Irish Concert Report
World Music and Cultures | Fall 2017 1
Concert Review Instructions
Description The purpose of the concert review with its required attendance at a live art music concert is for you to experience
and respond to a work of art as it is created in real time, to reflect on the experience, and to share that reflection
with others. You are not only writing this for yourself or the professor, but for the general public.
Objectives This is a multi-faceted assignment that meets many of the objectives for this class.
Attending a live concert as an informed listener meets arts area goal 5 and course goal 4. In the review, you will
respond to, interpret, describe, and evaluate what you hear, meeting area goals 1, 2, and 3. Ideally, this assignment
will also work towards area goal 4, which is to demonstrate “appreciation” for the value of art in our lives and society.
Part of the review requirements meet course goal 5, which is to theorize about the cultural significance of live
musical performance today through first-hand experience as a critical audience member at a live musical event. The
review requires research (which falls under information literacy), communication skills, critical thinking, and
contextualized learning, all of which are program goals of the GenEd Program at Temple University.
The hope is that experiencing a live concert event, reflecting on it, and writing about it will inspire lifelong learning,
which is program goal 7.
Instructions
- Purchase or reserve tickets (if applicable). Double check all information including times and venue before you go!
- Attend the event. I highly recommend going with your classmates or a friend. Please arrive on time and stay for the entire event. The instructor may ask you questions about the concert to verify your attendance.
- Take pictures of yourself and your classmates at the event. Save your ticket and program (if applicable).
- Write a review of the concert that meets the criteria below.
- Include a cover page with your name, the title and date of the concert.
- On the last page of the review, copy and paste the pictures of yourself at the concert and a picture of your ticket and program. Your review cannot be accepted for credit without these items. If you forget to take a picture, you must attend another concert.
- Submit as an electronic copy to Blackboard under the “Resources and Assignments” tab.
Review Requirements
Your review should include the following:
• Demonstration of Research and a Works Cited List
A good reviewer has knowledge of the subject matter so that they can intelligently discuss the topic at hand. This should be evident throughout your paper. I strongly recommend that you begin this research before you attend the concert. Doing so will likely increase your understanding and enjoyment of the event.
World Music and Cultures | Fall 2017 2
Use at least four sources for your research. At least two of these must be a scholarly source. Scholarly sources are dictionaries and encyclopedias, any article found on JSTOR, a textbook, or any book in the library. Use this research guide to get started. I recommend using the Garland Encyclopedia database and the resources from Alexander Street Press. Additional sources might include the program notes you were given at the concert, newspaper articles, concert reviews, relevant websites, Smithsonian Folkways, or Wikipedia.
Direct quotations should be used sparingly, and never used for general facts such as biographical information.
Please summarize or paraphrase whenever possible, always citing your sources of information with in-text
citations. Include a formal works cited list in MLA or APA format. Include web links for all internet sources.
• An Engaging and Entertaining Description of the Event
Write with your reader in mind. In this case, imagine that you are writing for other college students who are
considering attending a similar event to give them a taste of what it was like.
There are many aspects of the concert that you should consider, including the musicians, the kinds of musical
works performed, the sounds and sights, the atmosphere, and how it all made you feel. A good guideline is to
choose things that were most exciting or interesting to you to focus on.
Things you should definitely include: the type of music being played, as well as a description of how the
audience (including you) reacted to the concert. Did you enjoy it? Why or why not?
• A Comparative Evaluation
To fully assess the performance, some comparative analysis is necessary. Please choose one of the pieces performed at your concert and listen to a different recording of that work on YouTube. If you can’t find the exact piece, find a similar one. As part of your review, compare the YouTube performance to the live performance,
using the musical vocabulary learned in this course whenever appropriate to describe the differences. Include a formal citation for this YouTube performance in your works cited list that includes a web link to the video.
• Musical Vocabulary
Your review must contain at least five musical vocabulary terms in total. To make it easier for the instructor to grade, please put all musical vocabulary terms in bold font. Be sure to clearly explain each term in relation to the music you heard. For example, do not write "the music was homophonic," explain why/how, referencing specific examples from your chosen musical work.
• An Interview
After the show or during intermission, talk to at least one other person, preferably one you don’t know. Ask them
why they came and what they thought. Include a summary of this interview as part of your review.
• A Critical Reflection
Based on your experience, research, observations, analysis, and interview, theorize about the cultural significance of your chosen concert by responding to both following questions:
- How is the experience of hearing the music live different from listening to recorded music?
- Based on your experience, how is this music a reflection of its culture of origin?