Concert Report Assignment
(Read completely and carefully BEFORE attending the concert)
(300 points)
PURPOSE
This assignment is intended to promote active listening and a better understanding of the meaning of a musical performance in its broader context. NOTE: Due to the lack of public performances at this time students will be choosing videos of concert performances to view online rather than attending live events. You may choose a single video of a full concert or a collection of videos totaling at least 45 minutes.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS
• A 1000 word minimum report
• A URL link to the event (or events) you choose to view. (Minimum of 45 minutes of music)
• Performance(s) must viewed during the current semester
• Report is to be submitted through Canvas via the assignments tool as a Word document.
FORMATTING
There are as many ways of expressing yourself in a Concert Report as there are concerts! Although I hope you will be somewhat creative with the content, please do not be creative with the mechanics. Please follow the guidelines below when submitting your concert report.
Document file name:
• Compose your report as a Word document and upload it to the Assignment.
• Please save your document with your name and assignment title before uploading
• Example: JohnDoeConcertReport.docx
Cover Page should be formatted as follows:
• Name
• Course name and section number
• Title of the concert or event
• Word Count
• URL link to the performance video(s)
DESCRIPTION
This assignment is an opportunity to explore a musical performance (or a collection of performances) from an intellectual and cultural perspective. Music is probably the most ubiquitous of the arts. One typically must go to a museum or gallery to see great art. One must go to the theater to see a play or dance recital. But music is all around us. It is in our cars, in the coffee shop, in the drugstore, in our iPhone as we walk across campus, etc. The unfortunate side effect is that for many of us, music has become a background event. Music is something we listen to while we do something else. We listen while driving, while studying, while eating, while shopping, etc. Seldom do we focus on the music itself and its meaning.
A live music performance on the other hand is a cultural product and is by nature interconnected with many facets of its cultural environment. Your task is to watch a video of a live music performance and form an opinion about what a the event means to the people who experience it, both performers and audience, and to discuss your interpretation of how the music reflects its cultural setting.
The type of concert you choose can be of your choice, though you are highly encouraged to watch something that is outside of your usual experience. While a description of the event is necessary, I do not want this to simply be a concert “review.” The goal is for you to think critically about the musical activity and its role as a product of culture, not to “critique” it with biased opinion.
CONTENT
What you discuss in the report will depend to some degree on the type of event that you attend. At a bare minimum, your report should include the following:
• Who performed and where did the performance take place (the setting or specific location if possible)
• What type of music was performed including a general description of the music, the culture that it reflects, the instruments that were performed, and the role the type of music plays in the culture that produces it.
• The role the music played in the event itself (pure entertainment, dance accompaniment, religious ritual, educational event, etc.)
• Your impression of the perspective of the performers (Why are they doing this, what does it seem to mean to them, etc)
• Your impression of the perspective of the audience (Why are they here, what is the significance of the event to them)
• How does this event and the music performed represent the culture in which in is created? How does it reflect the values, interests, beliefs, etc. of the people who produce it and participate in it?
The main goal here is to move beyond a simple description of what happened and get to the questions of why and what does this mean to the people involved. Consider the descriptions of the music and its relationship to the culture in your book as a model for how you approach your report.
IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS:
• The event you choose must be watched during the current semester.
• Your video or collection of videos should include a minimum of 45 minutes of music performance. Watching only a few moments, which makes it impossible to report on the entire performance, is not acceptable and will not fulfill the concert requirement.
• Your Concert Report must be grammatically and technically correct, including sentence structure and paragraphing. Use spell check. College level, academic writing is expected.
• References to any source (e.g. program notes, Google, Artist Websites, Wikipedia, etc.) must be indicated by quotations (“) and cannot exceed 10% of your report. Academic policies regarding plagiarism will be enforced. See Syllabus for statement of Student Academic Conduct.
• Some suggestions for concerts available on YouTube are provided below. These are just some suggestions to get you started, please feel free to find other performances as well. If you have any doubt as to whether a performance is acceptable, please feel free to contact me.
Sona Jobarteh & Band – Kora Music from West Africa – YouTube
GRADING
• Content/Discussion of the event: 100 points
• Organization/Flow of the report: 100 points
• Formatting/Mechanics: 50
• Writing/Grammar: 50
