Name______Due Date: Friday, May 1st, 2020 You have a choice to return this assignment by either writing it down (using a separate sheet of paper) or send the answers electronically (through e-mail or phone text picture) 

EOY/Spring Concert Program Notes Assignment Directions: Using music from your band folder (or memory), select 4 or 5 pieces that you would consider appropriate to have scheduled to be performed at our Spring/End-of-Year Concert. Then, write a descriptive paragraph (i.e. program notes) for each piece that you scheduled to be performed. You may use your favorite piece (descriptive essay you wrote a couple of weeks ago) as one of your choices.

What are program notes? Program notes give the audience concise information about the piece of music they are about to hear so that they have a greater understanding of the musical ideas that are being conveyed. I suggest you begin with a ‘Bubble map’ in order to organize your thoughts. Please include the following information in your program notes (4-5 descriptive paragraphs): ○ Composer background - Dates of birth/death, education, other famous works, awards, etc. ○ Cultural significance - What culture does this piece come from, specific musical ideas of that culture, religious importance (if any) ○ Specific information about the piece- Who/what was it written for, other interesting information. ○ What makes it relevant to today’s audience?

Below you will find an example of a finished program note (descriptive paragraph) for the piece The Star-Spangled Banner: The Star-Spangled Banner is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from "Defense of Fort McHenry," a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by British ships of the Royal Navy in the Chesapeake Bay during the Battle of Fort McHenry in the . The poem was set to the tune of a popular British song written by for the , a men's social club in . To in Heaven (or ), with various lyrics, was already popular in the United States. Set to Key's poem and renamed The Star-Spangled Banner, it would soon become a well-known American patriotic song. With a range of one octave and one fifth (a semitone more than an octave and a half), it is known for being difficult to sing. Although the poem has four stanzas, only the first is commonly sung today. The Star-Spangled Banner was recognized for official use by the Navy in 1889, and by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916, and was made the national anthem by a congressional resolution on March 3, 1931 (which was signed by President Herbert Hoover). Before 1931, other songs served as the hymns of American officialdom. Hail, Columbia served this purpose at official functions for most of the 19th century. My Country, 'Tis of Thee, whose melody is identical to God Save the Queen, the British national anthem, also served as a de facto anthem. Following the War of 1812 and subsequent American wars, other songs emerged to compete for popularity at public events, among them The Star-Spangled Banner.

Concert Program- 1. The Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key 2. (selection of your choice) 3. (selection of your choice) 4. (selection of your choice) 5. (selection of your choice)