Syllabus
Class Meetings:
We will meet on TUESDAYS, 3:30 - 5 PM, in Room 39-327.
Attendance:
Participants are expected to attend every meeting. Notify
one of the instructors in advance if
you must miss a meeting.
Required Work (two components):
1) Reviews of Concerts:
We expect to attend at least six concerts during the term. After
each concert, you will be asked to write a short "review" which comments
on the performing artists, the performance space, the program selection,
the music, and the quality of the performance. We will share these
reviews in our discussion of the concert. We can also compare our
own reviews with published reviews, whenever we are fortunate enough to
find published reviews. Since it is hard to write reviews from memory,
it is suggested that you keep a journal to jot down things as they pass
by, and help you construct your own review. Reviews should be short
-- one page is fine -- and legible (preferably typed). A total of
six reviews must be turned in to get credit for the seminar.
2) Seminar Presentation:
At the end of the semester, you will be asked to form teams (or, if you
prefer, go it alone) to make a presentation to the group on some topic
of interest. There will be more information on this activity distributed
separately. Previous yearsí topics included: 1) a conducting
lesson (complete with a live string quartet to practice with), 2) lutes
and their music, 3) the acoustics of concert halls, 4) Moussorgsky's Pictures
at an Exhibition, the piano version vs Ravel's orchestration, 5) an introduction
to the Brahms Violin Concerto, with live excerpts from the solo part, and
6) how the trumpet works (with live demos and a chance to try it out).
These presentations will occur during the last two meetings of the semester.
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