Guided Steps to the MUS 160 Concert Reports
Prepared by John M. Kennedy, A.Mus.D.
Introduction
Music is an art form that can only be experienced through listening. Therefore,
any course dealing with music must have a listening component to it. The listening
component for this course is very specific, you are required to attend 3 concerts with a
specific intent in mind. Any concert on the CSULA campus, sponsored by the music
department or the Luckman Center, can count as a report topic. This includes opera, Jazz
ensembles, Latin-Jazz ensemble, the New Music Ensemble, etc. Concerts which you
attend off-campus, can only be those which feature Western art music. This means
concerts of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Opera, the Los Angeles
Master Chorale, Southwest Chamber Music and any of the number of classical music
groups (orchestra, chamber music, opera, choral, solo recital) in the Greater Los Angeles
area. If you are attending an off-campus concert, you can always check with me to see if
it qualifies for this assignment.
After each concert, you must write a 2-3 page concert report. This report will be
your critique of the entire experience, using as much of the terminology and concepts we
discuss in the class as possible. The reports must be typed and each page formatted with
12-point type and standard margins (1.5” on the sides, 1” top and bottom). The content
should include a brief discussion of each of the works performed and thoughts on how
the performance was received by the audience. The content must be limited to the
concert, and concert only. Do not fill up the page by commenting on what the performers
wore, how you arrived at the concert venue, the man snoring next to you, etc. Each report
should become progressively easier to do given that you will gain experience in active
listening and that you will become more familiar with musical terminology and topics.
It is best to “stagger” the reports throughout the quarter, and turn them in at
regular intervals. A suggested schedule might be to have the first concert report
completed by the third week of the term, the second concert report by the 7th week and
the final report by exam week. You are welcome to wait until week 10 when there are
many CSULA concerts to attend, however, since I return the concert reports with
valuable comments, and often ask you to redo the report for resubmission to improve the
writing and/or content, you may find that out of three hastily prepared reports in week 10,
only one or none of them will be counted.
Finally, how many classes have you taken which REQUIRES you to listen to
music, then write a report about it? Not many, if any, I’m sure. Take this assignment on
as an adventure, an exploration of a different realm, expanding your musical experience. I
have taught this class for many years and I know that right about now you’re checking to
see what other classes are offered at this time. I can tell you that this component of the
course has been the most enjoyable for everyone in the class. It becomes a focal point of
many discussions, and brings up issues of society, culture and the world around us.
Guided Steps to the MUS 160 Concert Reports, page 1 of 5
Prepared by John M. Kennedy, A.Mus.D.
The Concert Experience
I’m not sure if this is a good thing but many off-campus concert venues have an
“unspoken” dress code. In other words, most classical music concerts are attended by
folks who are dressed in attire that would be appropriate for a “white-collar” job.
Personally, most of these venues should be happy to have as many audience members as
possible, dressed up or not. However, most like to be warned of this before they head out
to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in their finest Levi’s and T-shirt. The CSULA concerts
are less formal, though tasteful dress is always appreciated.
In all concert settings here and off-campus, the audience is requested to sit and
listen quietly. This means no talking while the performance is going on, silence all
electronic devices and don’t shuffle papers or look for something in pockets or handbags.
Children are always welcome to the CSULA concerts, but they should be asked ahead of
time to keep silent and hold their excitement for wonderful aural and visual experience
(the huge double bass or the tiny flute) until the intermission or end of the concert.
All classical concerts and concerts here at CSULA provide audience members
with programs which list the works to be performed in order of appearance, the
composers and the performers. More often than not, there are descriptions of the pieces to
be performed and biographies of the composers as well. THIS IS VALUABLE
INFORMATION FOR YOUR REPORTS. Bring these programs home with you (they
are free) and use the information to write the report. I suggest you arrive at the concert
venue 20 minutes early to relax and to look over the program before the concert begins.
Most of the information is helpful and it allows you to keep up with the flow of the pieces
as the works are performed.
The list of works may have subtitles, called movements. These movements are
separate sections of larger compositions and it is traditional not to clap in between these
movements. The audience waits for the entire piece to finish before clapping. If you are
unsure, the body language of the performers will help. They usually stand to receive the
applause and you can usually see this telegraphed in their motions.
Here is a sample of what a program might look like and how the compositions
and respective movements are listed:
CSULA Percussion Ensemble
Concertino for Xylophone and Orchestra
I.
II.
III.
Toshiro Mayazumi
Larry Keller, marimba
Penny Pan*, piano
Trio
John Cage
Clapping Music
Steve Reich
CSULA Student Composer Forum
Suite #1 for Unaccompanied Tuba
Meditation
Capriccio
Lento
Finale
Ken Applegate
Ken Applegate, tuba
Guided Steps to the MUS 160 Concert Reports, page 2 of 5
Prepared by John M. Kennedy, A.Mus.D.
In the case of the program above, the title of the composition is on the left, the
composer’s name is on the right, and the performers’ names are in the center, under the
title line. Also, some of the works have movements, indicated by the list under the
respective titles (I., II., III., or Meditation, Capriccio, Lento, Finale). For those pieces
without movements listed, it can be assumed that the work is “one-movement” without
pause, from the beginning to the end.
The First Concert Report
1) Don't be afraid to describe the type of sounds you experience in your own words.
At the moment, you have a very limited musical vocabulary. Rely on your initial reaction
to the music and describe things the best you can.
2) Try to get a sense of how each piece of music sounds. Is it intense or calm? Do these
gestures return or are they stated once? Remember that many pieces are multi-movement
or divided into 3 or 4 smaller sections. There is generally a noticeable break between
movements and a distinct change in musical mood or character from movement to
movement.
3) Listen for important melodic ideas and how these ideas affect the mood of the work(s).
Generally if the idea is heard prominently, it is important. The more repetitions, the more
important the melody is to the structure of the work.
4) How do the instruments chosen by the composer help to convey the important ideas to
the audience? A composer will choose the instruments carefully and manipulate these
choices much like a painter chooses and manipulates various colors and textures in a
painting.
5) Are all of the works on the concert the same from the standpoint of sound, melodic
ideas and use of instruments? Most concerts consist of works from a variety of historical
eras and composers. Each work will have a distinct character and shape. Try to describe
those things which makes each work different from the others.
The Second Concert Report
Now that you have more background, I will expect a bit more content.
1) Try to define what type of melody is used from time to time and attempt to place the
type of melody with the emotional impact of the work. Does the melody repeat and if so,
does it seem to be an important factor in the work?
2) Look at the program notes and notice when each work was written. Compare the sound
and style of the works from contrasting periods. For instance, comparing a work from the
Classical era (Mozart) to a work from the Romantic era (Wagner), you'll notice that the
Classical work is more direct in its formula than the Romantic work. The later work may
be less direct in its repetition of tunes and seem to take a longer time to make a point than
Guided Steps to the MUS 160 Concert Reports, page 3 of 5
Prepared by John M. Kennedy, A.Mus.D.
the earlier work.
3) You can also guess if a work is in triple meter (3) or duple meter (2 or 4). Do not be
afraid to guess. This will be good for you! Sometimes the later the style, the more uneven
or agitated the rhythm will sound.
4) Now that we have discussed consonance and dissonance, try to determine how these
concepts are applied to the music. Where does the music seem the most dissonant? Do
pieces written later seem less consonant than the earlier ones?
5) You may feel confident to critique the performance as well (were the works played
well). I would encourage this. It will engage you more thoroughly in the music and help
to guide you along the process of active listening.
Third Concert Report
At this point, you should be able to tie in several major concepts of music in this paper. I
expect you to address the issues from early in the class as well as recent topics of
discussion.
1) Does the melody/harmony sound major or minor? How does this impact the drama of
the work? If a piece says it is in major or minor (title states “Symphony in Bb Major”)
that does not always mean that the entire work is in that key or mode.
2) As in the second concert report, look at the program notes and notice when each work
was written. The discussion of sound and style of each of the works can go beyond
simple comparisons of musical eras, and enter into more substantive discussion of the
impact of the works on the audience and the composer’s intent from the standpoint of
expression.
3) Is the work in simple meter or compound meter? If the music is dance related (check
the program notes) there can be a great deal of contrast in the meter from one movement
to the others.
4) Are the contrasts between sections subtle or stark? Can you hear major and minor
modes clearly or is there something more complex?
5) Once again, you may feel confident to critique the performance as well (were the
works played well). You can also try to decide if the composer may have wanted things
to go differently (faster or slower; louder or softer).
For more lengthy discussions of these topics from the standpoint of a major
American composer, I suggest you read the following, available in the JFK Library.
 Copland, Aaron. “What to Listen for in Music” New York, McGraw-Hill, 1957.
Guided Steps to the MUS 160 Concert Reports, page 4 of 5
Prepared by John M. Kennedy, A.Mus.D.
Copies are on the MUS 160 reserve, third floor of Library-North, the Music & Media
Center (MT6 .C78 1957).
Guided Steps to the MUS 160 Concert Reports, page 5 of 5
Prepared by John M. Kennedy, A.Mus.D.