays is because he
believes body expression is the best way to convey his musical idea. In addition, since he
is involved with various genres, his music adds on lyrical, poetic feeling. He had lots of
concerts that is only him playing piano without repertoire. His free improvisation
consists of elements that are from all different kinds of music genres. People often go to
his concert to experience the musical journey through many genres and the beautiful
contrapuntal melodies.

Keith’s musical stand point and his style of playing has totally redefined the term
“improvisation”. His way of approaching to improvisation is different from other jazz
pianists, since he believes that improvisation is personal, and it is originated and
expressed by self-emotions, instead of trying to play like “jazz” and borrow the styles,
licks from past players. Keith stated that jazz is about ecstasy, connectedness, and
sensitivity, yet lots of musicians are just doing stylistic playing, which loses the originality
of improvisation. I found this idea so inspiring and introspective because what we are
learning in school are all based on the past, things that is from other jazz musicians.
Although it is a very important source and nutrients to learn jazz, we often lose track
and forget who we actually are when we are absorbing all kinds of music from others.