Humanities Homework Help

Make sure to review all instructions prior to watching a performance.

Concert Guidelines

1. You must watch a streaming concert from the “Find Streaming Concerts” Page of the Concert Report Module.
2. If you would like to choose your own classical music streaming concert, you must clear it via Canvas message with Dr. Bjorkedal FIRST. Otherwise, choose a concert from the list given by the instructor.
3. Your concert must be classical music, like we’ll study in class. This includes musicals, movie/video game soundtracks, orchestras, opera, ballet, solo instruments, chamber music, sacred music.
4. The performers must be college-age or professional.

Report Guidelines

Format

• 2-5 pages (not including citation page)
• Typed
• Double-spaced
• 8.5 x 11 paper
• One-inch margins
• Report should include a title, a header with your student ID, class title and the date. NO NAME!
• To help avoid any instructor unintentional bias, DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME ON ANYWHERE ON THE REPORT.
• Citation page (All reports should have a citation/bibliography as one cited academic source is required, PLUS your need to cite the video you watched)

Writing Voice and style

• Academic Voice
  • Formal
  • No contractions, slang, colloquialism, or abbreviations.
  • Avoid first person statements when possible
• Write as if your colleagues taking this class could read the report and gain a clear concept of your experience.
• You will not define terminology we have covered in class,
• Your audience will not HEAR this concert and will rely on a sense of the experience solely from your descriptions.

Content

A successful report will address these 4 broad categories. Organizing your paper by this large structure is highly encouraged.

1. Introduction
   • Give the name of the concert or group performing, and any other orienting information that might have been given in the concert performance, such as original performance date.
   • Briefly describe your expectations for the experience- feeling free to point out any observations about our unique to an online experience.
2. Orienting program information
   • What type of performance did you watch (symphony, opera, solo, chamber, ballet, etc)?
   • What pieces did you hear, who were the composers, and what were historical eras of these pieces?
   • Introduce the two movements you will explore in detail.
   • This might be a good opportunity for your one required citation- perhaps relevant information about the composer or historical era?
   • If you choose ballet or opera, you should provide a brief, broad synopsis of the story told (less than 3 sentences, if possible).
3. Body of Report: Musical Analysis
   • Musical Analysis of two movements or short pieces from your concert
     • Some pieces of art, such as opera and ballet, are formatted as one long story. It might be difficult for you to delineate movements. Instead, you will describe the music at two ‘action points’ in the story.
       • Example of how to narrow down your focus for opera or ballet: “This paper contrasts the music for the love duet of Lady Carla and Don Giovanni (1:30:20 in video) and during Don Giovanni’s death (2:20:19 in video)”

   • The main body of your report focuses on accurately and interestingly applying the knowledge gained in this class to the specific music you heard at the concert.
   • Use YOUR ears and listen for the basic elements discussed in class; you do not need to use all the elements, but a good paper will try to notice 5-8 musical observations.
   • Use timings from the video stream to help orient Dr. B to your descriptions (example: “At 0:2:40, the orchestra made a dramatic crescendo…”)
   • If you choose to use citations in this section, make them brief and only use them to support your own observations, not in place of your observations.
   • Here are a few approaches to this section that might help you get started. DO NOT ATTEMPT ALL OF THESE IDEAS.
     1. Contrast/compare these works with references to specific musical elements.
     2. Give an overview of their characters- what types of moods or feelings they evoked with references to specific musical elements.
     3. Choose the music composition you liked best and describe why using specific musical elements. Contrast it with the music you liked least and describe why using musical elements.
4. Conclusion
   • For an academic paper about art, you will provide either a synthesis or evaluation to conclude your paper.
   • Evaluate your concert going experience. If you have experienced classical music live, compare the online streaming experience to your previous live experiences.
   • Here are some questions you might use to guide your conclusion. Do not treat these as a list you “check off” for an effective conclusion. Treat them as a starting point.
     • Did you enjoy your experience? Why or why not?
     • What did you enjoy about the concert, what would have improved your experience, how did the performance fit or foil your expectations?
     • Were there any aspects of the performance that were unfamiliar or surprising to you?