GUIDELINES FOR REPORTING ON CONCERTS (AND OTHER MUSICAL EVENTS)

This Report is due no later than Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2001.

Write a comparison of two concerts or performances that differ in media, setting, and style. The concerts should be performances that you attend this semester and cannot be performances in which you performed. Over the course of this semester and next you should try a attend a least one example of each kind of performance on this list (categories may overlap):

Band	Orchestra	Dance
Solo Instrument keyboard wind string percussion	Voice Small or Chamber Ensemble World Music	Musical Theater Jazz Rock

You will write only one comparison this semester (total: 2 concerts discussed in one report). However, you should take advantage of as many opportunities to attend live musical performances as possible. It's part of your job as a musician (You can even deduct the cost of the tickets from your annual income taxes).

As you write your comparison think about the distinctions Cook makes between music of   time and music in  time. Music we hear live is as subject to many influences as is recorded music (see Cook p. 16 regarding the production, distribution, and consumption of music). You might prefer to think of Cook's categories in terms of composing, performing, and appraising.

Whatever concert, or musical event, you choose to attend, you will be participating in and observing a social situation in which music is an integral part. Rather than focus solely on the music presented (the sound), you should regard the entire event as the subject of inquiry. You might want to make use of a simple version of the model the late Alan Merriam offers in his book The Anthropology of Music. He recommends examining music from a three-point perspective: 1) as sound, 2) as concept, 3) as behavior.

The following questions, organized according to Merriam's three concerns, should help you focus your observations. As you organize your thoughts, consider how your perspective on these concerns might change depending on whether you view them from the standpoint of the performer, the audience (or any participant), or the organizer(s).

Music as sound

• What music is presented? (style(s), repertoire - i.e. selections of works or songs)
• How do the musical selections performed compare to examples discussed in class and in your text? Make specific comparisons, mentioning titles of works, composers, and relevant characteristics.
• Does the music encourage certain kinds of behavior?

Music as concept

• Why do you think the performers have chosen the repertoire performed? (Think about Cook's discussion of values in chapter one.)
• Why do you think the organizers have chosen these performers, this music, this locale? (To help you think about this, consider how rarely you hear performances of country-western music in Crowder Hall.)
• What values seem to influence the musician(s)? Do other aspects of the performance, such as location, audience, reinforce the values projected by the performers?

Music as behavior (clues to values and reception)

• How do people (all categories) act at this event?
• Who interacts with whom and when? (performers among themselves, performers with other participants, participants among each other, etc.)
• What role does the music play in encouraging (or discouraging) interaction? (dancing, sitting, praying, etc.)
• Does there appear to be any prescribed or expected behaviors (rules)? In other words, are there expected traditions framing the performance?
• What role does the locale play in determining musical behavior? Are performers obligated to operate in certain ways?
• Are there important props for this event? (printed material, decorations, etc.) How do people respond to them?
• How are people dressed? Does their dress match other features of the event? (Review at Cook's discussion on pp. 36-37

Write a 5 page (or about that; with double-spaced type and standard margins) analysis of the event. Your goal is to explain the nature and role of music in this situation. Make every effort to connect your observations to the issues we have been examining in class. As always, pay attention to the requested format and the criteria for good writing.