Concert Response Paper
In the University at Buffalo, music is occurring in Baird Hall and Slee Hall all the time. Many of the sounds you hear are ones that will eventually become part of semi-professional concerts.
You MUST attend one music department-sponsored concert during the course of the semester. A full listing of all such events taking place, along with the specific venue and time, is included at the following link: http://arts-sciences.buffalo.edu/music/events/performances.html (any concert listed as “Rental” or “Brown Bag” will not count). All other recitals or concerts on or before 7 December are therefore available to you.
Though some concerts issue tickets, others do not (e.g. student recitals). You must prove your attendance at these concerts in one of two ways:
- FOR TICKETED CONCERTS:
Complimentary tickets are given out to all UB students who present their ID card at the Slee Hall ticket office during the hour prior to the concert’s start. In order to receive credit for attending, you must sign in with your student ID before the concert starts as well as sign out with your student ID when the concert is over.
- FOR NON-TICKETED CONCERTS:
You must photograph all the pages of your program and include them with your concert response paper. Bear in mind these pages do not not count toward your required number of pages.
Taking notes during the course of the concert is allowed, but please try to be non-disruptive during the performance. Making noise or using your phone to take notes is discourteous both to the performer and to the audience members sitting around you. For a quick resource on what constitutes proper concert etiquette and manners, click here: https://www.naxos.com/education/enjoy2_concertmanners.asp
After the concert, write one three to four (3-4) page paper on the experience, commenting upon various aspects such as the venue, performer(s), the audience, and, of course, the music itself. Please write a coherent, clear essay with paragraphs and organized thoughts. You are permitted to use the first-person in writing if you feel that will help you. Take care to answer all of the prompting questions (see next page). It would be wise to begin writing almost as soon as the concert is over so that the experience is still fresh in your mind.
When finished, submit your paper via UBLearns within one (1) week of the concert date. Plan ahead! Any paper you submit after that time has elapsed will be marked late and therefore only receive a maximum of half-credit.
No concert response papers will be accepted after 7 December @11:59PM!
Format
Please use the following header for your concert response paper:
Your Name
Concert Response Paper
Concert Date: <insert date here>
Due Date: <insert date here>
- Font: Times New Roman, 12 point font size.
- Spacing: double-spaced, except for the header.
- Margins: 1-inch margins (on top, bottom, left, and right sides)
- A page will only count if most of the page has been used up. For example, since this paper is supposed to be three to four (3-4) pages long, two full pages and two sentences on the next page will not count. I will be happy to meet with you if you find yourself struggling to hit the page count.
- Be sure to write in complete sentences.
- Avoid contractions (e.g. can’t, won’t, didn’t), “text message speech” (e.g. lol, jk), or inappropriate language.
- Your paper should be free of orthographic, grammatical, and other errors that do not match the previously-mentioned requirements. A spell-checker function will not be enough; read your paper out loud to catch any poor wording or mistakes that the spell-checker overlooks. This happens more often than you’d think! If you would like writing assistance, please visit the following link: https://www.buffalo.edu/writing.html
Paper Prompts
- Which concert did you attend? Provide the title and the date.
- Who performed in the concert?
- What pieces were performed? Provide titles and composers.
- How does the music relate to the ideas discussed in class? Try to make at least two or three (2-3) connections.
- Describe the audience. Size, age, behavior, particular interactions with the performance would be things to think about.
- What about the concert most surprised you? What did you wish could have been different?
- What did you think of the performance overall?
- How did this concert / ensemble / event compare to previous ones you have been to?
- What is the most significant thing you will take away from this experience?
Extra Credit Option
You may write a second concert response paper about another concert you attend at UB. Whichever concert response paper is better will be the one used in the “Concert Response Paper” section of the grading scale. The other will count, as extra credit, up to 5% on your final average depending on the grade that paper received. That scale is as follows:
| 0 points = 0% | 1-4 points = 1% | 5-9 points = 2% |
| 10-14 points = 3% | 15-19 points = 4% | 20 points = 5% |
