Assignment Overview
This project aims to familiarize you with the BBC web site as a source for exploring classical music. You should have completed the Internet Radio Worksheet before attempting this assignment. You will submit two reports, on two different BBC programs.
Formatting
Length: between 800-1000 words. Note the number of words at the top of the report. Use the word counter in your word processor to help you. Be aware that you will lose points if you do not indicate the number of words in your assignment or the word count is lower than 800.
Word processed and properly formatted in Microsoft Word.
Calibri 12-point type
1.5 or double-line spacing.
1-inch margins all round (left, right, top, bottom)
Insert page numbers (top center) on all pages except the first (click on the menu items below)
Insert
Page Number
Top of Page
Plain Number 2
Different First Page (under Design)
Escape (Esc)
Save your file in Microsoft Word before you submit it and keep a copy of your report on your hard drive or jump drive in case you need to resubmit it for any reason. If you do not have access to Word, you can submit your file in PDF format.
Musical Work Title Formats
Generic titles, that is works that use their genre and a number as their title, are in regular type. Descriptive titles are in italics for the main work title and in quotation marks for movement or section titles.
Generic Title Examples:
Beethoven, Symphony No. 5
Mozart, Piano Sonata in C, K. 545
Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76, No. 2
Descriptive Title Examples:
Berlioz, Symphonie fantastique
Schubert, Erlkönig
Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro
Mozart, "Batti, batti" from The Marriage of Figaro ["section title" and main work title]
Program Descriptions
Here are the some BBC Radio 3 classical music programs that currently feature the most classical music:
Afternoon on 3
Recorded performances of a variety of concerts, including symphony orchestra concerts and chamber music recitals as well as opera. You should listen to at least an hour of the program.
BBC Proms
A selection of live and recorded concerts from London's major summer classical music festival. You should listen to at least an hour of the program.
Breakfast
A selection of recorded classical music from a variety of time periods. You should listen to at least an hour of the program.
Essential Classics
Recorded performances from a variety of time periods. Look for orchestral and instrumental works. You should listen to at least an hour of the program.
Radio 3 in Concert and
Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert
A selection of live and recorded concerts from a variety of venues. You should listen to at least an hour of the program.
Report Content
Make notes as you listen. Try and summarize the most important aspects of each piece or extract. Make a careful note of the title of the program and the date it was broadcast and use this as the title of your report. Keeping an accurate record of what you listened to and when is as important as being able to describe it. This site keeps live programs for several days after the program has aired, so at any time of day or night there will be several classical music programs you can listen to.
It is also a good idea to note the time of each new piece or the length of each piece, and the order in which the pieces are played. Use the "playlists" to find the details about each program (including titles of pieces and names of composers and performers). Try to say a little about each piece you hear. Treat this as a listening exercise.
Do NOT be concerned about evaluating the piece. You are being tested on your ability to describe what you hear and to correlate information from the web site accurately, not on whether you like the pieces. You may encounter unfamiliar repertoire, however, you should try and be open minded.
As you listen and make notes on the program, try and address the following questions:
What instruments can you hear?
What kind of ensemble is this (symphony orchestra, string quartet, choir?
What is the name of the composer?
What country does the composer come from (nationality)? You may need to look up the composer in a reference source.
What is the name of the specific musical time period that the composer is from?
What genres of music were played?
What were the titles of the pieces played?
What were the names of performers (just the main names)?
Using the skills learned in the course, describe analytical aspects of the music performed - including tempo, key, meter, and any other elements you can hear.
An essential part of this assignment is examining the "playlist" for your program. I strongly suggest that you find the relevant playlist for your program before you start listening, then locate the information for each track as you listen.
Here you can find details about each program including titles of pieces and names of composers and performers. Use the Internet Radio Worksheet to help you navigate the BBC site.
Report Structure
It is usually a good idea to have several paragraphs in a report of this size.
Use the title of the program and the broadcast date as the title of the report, bold and centered.
Then begin with an introductory paragraph broadly summarizing the content of the program.
Paragraphs should either be separated by a line space (as in this guide) OR indented with no spaces between them.
You should examine in detail several pieces in the program using the skills learnt in class to describe what you hear. You may find it helpful to start a new paragraph when you begin to discuss a new piece, but do NOT use headings for each new paragraph.
Include a concluding or summary paragraph that encapsulates some general points about the music played on the program.
Try and maintain the same tense throughout the report-the past tense is best for reports of this kind.
Sample Paragraph
In an hour of the program, there will be plenty of pieces to describe - you don't have to cover all of them, just the ones you can to say about. For example, if you had a symphony by Mozart on the program. You could write something like this:
The second piece on the program was Symphony No.40 by Mozart, an Austrian composer from the Classical period. The piece was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and was conducted by Neville Mariner. There were four movements. The first movement was pretty fast and began with the string section.
Then the brass and woodwind joined in after about 2 minutes . . . . The second movement was very slow and lyrical and featured mostly the string section. In the middle of the movement, there was a clarinet solo. The third movement was a minuet so was in triple time and featured strings and woodwinds mostly. There was a flute solo in the middle of this movement . . .
Alternative Assignment
As an alternative to one of the BBC programs, you may listen to a program on Classic FM or on the Pandora site. Classic FM has programs playing live 24 hours a day. Any hour will have lots of music to analyze. However, you can't repeat the programs so you only get one shot. See www.classicfm.com.
For Pandora, there are several classical "stations" on Pandora. Some that you might try are: "Symphonic, Romantic Period", "Symphonic, Classical Period", "Baroque Radio", "Opera, Romantic Period" or any other station listed in the Internet Radio Worksheet from earlier in the course. To use Pandora, you need to register-but it is free. See www.pandora.com.
Important Note: You must plan ahead for this assignment. Do not wait until the night before the assignment is due to begin this project because you will not have access to all the information you need to make a successful report. You should practice first by listening to a trial program and by becoming thoroughly familiar with how the web site works and where to find helpful information.
Don't be discouraged with this assignment. Web technology can be very frustrating, but with preparation, practice, and patience it is possible to complete this assignment. You can learn to use this site effectively. In any case, web technology is here to stay so we must all learn how to deal with it sooner or later.
Report Checklist
• Is the report at least 800 words?
• Is your name, the course number, and the number of words in the top right corner?
• Is your report about Afternoon on 3, BBC Proms, Breakfast,Essential Classics, Radio 3 Live in Concert, Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts, Sunday Concerts, a Classic FM live program, or one of the Pandora radio stations?
• Did you use the title of the program and the broadcast date as the title of the report?
• Are there page numbers on every page (top center) except the first?
• Have you consulted the playlist for the program?
• Are the formatting requirements correct (especially for titles of pieces)?
• Are there clear paragraphs and a definite concluding section to the report?
• Have you maintained a consistent tense throughout?
• Have you included all the elements required in the report?
• Did you use spell-check and correct international characters (such as ‘é')?
• Have you printed out a draft of your report, read it out loud, read it again for errors
and made revisions?
• Have you saved a copy in Word on your hard drive or jump drive? (Do NOT save papers on the LITC computers-they will disappear).
• Did you submit a copy to Blackboard making sure it was under the correct course?
• Have you saved a copy on your hard drive or jump drive?
• Did you submit a copy to Blackboardmaking sure it was under the correct course?
• Did you check that you could see your file in Blackboard?