San Diego City College
MUSI 100 – Intro to Music
Fall 2020
Kostlan
Concert Report Guidelines
General Information:
The purpose of the concert report is to utilize the tools we develop throughout the course to
critically engage with a live musical experience. It is your responsibility to attend an appropriate
concert in which classical music is the main event. Normally my suggestion is San Diego Symphony
(which has student pricing). You can find information about the upcoming shows at: http://
purchasing.sandiegosymphony.org/single/EventListing.aspx . Another option normally I recommend
(that is FREE) is the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park, http://www.balboapark.org/in-the-park/
spreckels-organ-pavilion. But since we are dealing with the COVID-19 issue and live events are not
available I recommend and pre-approve The Berliner Philharmoniker Digital Concert Hall https://
www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/home?utm_source=www.berlinerphilharmoniker.de&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=brandbar&a=bph_webseite&c=true . If
you plan to attend a concert other than these two pre-approved venues you will need to get it
approved by emailing me at rkostlan@sddcd.edu please include “Music 100 Concert Approval
Needed” in the subject of the email.
After attending the concert you must write a 500-minimum (about 2 pages double spaced) word
essay contextualizing the concert within the matrix of concepts, personalities, and music examined in
our course. In general, think of this essay as a “critical analysis” in which you need to explain the
points you are asserting. The easiest way to conceptually approach a concert review is to imagine
that you’re describing the event to someone who is not at all familiar with the music. So, in addition
to recounting the context for the concert – the venue, ambiance, and audience, you must also
describe what the music sounded like – the instrumentation, musical style, performer interaction,
and how each piece develops and changes over time.
I’m interested in your ability to contextualize the event within the framework of our class. Your essay
will be graded based on depth of analysis, the degree to which you address all of the bullet points
above, the use of detailed examples, and on spelling and grammar. One of the course learning
outcomes is to become an “ active” listener, so your observations should reflect a developing
awareness of this skill. If you quote or paraphrase an author, website, or other research materials, you
must cite your references using parenthetical citations (author last name, page number) or footnotes,
and include a bibliography. Although not required, this additional research is encouraged, and may
provide you with extra credit.
The concert review must be submitted by the last day of the semester. When you are ready to submit
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your report, Click the black text title “Concert Report” button. Upload your finished document to the
“Attach File” submission area or type directly into Blackboard’s word processor by clicking “Write
Submission”.
Have fun! I hope you have a great musical experience!
-Bob
Paragraph One:
1. Tell me the date, location, time, and performance medium. (Who, What, When, Where)
2. Describe the Concert Environment (a description of the physical layout of the performance hall
or venue).
1. Describe anything unique or special about the event.
2. Does the environment contribute positively or negatively to the music (Was it inviting, good
acoustics, good ambiance, relaxing, noisy, busy, distracting?)
Paragraph Two:
1. List pieces in the order they were played.
2. The title of the composition.
3. The composer’s name.
Paragraph Three:
1. Describe the performers and instruments.
2. Performers
1. Describe the attitude and demeanor of the performers
2. Describe the clothing of the performers
3. How did the performer interact with each other and the audience?
3. Instruments
1. What instruments were being played?
1. Describe anything unique about the look, construction, or performance of the instruments
2. Describe the qualities of the sounds (a.k.a. the way the sounds sound).
1. Were they lush, bold, thick, rich, buzzy, clean, dirty, warm, wobbly, fizzy, abrasive, smooth,
similar to other instruments you know?
Paragraph Four:
1. Discuss some of the Musical and Performance Elements (these can be general statements that
address the concert as a whole or individual pieces, songs, or performers).
2. Use the “SoundMakers Tips for Talking About Music” PDF worksheet to assist you in your writing.
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1. It is available in the Concert Report Learning Module or at this link: http://
www.soundstreams.ca/wp-content/uploads/
soundmakers_Tip_Sheet_Talking_Music_FINAL1.pdf
1. Examples of Musical Elements
1. Melody (high, low, smooth, disjunct)
2. Harmony (consonant or dissonant)
3. Texture (homophonic, monophonic, polyphonic)
4. Tempo (fast, slow)
5. Orchestration (interesting effects: mutes, pizzicato, instrument pairings, etc.)
6. Dynamics (loud or soft)
7. Form (Macro sections of the music, theme and variations, etc.)
8. Medium – (Instruments played or sang)
2. Examples of Performance Elements
1. Stage Presence (Demeanor)
2. Audience Interaction
3. Accuracy (Pitch, Rhythm)
4. Virtuosity (Complexity)
5. Group Synchronicity (Tightness, Togetherness)
6. Tone (Sound Quality/Color of instruments)
7. Balance, Blend (Is something too loud/soft?)
8. Other visual elements (Did they have video, special lighting, dancing, etc?)
Paragraph Five:
1. Mood, Vibe, and Emotional Connection
1. Describe the emotional feeling expressed by this music (cerebral thinking, calm soothing,
upset and angry, loneliness and betrayal, being in love, sex and sexiness, futuristic
inventiveness, electronic hypnotizing, nostalgic memories, partying crazy, etc.)
2. What about the music expresses this (these) mood(s) and makes you feel this way?
Paragraph Six:
1. General Reaction and Conclusion
1. What was your initial gut reaction after attending this concert?
2. Would you attend another similar concert? Why?
3. Would you recommend it to others? Why?
4. Compare this concert to other concerts that you have attended.
5. End with a single sentence statement of your summarized overall impression.
Other items to include:
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1. Proof of attendance
1. These can be:
1. Picture of you at the concert
2. Picture of the concert program
3. Picture of the purchased tickets or receipt
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