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FORMAT
AND CONTENTS OF THE REPORT
The HEADING for the report should appear, single spaced on the upper right corner of the first page and should contain the following:
* Name of the concert
* Date of the concert
* Your name
* Report #
* Date submitted
The BODY of the report should contain the following:
A. Introductory information
(who, what, when, where, why)
B. Observations/descriptions
of what you hear at the concert. This category will constitute
the majority of your report. Describe
the concert in detail, using language that you know. Technical
musical terms are not required.
C. Emotional/intellectual
response (May be a paragraph near the end of the report or may
be mixed with B.
D. Logic of the concert
(if any is obvious) - grand design/purpose/theme of the concert
E. Summary
Reports should be 2-3 pages in length,
in standard font (Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, etc), in 10 or 12
point and double spaced with standard margins. Hand-written reports
are not acceptable.
Do not include a separate title page. "Heading"
information at the top of the first page will replace the title
page.
Attach program to the back of your report.
Reports must be submitted by the due dates
listed on your syllabus. Late work will not be accepted.
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ATTENDING
A CONCERT AND TAKING NOTES
- Plan two hours into
your schedule for attending a concert. Some may be shorter, but
you must allow enough time to attend the FULL concert.
- Arrive early to get
a good seat, to read any program notes and to get set to take
notes unobtrusively.
- If you are uncomfortable
about when to applaud, wait and follow the lead of those with
more experience.
- Be polite, and especially,
be quiet. Remember a concert is an audio event, just as a sports
competition is a visual event. Making noise
during a concert is like standing in front of someone at a game.
Concert goers may be more polite to the offender than sports
fans would be, but the offense is just as great.
- Figure our a way of
taking notes that will not disturb the concert goers around you.
A small notebook ó like reporters use ó is a
good idea.
- The concert hall will
be dark, so be prepared to take notes without seeing very well.
- Think about your note-taking
style ahead of time. How can you be best prepared to write your
report when you get home from the
concert.
- It is best to write
a draft of your report immediately after the concerts. Your memory
will supplement your notes at that time, but it
will fade soon after.
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GETTING
STARTED ON THE REPORT
"Start your report with a single sentence that gives your honest reaction to the entire concert. This sentence will not appear on your finished report, but it will give you a guidepost to keep you on track as you write the report." (Boyd, 1991)
This is a good suggestion and will be
a useful first step for getting your thinking process started.
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AVOIDING COMMON ERRORS
CONTENT:
- Be sure to describe what you hear rather
than evaluating the performer. Write descriptions. Avoid being
judgmental. Be careful about judging something as not good when,
in truth, it simply does not suit your taste.
- If you attend a vocal concert, be sure
that your comments focus primarily on the music. You may want
to discuss the texts, also, as a secondary focus.
- Be sure that your report is written in
one verb tense. Avoid the athletic convention of using "would"
to refer to something that has already happened.
FORMAT:
- Underline titles of major works.
- Use quotation marks for movements and
smaller works.
- A large piece with subsections may be
called
* a piece, work, composition
* a symphony, concerto,
sonata, etc. (as indicated in the title)
* set or group ( in the
case of songs or miscellaneously grouped pieces)
- The subsections of a large piece may
be called
* Movements, sections,
parts
* Andante, vivace, etc
(as tempo markings)
* "Two Little Flowers,"
etc. (as the subtitle indicates)
* songs or pieces (if
part of a group rather than one large, single work.
GENERAL:
- 2-3 pages means 3 sheets of paper.
- Be sure the concert you choose to review
in on the concert list for the class.
- Songs have words and are sung by voices.
If there are no words, it is not a song.
- Be sure to attach a printed program to
your report.
- One generally goes to hear a concert and
to see an athletic event.
- Use your spell checker!!
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SUGGESTED
REFERENCES FOR REPORT WRITING
Boyd, Jack. ENCORE! A Guide to Enjoying Music. Mountain View, CA: Maybield Publishing Company, 1991.
- "Attending
a concert and Writing a Report," pp. 395-401.
- "What is Music
and How Do We Hear It?" pp. 1-21.
Hoffer, Charles R. The Understanding of Music. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1991.
- "Guide to Performances," pp. 524-35.
Winter, Robert. Music in Our Time. Belmont, CA" Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1992.
- "Prelude," pp. 3-15.
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The above listed books are on 2-hour reserve
in the library.