Couch Potato 2 Analysis

My life would be incomplete without performing music. I’ve spent time, in concert bands, in bell choirs, in school and church choirs, and singing, playing in music festivals, and in pit bands trying not to laugh my head off at the actors’ improvisations. But the art that truly speaks to my soul does not lie in creating music, it lies in dancing to it.

I have never attended an orchestral concert. Although my taste ranges between several different types of music, the only concerts I have attended are of the rock and country variety. I was not sure what to expect in attending The Houston Civic Symphony’s performance on Sunday, October 9, 2016. It was held at the Dunham Theater within the Morris Cultural Arts Center at Houston Baptist University. Once inside I saw the beautiful stage with all of the performers warming up and three stories of seating. Many of the patrons were in the age range of 30 and up. I did see some kids and young adults but not many. The HCS marked its 50th year since the very first performance this season. The first performance happened in 1996 when a group of music lovers in Houston came together to play a concert just because they wanted to play and share their love of music with others. From that day they became known as the Houston Civic Symphony. Some of the players I watched in this performance have been with the Symphony for 25 years or more while others are barely reaching their first year if not their first performance; only two of the players have been there since the very first season. Out of the three pieces performed the one that caught my attention the most was the last, it hold a powerful message of fear and desperation for

The music performance I went to see was the University Symphony Halloween concert held in Comstock Concert Hall. This was the first time I had been to a symphony production and was eager to see what was in store. The show started off with each part of the orchestra introducing themselves in different costumes and skits. For example, the cellos were dressed in camouflage and the tubas were dressed as sheep. After a long introduction the lights dimmed and the show started. Attending this performance opened my eyes to how many elements there really were to music. It also showed me how each specific element has its own specific roll and impact on each performance.

One thing that was interesting to me about this concert was the order which the songs were performed. Typically when I attend concerts the fun and lighthearted songs are toward the end as a sort of “reliever” from the seriousness. In contrast, this concert had the lightheartedness mixed in with the more serious or slower songs to keep the audience’s attention. For example, to start the concert there were two traditional songs that were performed, Jubilate Deo and Alleluia. These songs have many different arrangements using essentially the same word but with a different notes and rhythms and are mainly meant as “beauty songs” to show off the talent of the singers in areas such as tuning or tone. Both of those songs could be taxing to those who don’t regularly attend these types of concerts, so the chorus added in the song “The Battle of Jericho” which was a complete “one-eighty” from the style of the first two songs, grabbing the attention of people who somehow already lost interest. This pattern continued until intermission when the audience was allowed to talk to the performers and other audience members. In general, the order which the concert was put together was, I believe, intended to keep the audience’s attention, rather than just expecting the audience to listen because they’re

For this assignment, I decided to attend the NW Singers and Chamber Choir performance. The reason why I chose this option over the others is because I’ve always found organized vocal music to be very beautiful. Listening to music that uses only the human voice is striking and has a certain personal feel to it. I also feel that I can relate more to choir music, as I am in the choir at my church. This concert was directed by Ms. Susanne Spencer VanDyke, accompanied by Dr. Saundra Bishop on the piano.

On September 26th, 2016, I went to the Bennet Auditorium a little before 6:45 to see the SICC Showcase Concert. My roommate Isaac was performing, and he wanted to see me before the performance. Fourteen different songs were performed by various groups. Every single one had singing, but some had piano, drum, or cello accompaniment, which was pleasant. I could really tell the hard work that went into the different pieces (my roommate was constantly practicing the song “Harriet Tubman”). My favorites were ‘Ndikhokhele Bawo,’, Harriet Tubman, and the ‘I Know It’s Today’ (that song had me howling; it was priceless), ‘Bottom of the River,” and ‘I Can Tell the World.” Southern BelleTones were likely my favorite group, as their voices were to put it

As discussed throughout this course music is a bridge that brings people together. As I sat through this concert I looked around and noticed that there was a great mixture of cultures and races attending despite the small attendance for the event. Socially I noticed that people were conversing and laughing with one another. Parents were engaging and being attentive to their young children as they ran around on skates and scooters. It made an impression on me that it was a time that for many people, was a bonding experience. Memories were being made for people of all ages.

On September 8th, 2016 at 7:30 PM, a concert was held at Chabot College, Buffington Theater. A concert was performed by many different musicians such as William Sauerland with voice; Rick Flores with guitar , I really enjoy this performance because the guitar is one of my favorite instruments. The next one is Percussion which performed by Timothy Harris, Joe Bonfiglio with clarinet and Casey Hurt with piano and voice; Beverly Johnston with flute, Eric Schultz with vibes and electronics Deb Shider with oboe. There were 4 to 5 pieces performed by many musicians that I had listed on top. In each performance, each one of them contained its own unique techniques , contents, tempo and rhythms, sound and voice.

The “Summer Solstice Jazz Festival,” is the event that I have choice to attend and examine. This event occurred June 17th – June 18th, and was displayed in Downtown East Lansing. The artist performed authentic and classic pieces, which the pool of performers ranged from local/ national artist. What I found to be most interesting about the performance was the multitude or artist that performed his or her own pieces and the quality of their work. This experienced exposed me to the work that it actually takes to bring together a performance, meaning not just the music but also the choreography. I enjoyed the performance because it exposed me to new upcoming artist, which musical pieces encourage positivity.

On Friday, December 9, I went to see the MSVPA 8th graders’ live performance; 1776. The performers were students of course. I expected them to be off-tune at times, but even if they were, it did not stop the performance to be any less engaging. I also thought that they would be too quiet and I would not be able to hear them, but overall, you could still hear them clearly. The setting of the performance was a casual one too, it was located in the school’s cafeteria.

On Wednesday, May 27, 2015, DePaul Symphony Orchestra held their 39th Annual Spring concert at Orchestra Hall of Chicago Symphony Orchestra center from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM. When I arrived, I noticed that most of the audiences were formally dressed, including kids, students, adults, and elders. It was really crowded in the room; I estimated that there were over 300 attendees. After taking my seat, I looked around the stage and saw a huge orchestra. All the musicians were dressed in black, and they were still practicing even when their performance was about to start. A woman welcomed the audiences and thanked them for attending the concert. The concert finally begun with a short performance to welcome conductor Cliff Colnot. The instruments that

I went to a chamber music concert called Attravereso il Mare, on October 17 at 8 pm at Boston Court located in Pasadena. This project performs Italian-American songs which represent the Italian-American culture. My friend and I arrived 1 hour early, and people kept coming. Most of them are family and friends, and only few of them were coming alone, but they all had more concert experience than me because this was my first time attending any kind of concert. This concert was in a very small room with only 100 seats, but all seats were fulfilled. This concert experience impressed me a lot and changed my feeling about concert.

On Sunday, May 22, 2016, I went to a concert that performed by students at Pacific Lutheran University. The concert was taken place in Lagerquist Concert Hall, Mary Baker Russell Music Center and was directed by Clement Reid and John Paul. The concert represented a studio series of “The Composers’ Forum”

Everyone has a favorite type of music. Many people follow music closely and have unique tastes. Some people find genres and mixes of genres that they like. People find other people who share these musical interests. People who immerse themselves in a genre or performer find the live performance particularly meaningful and seek out those artists in concert. Music concerts are some of the biggest and most attended events in our modern culture. These are venues where people come together and express themselves through movement and sound. Individuals transcend their everyday experience, connecting to the performers and each other. It is addictive. Its almost religious. The desire to return to that “mountain top” is powerful. If it is powerful for the audience, how much more powerful is it to the performers. What if the flow just isn’t there next time. What if a tolerance level starts to build up. The level

For this concert report I chose to go to a performance of student composers held at the Kimball Recital Hall. I chose this one because I wanted to see some of the talent that my peers have in the music realm, and also it was one of the only concerts I have been able to attend because I usually work at night. It was impressive to hear pieces composed by students. I cannot imagine creating something as complex as a musical composition, much less actually performing it, so this aspect of the concert was particularly awe-inspiring. There was a large attendance, and I think that much of the audience consisted of friends of the composers and/or performers. I went with three friends, who I convinced by telling it would be interesting to see