Live Performance Review

MUL1010: LIVE PERFORMANCE REVIEW GUIDELINES AND INSTRUCTIONS

1. On YouTube or any other streaming website, run a search for “Full live (music genre or subgenre of choice) concert.” The music genre must be a form of Western art music that we have or will study in this class. Some examples of genres and subgenres are orchestra, concerto, chamber music (i.e. string quartet, sonata, piano trio, concerto grosso, etc.), solo piano (or any other instrument), opera, voice, or choir. If you want to write about a specific piece of musical theatre, such as an opera or a Broadway show, then run a search for the specific title of the piece.
*Jazz is not an acceptable genre for this assignment.
*If you write your paper about a performance featuring music outside of Western Art Music (pop, rock, etc.), then you will receive a “0” for this assignment.

2. Your chosen performance must be at least 45 minutes in length (the link must be included at the end of your paper).

3. Watch the entire performance. It is highly recommended that you take notes while watching the performance. Students must be able to hear various parts (elements) of the music and describe them using appropriate music terminology.

4. Your paper must be written using all the standard guidelines used when writing an ACADEMIC paper. Papers are to be typed in 12-point font using Times Roman with a one-inch margin on both sides as well as on top and bottom and double-spaced with a minimum 600-word count.

5. The overall layout of the paper is as follows:
Opening Paragraph:
Introduction paragraph. Describe what you see… set the scene for the reader. Who’s performing? How many musicians are on stage? How are they dressed? What/where is the venue? What is the audience like? How many audience members are in attendance? Be creative with this, but make sure to clearly describe the scene.

Paragraphs 2-?:
Using musical terms pitch (high or low), dynamics (loud or soft), tone color, tone, interval, pitch range (range), accent, improvisation, rhythm, beat, meter, downbeat, upbeat, accent, syncopation, tempo (fast or slow), accelerando, ritardando, melody (step vs. leap, legato vs. staccato), word painting, harmony (consonance vs. dissonance, resolution), modulation, musical texture (monophonic, polyphonic, or homophonic), form (binary vs. ternary, sonata form, theme and variations, etc.), style (time periods), describe the music you are hearing during the performance. Analyze the music by using at least five different musical terms. You may use the terms more than once when describing different pieces/songs during the performance. If writing about a performance featuring instrumental music, create a new paragraph for each piece/song on the performance that you wish to write about. If writing about a musical theatre performance, such as an opera or Broadway musical, choose 3 songs to analyze with each song being in a separate paragraph.

Conclusion.
Share your overall opinion of the concert. How do you think the audience members responded to the performance? Would you listen to or go see this group or artist/artists again? Would you attend concerts featuring similar groups or artists again? Make sure to provide support for your comments!!! Again, be creative.