Music Theory and Practice

Wooster High School ~ 1st Semester, 2005-2006 ~ Mr. Adams

Concert Attendance Requirement

Due: Last Day of Class

Description

Each student is required to attend a concert performance. One of the purposes of this assignment is to expose you to a concert perfor-mance that you may not have seen otherwise. Some examples of concert performances are: Band Concerts (college, high school), Orchestra Concerts (college, high school, community), Choral Concerts (college, high school, community), Chamber Concerts or Recitals (college, Arts Center), Professional Symphony Orchestras, Musicals. If you have any questions about which performances may count towards the assignment, please ask.

Paper

After you have seen the performance, please write a one-page description of the concert using the following as a guide:

• What type of performing group did you hear (Band, Chorus, Solo Violin, etc.)?

• Describe instrumentation of group (no need to list all instruments).

• What effect did the instrumentation have on the texture/timbre of the ensemble?

• Pick one selection and describe it in as much detail as possible:

- Stylistic concerns.

- ”Contemporary” or ”Traditional“ in its approach to tonality.

- Can you tell if the piece is in major or minor mode? Neither of the two?

- Instruments/voices used to bring about special effects or tone qualities.

- General effect of the piece (Powerful, Quiet, Programmatic, etc.).

- Any other important attributes of the piece.

• Did the performance fulfill any expectations you had for the performance? Was there anything unexpected?

• Would you hear a concert like this again? Why? Why Not?

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