Section 6.2

with whom did aaron copland study while he was in paris?
a) bela bartok b) arnold schoenberg c) nadia boulanger d) igor stravinsky

which technique was discontinued during the swing era?
a) collective improvisation b) sliding notes c) soloing d) syncopation

the first moderatist american composer was
a) scott joplin b) aaron copland c) george gershwin d) charles ives

which of the following is not essential to composing film music today?
a) a copy of the movie b) synthesizers c) musicians d) a computer

jazz musicians referred to as a "businessman's house"
a) gershwin's rhapsody in blue b) ragtime c) classical music d) commercial dance music

1. While in Paris, Copland studied with C) Nadia Boulanger. She was a composer, conductor and a teacher who taught many famous composers of the 20th century. As she doubted her own talent as a composer, she devoted entirely to teaching. Copland studied with her for three years.

2. In my opinion, the correct answer is A) Collective improvisation. It was a practice of early jazz music (most notably, ragtime); there were no soloists, but all the band members would freely improvise with their instruments. While it was very effective, it could often sound a little bit too chaotic, so it was later abandoned. Even today, one can most often hear only the soloist improvising.

3. The first modernist American composer was D) Charles Ives. He composed original music that was a unique blend of highly developed European tradition with American authentic elements and church music. Even though his work is widely recognized and respected, it is still not performed enough.

4. The correct answer, in my opinion, is C) Musicians. A few decades ago, you still needed an orchestra or soloists to record the sessions. Today, you do need synthesizers, the movie itself, and a computer, which replaces the musicians. Most of today's soundtracks are both composed and performed on computers.

5. I believe the correct answer is B) ragtime. I think the reason for this lies in Doctorow's famous novel "Ragtime", which starts with a description of a middle-class businessman's house and follows with depicting the early-20th-century America.

How long did it take you to write all that out? ?