CONCERTS

Listen to these live recordings of a

Lesson: Concert Critique
Preface:
A critique is when a person uses
their own judgment to decide the
value of something. In this case,
a musical work or a performance.
Music is a very expressive art
form, but sometimes you may
hear a piece of music that you do
not enjoy. One way of
differentiating between what you
like and dislike is to listen to the
music very carefully, and ask
questions along the way, like: why
is this piece so long? Or, why
aren’t there more brass parts?
Writing a critique helps to express
your view on the pieces of music
that you hear.
symphony orchestra! Practice your
concert etiquette!
Exercise I
Instructions:
Ride of the Valkyries;
1. Play four or five short Richard Wagner
selections of music from the
provided audio links. Each
Symphonie Fantastique,
piece should be heard twice.
March to the Scaffold;
2. Write, in order of listening,
Hector Berlioz
the name of the piece and
composer on the board.
The Planets, Mars;
3. Students will rate pieces in
Gustav Holst
the order they preferred
them.
Concerto for Horn in Eb
4. Ask students to write a short
Movement 3;
paragraph about each piece,
W.A. Mozart
stating what they liked and
disliked about each
selection. Young Persons Guide to the
Orchestra;
5. When finished, encourage
Benjamin Britten
students to discuss their
critiques.

Art reviews can be found in

What do professional reviews look like?
newspapers, magazines, and
Here are some links to professional performance reviews:
online. Many people make
Music their living by attending and
Movies reviewing live art
Theatre performances!
 Writing Reviews
Exercise 2:
After the school performance, have your students write about their experience at the performance. You can
use the following as a guide for what students can write:

• Briefly describe the event (type of music, type of ensemble, date, time, location, purpose, etc.). In
the opening sentences or even in the title, you might summarize the general experience. Avoid
naming all of the titles of compositions in this paragraph.
• What about this experience was new or different for you?
• What impressed you about this concert experience and why?
• Which selection appealed to you the most? Explain what it was about the music/performance that
made it stand out. Be specific - pitch, rhythm, intonation, blend, balance, etc.
• If there was a selection that you did not enjoy, why didn't you enjoy it? Be specific about the music!
 What was your opinion about the group’s presentation of the music?
 Your conclusion should summarize your overall impression of the concert.

Be sure to encourage students to utilize their music vocabulary learned in class, from this curriculum, and
from the performance!

Exercise 3:
Worried about how much time it may take for students to write a review? Concerned that a large writing
assignment may be too daunting for students? Use the worksheet at the end of this curriculum to help your
students respond to their experience and to utilize their music vocabulary!
Name: ___________________________________________________________________ Date: __________

Describe what you thought about the ensemble performance by the symphony. Use this worksheet to describe what you experi-
enced . Be sure to use your music vocabulary as much as possible!

What about this performance was new or different for you?

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What impressed you about this performance?

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What piece did you like the most? Why?

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Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience?

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Share your thoughts! Have your teacher or parent

mail your review to:
Conversations with Music
4322 N Beltline Road #B114
Irving, TX 75038