The Concert Experience and Concert Review
As a part of your “music experience,” you will be attending four concerts during the term and submitting a review of each. You should have read the sample professional reviews provided in the Concert Reviews downloaddocument.
These reviews should be no shorter than one full double-spaced page, utilizing a standard font (Times New Roman, Arial, Century Gothic, or Tahoma) of 12 point size or smaller. A copy of the concert program, if available, must be attached to the document. In the absence of a program, a ticket stub or some similar “evidence of attendance” will suffice.
Purpose
The goals of concert attendance include, but are not limited to, providing you with opportunities to:
Participate as an audience member in the active process of music-making.
Develop and broaden listening skills.
Hear a broad range of music repertoire presented in live performances by large ensembles, chamber music groups, and/or soloists.
Develop and model appropriate concert etiquette as audience members.
If you are uncertain about or unable to attend an event, please contact me immediately, as these assignments are a significant portion of your final grade in this course.
Instructions
A Concert Review is a critical review of the event you attended. If you choose to cite any sources that are not personal information (program notes, course packet, etc.), it is necessary to include footnotes and a bibliography in your review.
In addition to attaching a copy of the program and/or ticket stub, be certain that you:
Include your name, date, class title, term, and instructor,
List the name of the group or concert, date of event, and location, and
Make observations about the performance, such as:
What do you believe is the mission of the performer(s)?
How did the performer/piece connect with the audience?
Did the composition bridge the past to the present?
What was the ambience of the concert?
What instruments or voices were featured, and how were they used?
Was it an effective combination?
Did the performer(s) seem to find the piece(s) satisfying?
What was the audience reaction?
Take Notes
To write a successful Concert Review, you must take notes during the concert. Although this is one of the most challenging aspects of writing a concert report, it is vital that you take notes that are detailed enough to generate a thorough report.
Writing the Concert Review: Style and Content
These are formal papers. Provide a title that reflects the concert you attended or viewed.
Your report should have an introduction, body, and conclusion.
Write about ALL of the works on the concert program.
Provide concrete examples and support your statements with analysis or factual information.
Remember that “less is more.” Don’t get bogged down in wordy sentence constructs.
PROOFREAD your paper!
Cite your sources.
