Please write program notes for one of the pieces we will be performing in our All City String Festival on Monday, October 22, 2012. Your notes should be 2-3 paragraphs in length. You will be assessed on the content of your work as well as your use of grammar. Please make sure to use multiple sources of information so that your notes are accurate!
Good program notes are clearly written and concise. Your first paragraph should include the title of the work you are writing about as well as the composer. If the piece is part of a larger work you should also include that information. You should include any relevant or interesting information about the composer and the work itself and it's historical context. Answer questions the listener might have like:
- Why was the piece written?
- When was the piece composed?
- What was the historical impact of the piece on the development of music or culture of the time?
- Why is the piece important?
You should then highlight important elements of the music. Explore or elaborate on the musical devices used in the composition. Consider how the composer/arranger addresses musical issues like texture, style, expression, form, key, melody, harmony, chromaticism, etc. This is called a brief analysis of the music.
Close your notes with relational material to your audience. Why might they like the piece? Why do you like it? What makes it special?
Make sure to proof your work carefully! For our purposes for the program, please put the name of any musical selection in italics.
Because I want you to become better thinkers and develop your intellectual behavior, this assignment is alligned with the Wausau East High School Intellectual Mission or "habits of mind":
Understand - rehearsing the music, learning about it in class and through practice
Gather - search for information about your piece and the composer
Analyze (evidence) - You will think about the music, how it is constructed, and the historical information you gather
Synthesize (evidence) - sift through all of the information and write your program notes, continued practice of your music
Create (ideas) - present your work in concert!
Please send your completed program notes to kihornby@wausauschools.org by Thursday, October 18 at 12:00 p.m. The best program notes for each piece will be included in our program for the All City String Festival with the author's name!
