Research Your Favorite Instrument On The Web

A. Task

To find and submit ten (10) Web sites related to ONE instrument you choose to research. You may choose from any of the instruments mentioned in the course such as the flute, the oboe, the trumpet, the mezzo-soprano voice, the piano, the violin, the guitar, etc..

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 research in each category.

The categories are:

1. 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.
2. Famous Performers:This one is quite self evident. You are not restricted to any particular period or style. For example, if your favorite instrument is a guitar, you can choose Eric Clapton and John Williams.
3. Famous Composers:Another self evident one. Again, you are not restricted to any particular period or style. One example from the class is the Leonard Bernstein site at the Library of Congress. Did Bernstein, for example, write any pieces for your favorite instrument?
4. 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. Here’s a site that might help: www.naxos.com.
5. 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 will need to report on orchestras even if your instrument is not in one. This information should include facts about the orchestras, not how your instrument is used in it. You should submit and comment on two (2) orchestra websites. Almost all major cities and every state have an orchestra. Close to us is the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and our state has the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra that is headquartered in Raleigh.

B. Process

• Decide which instrument you are going to research. The choice of an instrument should be made AS SOON AS POSSIBLE in order to allow the most time for research.
• Do research on the selected instrument: Research two (2) sites in each of the five categories in (A) above.
• Submit the 10 sites you have come up with in your research, along with a paragraph for each category summarizing their content and why they were chosen.