How Musicians Define Perserverance
Before completing your response post, do the following:
Listen to the podcast, including the Bagatelle by Beethoven: “Open Ears Project podcast Episode #24: Terrance McKnight
on Overcoming Adversity” : https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/open-ears-project/episodes/terrance-mcknight-on-overcoming-adversity
Read Langston Hughes’ poem: “Life is Fine”: https://poets.org/poem/life-fine
Your task is to consider the music from McKnight’s point of view (in other words, his personal Expressive Listening experience) and consider how Beethoven’s Bagatelle demonstrates the quality of perseverance.
In what ways can the music suggest the idea of “perseverance in the face of adversity”, as Terrance McKnight claims?
>>Be specific. Identify particular features of the music and how it communicates that idea.
How does the music reflect the ideas that are presented in Hughes’ poem? Make connections between features of the music and specific details in the poem; quote words or phrases from the poem and explain how they relate to the idea of “perseverance in the face of adversity” that McKnight identifies in Beethoven’s Bagatelle.
Present your own musical choice: Choose a musical work that you think reflects the idea of “perseverance in the face of adversity”.
Identify the work (title and artist) and provide a URL link (if possible) so that your readers can hear it.
Discuss the music and make connections: Explain how your musical choice reflects the idea of “perseverance in the face of adversity” (in other words, what features of your musical choice bring that idea to mind), OR how does your musical choice help you deal with adversity?
