Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Writing Music/Theater Reviews

How to write a theatre or concert review:

1. Your review should be  consistently clear, readable and interesting. Ultimately, your review should generate popularity and profitability. 
Note: Music-loving freelancers who have built solid readership and suitable publication experience have discovered that they may earn free media passes to concerts. In other cases, concert reviewers can count concert tickets as tax-deductible business expenses, if they have written and published concert reviews for payment.
Many concert reviewers point out that they have even been invited backstage to meet and interact with well-known musicians.
PRACTICAL STUFF
Here's a practical guide to writing a review of a live concert.

1) Writing Concert Reviews: Choose the concert you plan to attend and review.
To start, most concert reviewers choose to specialize, focusing on their own particular musical tastes. For example, if you simply love the symphony, you might begin attending orchestral concerts and publishing concert reviews on such performances. If you prefer hip hop, rap or rock music, attend a performance.

2) Writing Concert Reviews: Attend the program, and watch carefully.
Take notes, if possible. Be advised that recording devices (such as video cameras and audio recorders) are not allowed in most concerts.
Make a list of songs or musical numbers performed during the concert. (Often, concert reviewers may obtain set lists before concerts.) Jot down impressions, specific performance details and any surprises that may occur during the concert. These notes will prove essential when it comes time to write the review.
 Focus on your  subject as much as possible, not any perceived "star" quality. Remember: real journalists aim at writing the news, not to becoming the news.
3) Writing Concert Reviews: Include essential elements in your concert review.
    Be sure to include the name of the musical act (or acts) in your concert review. Mention orchestral conductors, soloists and other key players by name.
       Briefly outline the musical genre, and point out why this concert may have been notable. (as with the film review, you should have done some background reading.) For example, was this a reunion concert of previous musical colleagues or a benefit concert for a certain charitable cause? Was the concert part of a major musical event, such as a music festival, or simply a local band performing in a street fair?
The best concert reviews evaluate both content and performances, describing the songs and overall quality of the performance in specifics and overall. Concert ratings may include musical specifics, as well as technical quality (sound, staging, pyrotechnics, props and other details).
Although a concert review focuses primarily upon the performance, an adept concert reviewer may also comment on the audience. Was it a full house with standing room only or a sparsely attended event? Did the audience seem enthusiastic and involved or disappointed and disinterested?
No concert review is complete without an accurate description of the concert venue and the concert date. If the concert is part of a series or ongoing run, the concert review should mention the remaining dates and times. If the performers will take the same act on the road to other cities, a comprehensive concert reviewer will cite the remaining tour stops and dates.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Game Review Article; Ready Player One

  Please write a review of the Atari 2600, NES or Sega game you played. Your article should include the following: 1. A researched historic...