Listening Presentation Guidelines

Atlantic Brass Quintet recording session, courtesy of Bove Audio

After enjoying our first student listening presentation today, I thought I would provide some guidelines and suggestions that might clarify the aim of the sessions. I've amended the syllabus to reflect these guidelines below to read:

Student Listening Presentations (2)

• Dates individually assigned (refer to class schedule)
• Strive for a good variety of types of ensembles:
• Small mixed or homogeneous ensembles (brass trio, horn quartet, etc.)
• Brass quintet (tuba or bass trombone as bottom voice)
• Large ensemble (brass choir, brass ensemble, brass band)
• Strive for a variety of styles, nationalities, and eras
• Balance original works against arrangements
• Presentations may include videos, but be mindful of YouTube advertisements.

 The three main aspects to keep in mind are:

1. Recording Quality - When possible, present professional recordings with excellent sound quality and engineering. Recordings should be evenly balanced, with good microphone placement and recorded in an acoustical environment that has sufficient reverberation without being too much so. Some live recordings may display much more energy and musicality than edited recordings, or may be the only recording available. Use these suggestions and your best judgement regarding assessing quality.
2. Diversity - Ensure your presentation shows a diversity of types of ensembles, styles of music, a balance of original works for brass as well as quality arrangements. Strive to "research" outside of your comfort zone. We do want you to share recordings that you enjoy, but also try to discover something new to you and share that as well.
3. Presentation medium  - It is recommended that you bring a laptop or smartphone that can be connected to my speakers. Playing from a playlist on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, or other streaming service should be fine. You may also bring separate CDs, or consider compiling the list onto a CD, which I can play from my stereo. As it says above, when using YouTube, be aware of advertisements. Perhaps limit your use of YouTube for recordings that is accompanied by video.