Composing a One-Page Essay about Music: Tips and Tricks

When you are given a one-page essay writing assignment on music, you’re first instinct is probably to celebrate. And while this kind of assignment is often welcomed with open arms by most students, it can still prove to be pretty difficult to draft. The hardest part is that it needs to still contain all of the major structural components of a longer writing assignment. This means you need your introduction and conclusion. A thesis, supporting paragraphs, transitions, etc. This can be challenge if you don’t go into it with the right mindset. Here are a few tips and tricks to compose a great one-page essay about music:

1. The first step is to read your instructor’s writing prompt carefully. What is he looking for in your paper about music? Does he want your opinion on the best music? Does he want an artist bio? You can lose points on your assignment if you don’t address the requirements.
2. Next, brainstorm some ideas and cluster the best and interesting ones together. You won’t have enough room in your music essay to go in-depth on any one topic, but you should be able to string together 2 or 3 topics in support of your main argument.
3. Organize your notes in an outline and start drafting your paper. Start with an introduction and write in a draft version of your thesis statement. Move on to the next topic and so forth. Draft your conclusion as brief summary that ties all of your topics together.
4. Start revising your one-page essay, paying special attention to your body paragraphs. Your paper may be more than a page long but right now you need to focus more about getting the core of your argument across clearly.
5. Go back to your introduction and conclusion. These sections should be reduced so that your paper sits just a few sentences over your restrictions. If you’ve revised your body paragraphs correctly, you should be able to simply lead into and lead out of those paragraphs with each the intro and conclusion.
6. Edit your entire music essay. Use shorter words that state your idea succinctly and efficiently. Rewrite long or confusion sentence structures. Remove words that have vague meanings and replace them with words that get to the point.
7. Lastly, proofread your paper to make sure you have corrected errors in grammar, punctuation and spelling. Every little mistake counts and can reduce your score. So be sure to review your work with a fine-toothed comb.