Concert/Rehearsal Make-up Assignment 2018-19

Select one of the following composers to research (or get approval from me for any other
composer). You will prepare a 2-3 minute presentation on the composer of your choice.
Research the composer’s early/family life and cover important factors in his/her music
education. Try to find out as much as possible about where they began—did they study
music in school, in private lessons, or were they self-taught? Describe the composer’s
music and list famous/notable pieces of his/her career. Prepare to talk about the
composer’s life history from childhood-death (if they aren’t alive still). Be sure you cover
which musical period they composed in (Romantic, Baroque, 20​th​ Century, Modern,
etc.). You may create a PowerPoint presentation if you wish. You may also prepare
YouTube videos to play short clips ( the time of the clip doesn’t count towards your 2-3
minute timeframe). You do not need to memorize your presentation, but please make
two copies, one for you to read from, and one for me to follow along with. You will need
to cite your sources. You will also need to prepare a piece of music written by the
composer you choose to research.

Composer suggestions: Soon Hee Newbold, Dmitri Shostakovich, John Williams, Hans
Zimmer, Ludwig van Beethoven, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, or any of the composers
whose music we’re currently playing.

You will be graded on the following criteria:

● Length of presentation: 2-3 minutes of speaking time.
● Accuracy of information.
● Importance of information on the composer’s career/life.
● Musical period(s) the composer composed during.
● Performance of music by the chosen composer.

Have fun with this assignment! You can learn a lot of interesting facts about composers
and it helps you understand their music better. If you have questions, feel free to ask
me! Below are some websites that I’ve found to be useful when researching composers.
www.classicfm.com/composers
www.bio.com
http://www.kennedy-center.org/artist/
www.http://musicalics.com/en