Concert Notes Assignment:

For this assignment you will type concert notes for two of the pieces we are doing on the concert. One will be for the small ensemble you are in (brass, woodwinds, or percussion) and the other will be for one of the concert band pieces we are performing. THIS ASSIGNMENT IS DUE THURSDAY FEBRUARY 28TH. Your grade will drop one letter each week it is late. Guidelines: 1) The goal with your notes on the music is to capture the audiences interest. Be sure to point out any interesting parts of the music or something that has been a challenge in learning the music. 2) Be concise if you read your concert notes out loud to yourself they should only be about half a minute to a minute and a half long (around half a page single spaced). Again, they are just to capture the audiences interest, not give them a detailed history of the composer or a detailed theoretical analysis of our music. 3) Be unique if we wanted to tell the audience word for word what Wikipedia says about our music, wed just type that up. We want to give the audience the performers perspective. Let them know what you believe is interesting or captivating about the music. Research/Writing Suggestions 1) When was the music written? Be sure to include the historical era (Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20th century, 21st Century). 2) Who was the composer? Are they still living? Find one or two interesting facts about the composer. 3) Look into what instruments the composers may have actually used with the exception of Heartbeat Five and American Riversongs none of the music were playing was originally written for a band like ours. 4) Give some insight into the music were performing if there are lyrics that go with the song, briefly tell the audience what they are about. If the piece is a medley of songs (American Riversongs and Songs in the Key of Life) tell us what they are. 5) What has been fun or challenging about the piece of music for you as a performer. Your audience will enjoy hearing what youve been working on to improve the last couple of months.

Grading Rubric Again, you need to write two concert notes, one for your small ensemble, and one for a band piece of your choosing. Each is worth 30 points for a total of 60 points. THIS ASSIGNMENT IS DUE BY THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28. Your grade will drop one letter for each week late it is returned. A (30points) The writing contains interesting information that will enhance the audiences experience listening to the music. The writer varies sentence structure (doesnt start every sentence with the same word), and while having good relevant information there is no extraneous information (ie too much biographical information). B (26 points) The writings contains some interesting information, and it somewhat enhances the audiences experience, but it contains too much information, or not quite enough to capture the listeners attention. The writing also does not vary sentence structure (too many sentences start the same way). C (23 points) The writing either contains way too much information (writer swallowed Wikipedia article) or too little information. It is written in an unexciting or undeveloped way (short choppy sentences throughout). D (21 points) The writing contains almost no information. It contains frequent grammatical errors, and appears to be hastily written at the last minute. The information provided is mostly accurate though. F (18 points) The writing does not meet minimal requirements, it contains almost no accurate or relevant information. It is not written at a grammatical level of a high school student and has an abundance of errors. OR The writing is plagiarized. Sample concert notes Here is a good example of concert notes. Since I am giving you an example on Eine Kleine Nactmusik, you may not choose that piece to write about. Eine Kleine Nactmusik, or a little night music, is one of the most famous pieces of music by one of the most famous composers in history, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This music is a great example of the classical period, 1700-1815, and a piece that captures Mozarts light almost humorous style of music writing. This was originally written for a string quartet, two violins, a viola, and a cello, and as the

title implies, it was frequently used as party music for Austrians that could afford a string quartet. It became so popular, that it is still widely recognized and used today. This great example of classic Mozart was adapted for band by Frank Erickson and it still retains Mozarts graceful and humorous writing style.