Performance Response

Select a video from the approved list HERE and write a reflection on the music. Include the answers to the questions below, but be sure to write in the form of a review for a newspaper, website, or magazine. DO NOT merely answer the questions in bullet points.

Time and Place (5 points)

Describe how you created a time and a place for your concert viewing experience. Where and when did you watch? With whom did you watch? How did you create an environment that helped you to focus on the music?

Repertoire (5 points)

After watching the concert as a whole, how would you rate the order in which the pieces were performed? Would you keep everything the same? Why or why not? Would you change any of the pieces? Why or why not?

Personal Critique (15 points)

Which work did you find most enjoyable and why? Which work did you like almost as well and why? Which work did you least enjoy and why? Was your like or dislike due to the piece itself, or the way it was played?

oPoor answer: I like the piece because it was pretty.

oBetter answer: I like the piece because the melody was pleasant and I remembered it afterward.

oBest answer: I like the piece because the rhythm and direction of the melody in the piano had a strong contrast to the accompaniment in the orchestra. The tension between those two elements gave the piece a sense of “give and take.” The pianist did a wonderful job of highlighting those contrasts, and the conductor did a good job of keeping the orchestra low enough so that the piano could always be heard.

Connection to Course (15 points)

Choose one piece from the program, identify it, and answer the following question:

To what musical elements that we have studied do you see any connections? Explain your choices.

oSound: timbre, texture, dynamics

oHarmony

oMelody

oRhythm: meter, tempo

oGrowth (form)

Personal Reaction (10 points)

Give any other reactions to the experience as a whole. Feel free to mention images, feelings, emotions, mood and the effect of the overall spirit of the music. If you honestly didn’t have any emotional reactions to the music, then explain why you think that is. Be self-reflective and honest.