Include a cover page that includes your name, student ID, CRN and date plus a copy of
your ticket stub. Simply scan in your ticket stub or take a picture of it and put it on the
first page of the document. If you don’t know how to do this, google it. If that doesn’t
work, call OIT. If that doesn’t work, go by the media center in Hodges Library and get
help.
***You also need to turn in a paper copy of the ticket stub stapled to a
piece of paper including your name, student ID, CRN and date. This is
all that you need to turn in on paper, the actual report will be turned in
on blackboard like the other assignments***
Then begin your report on the next page using the following format.
Concert Report
Performance: List the name of the concert.
Music: List the pieces that are performed.
Performers: These are all KSO performances, but please indicate if it is the entire orchestra
or a smaller ensemble. Also, list if there are any guest performers.
Venue: The name of the concert venue.
Date: Date of the concert.
The Concert Culture:
Assume the stance of an open-minded observer and describe the appearance and
behavior of the performers and audience. It may be helpful to imagine yourself as an Englishspeaking anthropologist (or ethnomusicologist) from another planet observing this for the first
time. Describe the theatre. What is the décor like? What is the stage like? What are the seats
like? How does the music sound in relation to the theatre (you will talk about the music itself
later) – big, small, loud, soft, far away, close up, good, bad? Describe the musicians. What are
they wearing? How do they behave on stage? How do they (or don’t they) interact with each
Format Instructions
• Please use the exact format below for your assignment.
• Put the bold headings such as “Performance” then fill in your own information.
• Double space between sections and between paragraphs.
• Use 1” margins and a standard 12-point font such as Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Cambria.
• Your paper should be between 500 and 700 Words.
• Be sure to look at the “Essay Sources” Link on blackboard before you begin. You are required to stick to
the sources listed there.
other, the conductor, and the audience? Describe the audience. What ages of people are
there? How are they dressed? What economic class do you think they belong to? How do they
behave? How do they react to the music? How do they interact with one another?
The Music:
Describe the music itself. You need to do more than just say whether you like it or how it
makes you feel. Try to be more analytical than that. Consider the following questions or ask
your own. What instruments are being played? What instruments are featured? What is the
general structure of the music performance? How many pieces are there? Are they totally
separate compositions or all different sections of the same larger piece? How do the different
sections compare and contrast with one another? What is the mood of the music? How does it
change throughout the performance? Try to have a bunch of adjectives ready to use to
describe the music. They don’t have to be complicated. Consider simple things like loud, soft,
smooth, jagged, aggressive, mellow, dissonant, consonant, exciting, dramatic, entertaining,
light, dark, sad, happy, dance-like, irregular, etc. Or get more creative – mercurial, intellectual,
banal, atonal, poignant, stirring, fervent, compelling, absorbing, etc.
The Program:
Program notes are intended to introduce concert audiences to the music being performed.
What style are the notes written in? Do they sound academic or aimed at more of a general
audience? What do the notes include? What did the notes make you notice about they music
that you may not have noticed otherwise? Do you think the notes did a good job of preparing
you to listen to the music? What did they leave out that might have been helpful to you as an
audience member?