concert reports 1

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-Concert reports, like the ones for assignments 5 and 6. However, for the extra credit reports you can choose any style or genre of music you wish. It still must be a live performance, meaning musicians performing for a live audience that includes yourself, and you still must turn in a ticket stub or program. Also a quick side note, for a large majority of popular music (and really all music) the performing artist is not the composer. There is a difference between ‘by’ and ‘performed by’.

Students will attend two (2) live concerts consisting of Western art music or jazz, and write a concert response, consisting of at least three (3) full pages of 12-point double-spaced type. The response will be in essay form. Performances need to be by professional or college level ensembles. One of the concerts must be of Western art music (classical). You will turn it in through the course’s Canvas website as either a .docx, an .odt, or a .pdf file. No hardcopies and no other formats will be accepted. The concert report must include a program or ticket. Scan or take a picture of the ticket or program and submit it as a jpeg or pdf with your response. Consult the rubric for criterion and scoring.

Concert Response Format

  • The Basics: The date and time of the concert, the name and description of the performer(s) you saw and heard.
  • Describe the venue, the performers, the instrumentation, the audience, and the content of the program, and the circumstances of the performance. If it is a large ensemble, please do not list all of the performers. This information is usually contained in the program, so there is no need for you to reiterate it. At most you can list the director/conductor, concert master, and section leaders. For smaller ensemble (2-8 members) it is okay name them all. If you draw out a seating arrangement for the instruments, which I encourage you to do, be aware that it does not contribute to the length of your paper. You still need to write at least 3 full pages and please don’t use any of those grade school tricks to make your paper seem longer (large margins, strange spacing, large fonts, etc., etc., etc.)
  • Choose one or two pieces that interested you the most, and discuss at more length the pieces that interested you most on the program, considering your reaction to them in the light of the historical material and information of this class. The object is not to consider the pieces either “good” or “bad,” but to thoughtfully describe and consider your reaction to them as a work in light of historical and technical knowledge. Use concepts covered in the course, such as unity and variety, structure, purpose, tempo, volume, rhythm, melody, harmony, form, historical period and context, etc.
  • Choose one piece and write a one-paragraph biography of the composer of the piece that you have chosen. Properly cite the reference material you use as footnotes using the Chicago Style of citation and bibliography. If the information is not provided in a program, ask one of the performers. Musicians are typically very willing to talk to the audience members. If the work is anonymous, write a one-paragraph description of the work’s genre (e.g. symphony, jazz standard, sonata, traditional folk song, verismo opera, etc.)
  • Describe the performance of this work, and the audience’s (and your) reactions to it. Was the concert well received? Did you enjoy the concert? Why or why not?
  • Consider the performance of the concert as a whole and your experience of it with your broader thinking about music and musicking.
  • You all have personalities and opinions, use them. Your papers will be much better if you do.