Posted: May 13th, 2015

Research Your Favorite Classical Musical Instrument On The Web

Research Your Favorite Classical Musical Instrument On The Web

The purpose of this assignment is to develop critical thinking in your approach to researching your musical instrument of choice on the web. You may choose from any of the classical instruments mentioned in the course.

For this assignment you are asked to SUMMARIZE or CRITIQUE the various features of each of the ten web sites NOT to simply copy and paste information directly from each site into your submission. Please don’t just list a lot of historical or biographical information! You should describe each of the ten sites and discuss the various interactive and web features of each one. You can think of this assignment as if you were writing a review or critique of the 10 different sites.

Here are some things for you to consider as you summarize each of the ten sites:

Why did you choose the site and what features distinguish it from others? Are there audio links or interesting links to other sites? How is the site organized? What were the topics covered in the site? Are there interactive media links that demonstrate various features of the instrument? What did you learn from your research?

Your assignment submission needs to include:

Two sites for each one of the categories listed below, and a short paragraph presenting a summary of the various feature of each of the ten sites.

The categories are:

History and/or Manufacturers: Information about well-known makers and the instrument’s history. If you choose the voice, you can obviously skip the manufacturers, and concentrate on the history.
Famous Performers: This one is quite self-evident. You are not restricted to any particular period. For example, if you favorite instrument is violin, you might choose Niccolo Paganini (Romantic) and Gil Shaham (Contemporary).
Famous composers: Another self-evident one. Again, you are not restricted to any particular period or style. For instance, Vivaldi (Baroque) and Brahms (Romantic) would be good examples to research.
Repertoire: What are the most famous pieces written for your chosen instrument? Submit a list of five famous pieces written for the instrument, and two (2) sites that were sources for the information.
Famous Orchestras:    Your favorite instrument will likely, but not necessarily, be part of a traditional symphony orchestra like the one you studied in the Orchestral Timbres class. You should submit and comment on two (2) orchestra websites.
Submit the 10 sites you have come up with in your research, along with a paragraph for each category summarizing their features and why you chose them