1. Pretend you are a music critic. On any streaming platform (Youtube, vimeo, ect.) view any production of an ORCHESTRAL concert (i.e. Symphony, Concerto, Opera, Requiem, Oratorio, Mass).
Students are required to watch and listen to the entire concert, and WHILE TAKING NOTES, select three pieces, songs and/or movements from the performance, and describe them. Students must be able to hear the various parts (elements) of the music and describe them using APPROPRIATE MUSICAL terminology.
This course is not a Gordon Rule course, however this assignment is meant for the student to practice writing in a formal manner while demonstrating an understanding of the musical terms discussed in class. Because of this, students are expected to follow the guidelines on how to write an ACADEMIC paper (i.e. avoid writing in 1st or 2nd person, Italicize or put song titles in quotation marks, avoid slang, ect.)
The overall layout of the paper is as follows:
Paragraph 1 – Introduction. Describe what you see… Set the scene for the reader. Whos performing? How many musicians are on stage? How are they dressed? What/where is the venue? Are there a lot of people in the audience?
Paragraph 2 – Using musical terms, describe the 1st song you chose to analyze
Paragraph 3 – Using musical terms, describe the 2nd song you chose to analyze
Paragraph 4 – Using musical terms, describe the 3rd song you chose to analyze
Paragraph 5 – Conclusion. WITHOUT WRITING IN 1st PERSON, share your overall opinion of the concert. How do you think the audience responded to the concert? Would you listen to or go see this artist or a similar artist again? Make sure to provide support for your comments!!!
All writing submissions must contain no LESS than 500 words – typed and organized into FIVE paragraphs (each paragraph must be at least five sentences long). Each essay must also utilize musical terms learned in class. Students are required to include at least 5 musical terms per essay. Each review will be worth 100 points. Papers are to be submitted electronically through Turn it in. Absolutely NO late submissions will be accepted! Plagiarism will result in a zero as the grade with no opportunity to for extra credit