How to Write About Music

How to Write About Music serves as a comprehensive guide for music journalists, critics, and enthusiasts. The book combines practical writing instruction with examples from established music writers and publications. The text includes writing prompts, exercises, and sample pieces across multiple formats including reviews, profiles, essays, and blog posts. Contributors share insights on crafting compelling narratives about music while maintaining technical accuracy and engaging different audiences. Examples are drawn from diverse musical genres and time periods, demonstrating various approaches to music criticism. The book incorporates both traditional print journalism techniques and guidance for digital media formats. This guide explores the challenge of translating auditory experiences into written language while examining music's cultural impact and artistic significance. The text positions music writing as a craft that bridges critical analysis, cultural documentation, and creative expression.

Readers found this book provides concrete examples and practical exercises for music writing, though some note it works better as a reference than a cover-to-cover read. Likes: - Collection of diverse writing samples from respected music journalists - Clear breakdown of different music writing formats (reviews, profiles, essays) - Helpful writing prompts and exercises - Strong focus on journalism basics and fact-checking Dislikes: - Can feel disorganized and scattered - Some found the advice too basic - Several readers wanted more depth on technical music analysis - Limited coverage of digital/online music writing Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (83 ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (31 ratings) Notable reader comment from Goodreads: "Great for understanding different approaches to music writing, but feels more like a textbook than an inspiring guide." Several Amazon reviewers noted the book works well as a classroom text, with one writing instructor calling it "perfect for teaching music journalism fundamentals."

Writing About Music: A Style Guide by Richard Wingell This reference guide presents technical requirements and structural frameworks for crafting album reviews, artist profiles, and academic papers about music.

They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib The book demonstrates methods for connecting music criticism to cultural analysis through essays that weave personal experience with broader social context.

How to Write About Contemporary Art by Gilda Williams This manual breaks down the process of writing about creative works through examples from professional art critics and journalists.

The Art of Music Production by Richard James Burgess The text explains how to analyze and write about music production through examination of studio techniques, recording processes, and sonic elements.

Music: What Happened? by Scott Miller This collection of year-by-year music writing demonstrates structural approaches to chronicling and critiquing popular music across decades.

🎵 The book includes over 50 writing prompts and exercises designed to help both beginners and experienced writers tackle different aspects of music journalism. 🎸 Contributing writers to the book include acclaimed music critics from publications like Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times. 📚 It's part of the Bloomsbury Academic series "50 Exercises," which includes similar instructional books on topics like film, fashion, and food. ✍️ The book features real-world examples of various music writing formats, from album reviews to artist interviews, showing readers practical applications of different techniques. 🎼 Co-editor Marc Woodworth is not only a music writer but also a poet and professor at Skidmore College, where he teaches courses in writing and literature.