Homework
The following additional ideas may help you to "break the ice" and find some things to write about. There are many approaches to take on this homework. Use your best academic-style prose writing.
Viewpoint: You are describing the event to someone who generally likes music but has never seen or heard a performance like this before. The following are some ideas to help you evaluate what you hear and to write your concert reviews. Please write your responses in your own words in prose form.
I. Setting: One or two sentences. A brief description of the environment (where and when).
II. The Ensemble:
1. Describe the instrumentation that was used in the group. How were they presented? As a group, or as a soloist accompanied by a group, etc.
2. What was the role of the individual instruments? Were they playing the melody? Or were they accompanying the soloist? Did they appear to shift from melody/solo to accompaniment at different times? How did the musicians appear to be using their instruments to fulfill these roles?
III. The Music:
1. Describe the pieces individually. Did the titles appear to have any particular meaning? How did the sound of the music relate to the title?
2. Look for the following elements in describing the songs:
i. Tempo: slow, medium-tempo, fast (up-tempo).
ii. Rhythm: Steady beat, complex rhythms, use of syncopation.
a. Changes in rhythm (did it start simple and then become
b. More complex). Danceable beat, or more subdued.
c. Could you nod your head or tap your foot?
iii. Melody: In the heads or in the solos, did you hear long melodies? Short "riffs?" Use of many notes? Use of a few notes?
iv. Volume: When was it soft? When was it loud? Did the volume change?
a. Describe how the musicians used their instruments to achieve all of these effects.
v. Mood: How did the soloist or ensemble start a particular piece?
a. How did they use the above elements of sound (tempo, rhythm, melody, volume) to convey different levels of energy or different kinds of moods?
b. Examples: reflective, aggressive, pensive, exuberant, melancholy, peaceful, or various combinations.
c. Did the musicians do anything in particular to "grab" the listener and generate interest (i.e., played simply in the beginning, played loud, played soft, gradually grew louder, played a short rhythmic figure over and over to build tension, etc.)?
3. The effect of the pieces:
i. What was the over-all effect of a piece and why?
ii. Examples: Dramatic, startling, shocking, intriguing, moving, interesting, peaceful, relaxing.
iii. Did the piece or any of the internal sections draw you in?
iv. Did they sound like they were telling a story?
IV. Other impressions:
1. Did ANY particular aspect of any of the musicians' playing make an impression? Did you notice any impressive virtuosity or control of the instrument? If you had to describe exactly what each of the instrumentalists were doing to someone who hadn't seen them, what would you tell them?
V. Did you observe any of the following, and describe how they were implemented:
Duple meter, triple meter, homophony, polyphony, monophony, introductions, endings, melodies, improvisations, syncopations, or any other musical elements which you observed.
Format your homework according to the give formatting requirements:
1. The answer must be double spaced, typed, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the homework, the course title, the student's name, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The references and Citations should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.