Live Performance Report
Live performance report Guidelines for this Assignment: • ID header, on first page only, single spaced, at the upper right, that includes: Your name, Instructor’s last name, Course, class day(s) and time, Assignment name & date. • Create a title – something other than the assignment name, ex. use artist(s) name(s) or theme of paper – centered and bold-faced or underlined. • The body of the paper should be double-spaced with 1-inch left and right margins. (Example) Fred E. Kruger VonBerg Music 187, MWF 10:00 Comparative Live Performance 4/15/2020 Elvin Jones and Friends & The Aerial Predators A. Performance On, February 5, 2020, I went to see the jazz group, Elvin Jones and Friends. The performance was held in the basement of the Second Presbyterian Church in Palmdale, California. On March, 27, I saw an Eagles tribute band called The Aerial Predators at the Big Box Arena in Fresno, California. B. Instrumentation Elvin Jones’ band had three guitars (one electric, two acoustic), an upright bass, a tenor sax, a tuba, a kazoo, drums and various percussion instruments including congas and timbales. The Aerial Predators were a fairly standard rock ensemble including drums, electric bass, one musician on electric guitar, another musician on acoustic and electric guitars and keyboards. They also featured vocals performed by each of the guitarists and the bassist. C. Solos There were many great solos in each performance, but a couple, in particular really stood out. In “Count-Off Meltdown,” by Jones’ group, the kazoo had an improvised solo that was compelling on a number of levels. His range of pitch was astounding considering that the instrument is played by humming into it. His rhythm was varied and quite complex, whereas in the Predators’ “Desperado,” the lead guitar played very long notes, simple rhythms in a very small range. He stayed very close to the melody….. (etc.) (etc., Sect. D-H) NOTICE: This is not the end of the report. There are FIVE more sections. • This is an informal paper. It is your experience, so of course, you will write in the first person. You are still expected to write in full, clear prose. No bullet point lists. • There is absolutely no reason to use any outside sources in a Live Performance Report. Read the following guidelines for the term paper thoroughly. Through experience we have seen that most of the problems students have with assignments are rooted in their misunderstanding of the instructor’s expectations. We have gone to great lengths to explain our expectations here. Please avail yourself of this information and do not hesitate to consult your instructor for clarification. Aside from the time attending a performance, the final report should take the average person 2-3 hours to complete. Considering it is worth 10% of your course grade, it is time well spent… and fairly easy. Instructions for Writing Assignment – Comparative Live Music Performance Report Two Performances, ONE INTEGRATED report (read on) Report: 500 words (minimum). 1) Attend one live performance featuring Jazz* 2) Attend one live performance featuring Rock (or 2 Jazz – with different group and venue) (may be attended in either order) † nd * Jazz can include vocals, but in general focuses on instrumental performance. By this course’s definition, it must include instrumental solo improvisation (all jazz does). If in doubt, ask your instructor. Rock is used here as a broad term encompassing many genres, including but not limited to: pop, r&b, hip-hop, rap, alternative, country or contemporary religious music. Rule of thumb: If they are singing, and have drums, it’s rock. If in doubt, ask your instructor. † Student must attend a minimum of one complete jazz live performance AND one complete rock (see definition above) OR second jazz live performance (RULE: with different group and venue) and write specifically about the music and the overall aesthetic experience according to instructions below (p. 3). • IMPORTANT: Performance MUST be attended between the first day of this semester classes and the due date. This is a firm rule, for specific reasons. • Part of the assignment is finding your own events. There are many events promoted on the web. Use Google search, or links to Fresno Bee and Jazz Fresno provided on Canvas. Friday’s Bee, Calendar Section is a good resource. See Canvas announcement “Finding Events for Live Performance Report.” • Performances MUST be at different venues. It’s not uncommon that a certain club or restaurant will feature jazz and pop music on different nights of the week. Don’t go to the same place twice! • If you attend a multi-band event, review ONE BAND ONLY. • All documents, instructions, worksheets, etc. necessary to complete this assignment are found in Canvas>Writing Assignments. • Proof of Attendance: scan/photograph and insert (copy/paste) a picture file into your LPR document submission, ONE of the following for each event: o Preferred: photo (or selfie) of you with the band or a musician (in the background is OK, but make sure the act is clearly visible). o Acceptable: business card, flyer, or note, print of web page, (a club napkin, in a pinch) or worksheet signed by either a musician or club employee, a ticket stub or program [image of first page] o Least desired: alternate form of attendance proof –signed note from a third party (not a classmate), vouching for you, with their phone number. (They will get a phone call.) o Unacceptable: typing the phone number of someone vouching for you into your report, it will be treated as NO PROOF. • Failure to have proof of attendance will result in a 20% grade reduction on the report. POLICY • This is NOT a group assignment. Do your own work. Evidence to the contrary will result in a minimum penalty of course failure (refer to University Policy on cheating and plagiarism). • Be especially cautious if you and a classmate attend the same performance. It is OK, even encouraged, to discuss what you see and hear, but NEVER share a set of notes. It is a recipe for disaster. (see syllabus for course policy on cheating and plagiarism.) Work flow: 1. Read and understand the instructions that follow before going to a performance. That way you will know exactly what to look for and write about. 2. Find performances to attend – again, it is part of the assignment. 3. Do the assignment a) print work sheet(s), b) go to two events, take notes on work sheet, and obtain proof of attendance (see specifics above), c) review notes from each performance, d) write report draft after attending 2 performance, according to instructions below – follow the format. e) use self/peer assessment guide provided on Canvas to proofread. nd 4. Participate in the peer-review process online, as scheduled, by posting your draft document to your group’s File Exchange tool on Canvas. Your instructor will provide a link to an online assessment form. With it you will answer specific questions about both your own LPR and group members’ LPRs. Note: You do not receive peer-review credit for posting a document. You receive credit for assessing your writing, and the writing of your peers. 5. The results of your peers’ assessment of your writing will arrive via email immediately after each is completed (each assessment will come in a separate message.) Revise your report based on critique from peer-review process. 6. Insert images providing proof-of-attendance at end of document, labeled. If using Word, use the Insert>Photo command, or drag-&-drop photos into document. On Google docs, upload images to document, or drag-&-drop. 7. Submit report file to TurnItIn.com via a submission link on Canvas. The upload link will appear in Assignments>Live Performance Report. Specific submission instructions may be given by your instructor. Instructions: Nature of assignment: The finished paper will be a comparison of two music performances, one jazz and one rock (refer to p. 2 for distinctions and exceptions). Elements of the performances will be discussed and compared, such as the instruments used, the mood of individual songs, skills displayed by soloists and an assessment of successful v. unsuccessful elements of the music. Writing style: Though less formal than term papers, (first-person is allowed here, where it is not in the term papers) we still expect full declarative prose (complete sentences, no bullet-point or laundry lists, etc.) 40% of your grade will be based on the quality of the writing. Naming/identifying Songs. Song names are sometimes not announced, especially at a club. If you don’t know the song’s title and can’t guess based on lyrics (if any), politely ask the band (on a break please.) Failing that you can resort to identifying them as “Song 1,” “Song 2,” etc. Etiquette. Here are some items of etiquette we ask you to observe: 1. If you can find an absolutely free event, one where a business is not dependent on customers spending money – an outdoor event at a park, maybe – go for it. You are not ENTITLED to an expense-free performance to fulfill this assignment. If it costs you some money to observe a live performance, consider it a “lab fee.” When you go into a business that does not charge a cover at the door, they are EXPECTING you to be a customer, not a bystander. 2. When you attend a performance at a venue that sells food and beverages as their main business, buy something. Don’t give that business owner a reason to regret hiring a live act. This applies whether or not you paid a cover to get in. A cover charge mostly goes to the act. 3. Leave a tip for the wait staff person who served you. Leave a tip for the band if you did not pay a cover to enter. Don’t think of it as payment, but rather appreciation. 4. Be courteous and respectful to the business and the musicians. You represent this class. Future students should not suffer discrimination because of a poor example set by you. 5. If you are not accustomed to live music, you may not know that it is inappropriate to: 1. talk or laugh loudly across the table or room while a song is being performed 2. talk on your phone while a song is being performed. 3. get up to leave in the middle of a song. Make an effort to stay until the set is done. This is especially rude at a formal concert (in a concert hall, vs. a Save Mart Center type.) 4. ask the musician(s) questions, or ask for their signature, in the middle of their set, wait for a break. Most performers are happy to speak with anyone who is there to see them perform. 6. At a jazz concert it is customary to applaud at the end of every solo, not just the end of songs. If you are the one to start the applause, you will be considered “hip.” Format of the Comparative Live Performance Report: One of the biggest errors students make is not following THIS format. • Organize your report with a new paragraph corresponding to EIGHT lettered items below (ah.) • Use the bold-italicized words in each item as paragraph headings. (See the example on p. 1) • Discuss ALL of the following specific items fully. a. Specific performances you attended, the dates and performance venues. (who, when, where?) b. Instrumentation of the two groups/bands. This is a description of the instruments used by the act, not the players (you can write about the players later.) Vocals are considered part of the group’s instrumentation. c. Solos in one (named/identified) song for each performance. Defined as: a portion of the song in which an individual instrument player is featured, highlighted or becomes the focal point, not necessarily playing alone. What the singer does (if there is one) is NOT a solo. The singer’s role is to present the main song. Solos are 99.9% instrumental. If you are reviewing an individual performer, depending on the setting and style, it may be difficult to discern what is solo material from what is not. If it seems like there is no solo, try to focus on instrumental sections of songs. On a break you can ask the performer to explain if they were soloing. Give a brief description of the solos. What did you like (and/or dislike) about each? How were they similar and how were they different? Was one more musically effective than the other? d. Comparison of Performances. Compare one group’s songs to the other’s using two songs from a performance compared to two songs from the other. Assess the moods of two (named/identified) songs for each performance (4 songs total). Done properly, this will be the longest section of the report. IMPORTANT: You are comparing the two performances, not songs within the same performance. Compare the songs in pairs, Artist A-Song 1 v. Artist BSong 1. A new paragraph for each pair. For each song include: • emotional level – use a “feeling” word, with a modifier, indicating to what extent, i.e. “very uplifting,” “somewhat depressing,” “lavishly inspiring” or “excessively anxious”. This is not how it made YOU feel, rather what emotion was the song projecting? • Identify a) tempo (slow, moderate, fast, blazing, etc) and b) level of intensity, energy or rhythmic complexity for each. • As you describe each song, compare and/or contrast it with a song from the other artist/group. Which had a higher level of musicianship? Emotional impact? e. Overall presentation. Include your assessment and comparison of the musicians’ skills. Did they play their respective instruments well? Did the presentation of either performance, or any part of them, have an impact on you emotionally? If so, why? If NOT, why not? It’s not enough to just say it did or didn’t have an impact. e. Overall experiences at these performances – compare to shows in your past. Describe your experiences: How was it for you? Were there any revelations, new perspectives, realizations out of these experiences? After comparing the two performances, answer these questions: Were these new experiences for you? How were they different from, or the same as, other performances you have attended? e. Place & People. Give your observations regarding the performance environment – ambiance (look and feel of the venue) audience behavior (how did people react to/interact with the music and musicians) for each performance and compare them. Be specific in your descriptions. Describing the venue as “a Japanese restaurant” leaves too much to the reader’s imagination, as would, “there was a small audience,” which only describes the size, not the behavior of the audience. e. Best and Worst Features. For BOTH shows, which musical aspect do you think was most successful and which was least successful in each performance? These MUST be musical comments. The easiest way to determine this – musical elements are HEARD, not seen. Do NOT refer to the venue or other people, ex. “it was great to hang out with friends and do this assignment…” or “it took too long to get our drinks.” This question is NOT: what did you love and what did you hate? Even if you loved the performance, discuss at least one musical element that you would rate lower than others; you are being asked to be a critic. Useful analogy: If given a bowl of gourmet jelly beans, which flavors do you eat first and which are left at the bottom of the bowl? You may like them all, but not equally. Also, do not write that the least successful aspect was something the group did NOT do, like, “they didn’t play any familiar songs” or “there weren’t enough songs with vocals in them” or “it would have been better with a ___ (insert instrument.)” or “..better with more instruments.” Those comments say more about you and your preferences than about the music you heard. Rate them on what was ACTUALLY presented. This section is where the most students lose points. To succeed here, close your eyes and only comment on what entering your ears. Don’t forget – Proof of attendance (see above) Unacceptable performance types: DJ-only performances (live rap is accepted,) traditional ethnic folk (ex. Mariachi,) traditional gospel (choir with piano or organ accompaniment,) Classical, (which includes most Music Dept. concerts (except Jazz Bands),) recitals, choir concerts, piano concerts, symphony, orchestra, wind ensemble, concert band, or marching band. Musical theater plays are also unacceptable, because the purpose of them is drama, not music. WARNING: If the event has the word “recital” in its title or description, pass on it, unless it’s a jazz recital. Crunch-time. If you are two days out from the due date, and you have not found a suitable performance, PLEASE speak with your instructor, before you decide to skip the assignment altogether, or go to an unacceptable performance, or worse, use another student’s old report out of panic. Pleading your case after the fact will have little to no impact.
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