Assignment: MUAR 211—Art of Listening

Assignment: MUAR 211—Art of Listening

Type of paper Essay (Any Type)

Subject Music

Number of pages 2

Format of citation APA

Number of cited resources 2

Type of service Writing

I attended a piano concert. Performer′s name is Terry Guo and he performed Aaron Copland′s Sonata ( excerpt) 1) Molto moderato link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v＝Egdvbi4CVl4 Event was at the McGill University Schulich school of music
ASSIGNMENT GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS Go to yet another live concert of Western classical art music. Ideally, your second required concert should contrast in some manner with your first one, either in terms of style, genre, or performing ensemble. For instance, if you went to a student violin recital for your first concert, it would be great if you would attend a large ensemble concert for the second, perhaps the McGill Symphony or an opera. This is only a suggestion, however, and it is not required that your two concerts contrast significantly.

Assignment: MUAR 211—Art of Listening

The goal is to write two to three high-quality pages (no more or less) about one (or more) of the works on the concert and its composer. There are several ways you might shape your concert report, depending on the type of music appearing on the concert and your own reaction to it. If the concert contains only one work—for instance, if you attend an opera—then your task is rather clear: you’ll write about that composer and some portion (maybe one scene) from the opera. If your concert contains any large-scale multi-movement works—such as a symphony, concerto, or a Mass—then that work might be the best choice for your paper, and you might decide to write about only one or two movements. Otherwise, if you attend a concert of short songs, you might find it necessary to write about more than one of the pieces, depending on how much you find you have to say. Keep in mind that substantive content about the music itself is required, and the paper is very brief, so do not attempt to write about too many works.

One of the main purposes of this assignment (beyond the noble goal of encouraging you to attend live concerts) is to provide an opportunity for you to use the musical vocabulary we are developing in connection with a live concert experience. You should therefore seek to use the correct technical vocabulary from the class (and your research sources) as much as possible. However, make sure you use all vocabulary correctly, and do not use terms you don’t understand. Remember, Oxford Music Online (available through the main webpage of McGill’s Marvin Duchow Music Library) is a large, easily searchable dictionary of everything musical. Use it when you encounter unknown musical terms and concepts in your research. It should also be your primary source for information on composers, musical styles and time periods, etc.

Assignment: MUAR 211—Art of Listening

CONTENT Most of your concert report (approximately two of the three pages) should discuss the piece(s) of music and the composer(s). The primary focus should be the music and your concert experience.

Up to (no more than) one page of your paper may focus on biographical information concerning the life of the composer, especially any biographical information directly relevant to the piece you’re writing about (not information that is always possible to find). A PARTIAL LIST OF QUESTIONS you might consider answering about the concert: • What kind of ensemble performed the work? Is it a standard ensemble or something unusual? During the concert, you should make note of the ensemble type, listing every instrument and voice, if it is a chamber ensemble. Please do not provide a detailed list if the ensemble is large; you may always refer your reader to the attached concert program under such circumstances. Likewise, do not waste space in your brief paper with large lists. You may refer to a large standard (Classic or Romantic) orchestra as simply ‘an orchestra,’ but you should make note of any interesting additions to the ensemble.

Assignment: MUAR 211—Art of Listening

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• What is the genre of this piece? Be as specific as possible, distinguishing between various types of concertos, subgenres of opera, etc. What stylistic traits (type of title, numbers of movements, type of ensemble, type of text if any, etc.) indicate the genre of this work? Is there more than one genre possibility for the work? If the work is not a standard genre, then what traits make this work unusual or unconventional? • What is the style of this piece (if possible to determine) or composer according to your sources? Can you see or hear anything in the concert (or other recordings of the piece, if available) that exemplifies the style terms that are associated with this piece or composer? • Was there anything that stuck you as unusual about the ensemble or the performance? • Was there anything about the ‘concert ritual’ itself (the setting, the lighting, the behavior of the audience or performers) that seriously affected your concert experience or that you found interesting and would like to mention in your paper? • Did you encounter anything at this concert that was a first-time experience for you? • Did you learn anything particularly worthwhile at this concert that you might like to mention? • Did you enjoy the work? Why or why not? Please don’t hesitate to express a negative opinion, if that is your honest view. Your grade will not be negatively affected by a negative opinion of the work or concert, as long as you express your views clearly and with direct reference to the piece under discussion. • Do you feel that the concert was well performed? Do you have any criticism of the concert? A partial list of possible questions to consider when researching your piece(s) and composer(s): • When was the piece composed, and are there any interesting biographical details directly related to this piece that you could find and that shed any light on the music? • Has the composer herself written anything about the piece (or any other piece, which might shed light on this one) that you could find (including information in the program notes, if any). • How does this particular piece(s) ‘fit’ into the overall musical development of the composer? . FORMAT REQUIREMENTS: • The paper must be two to three pages in length (not significantly more or less). • The paper must be double-spaced (no more or less) throughout. • Font must be black, 12-point, Times New Roman or another font of similar size and clarity. • Every page (including the first) should have a one-inch margin all the way around. • Every paper should include a title page (not included in the page count) containing: (1) ‘title’ of the assignment [Concert Report #2] (2) student’s name, (3) class name and course number, (4) professor’s name, and (5) due date of report. • The writing style of the paper should be your very best, grammatically correct and formal writing style, observing all standard rules of punctuation, syntax, etc. Colloquialisms (folksy, informal language) should be avoided. • Every paper should include a bibliography at the end (not included in the page count) that contains all of the sources used in the paper, in addition to any other interesting sources that were consulted (even if you do not quote information from those sources). • References within the paper may be in the form of footnotes, endnotes, or parenthetical. • Pages should be numbered, and the whole thing must be stapled securely. • The program of the concert you attended should be stapled to the back of the paper. • Please do not include a report covers or paperclips.

Assignment: MUAR 211—Art of Listening

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GOOD FORMAL ENGLISH OR FRENCH IS REQUIRED. This means correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, clear sentences, and coherent organization. Poor or sloppy writing and spelling will bring down your grade significantly. Make sure that you carefully proofread and edit your work before submitting it for evaluation. SOURCE REQUIREMENTS In addition to the information you gather at the concert, you are required to find other sources on the composer and/or piece(s) discussed in your paper. Internet sites are acceptable, but any information gathered from internet sites for which you do not know the author should be treated with skepticism, and that information verified in authoritative sources, if possible. Oxford Music Online McGill Music Library contains link to Oxford Music Online (under ‘Key resources’): http://www.mcgill.ca/library/library-findinfo/subjects/music/

You are required to use Oxford Music Online as one of your sources. This basic scholarly reference tool is a comprehensive encyclopedic dictionary of music, provided through McGill University via a paid subscription. You must be online through the McGill campus system or logged in to use the service. The Oxford Music Online search engine searches multiple databases, including Grove Music Online, which is the best source for substantial articles on individual composers. Both Grove and Oxford Music Online provide substantial, peer-reviewed and signed articles on all topics, terms, genres, and persons important in the history of western music. Nearly all major composers are represented in this resource, although relatively young or unknown living composers may not be, and student composers never are. If that is the case for your composer(s), you will need to find other sources of authoritative information. You must include the article from Oxford Music Online in a bibliography at the end of your paper (which should also include any other sources that you use), and this bibliography entry must include the author of the article used. The author’s name will appear at the bottom of the article. You may use any standard format to cite Oxford Music Online and other internet sources.

Assignment: MUAR 211—Art of Listening

The following format is one option:

Author last name, author first name: ‘Article title’, Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy. (Accessed [Day Month Year of access]), http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com

Neighbour, Oliver: ‘Schoenberg, Arnold’, Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy. (Accessed 13 February 2012), http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com CONCERT ETIQUETTE: NOISE & NOTE-TAKING Although it might be useful to take notes during the concert—since you need to remember ensemble details—please avoid doing so during the performance. If you must take notes in the concert hall itself, it would be far better to make notes during applause, in between pieces (not between movements), and during intermission. You may believe you are making ‘very little noise,’ but many cranky concert goers (like your poor instructor) cannot abide persistent little noises during a concert, especially the scratch scratch crackle crackle of someone scribbling on paper. I beg you, don’t be that person…

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

• Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
• Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
• One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
• I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.

Weekly Participation

• Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
• In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
• Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
• Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.

APA Format and Writing Quality

• Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
• Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
• I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.

Use of Direct Quotes

• I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
• As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
• It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.

 

LopesWrite Policy

• For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
• Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
• Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
• Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.

Late Policy

• The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
• Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
• If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
• I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
• As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.

Communication

• Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: 
  • Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
  • Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.