Exam Task

Final Exam Task: Getting on Stage

While most people just think of the performers when they imagine a musical performance, there are actually many, many people involved in getting someone up on stage. To successfully present your music, you must understand the different roles people play in a live music setting, and plan how to overcome the various hurdles of putting on a performance.


Part 1: It Takes a Village (Local Community Mapping)

Find at least one example of each of the following businesses, opportunities, or resources in your local area, and provide a 1–3 sentence description of how it might be useful to you as a practicing musician:

  • Music School / Education Center
  • Open Mic or another informal performance venue
  • Location to take promotional photos
  • Places you could put up flyers advertising your performance
  • Print shop to print flyers
  • Somewhere to rent equipment you don’t own (PA system, amplifiers, etc.)
  • Specialty resource (anything else specific to your style of music that you would want to have for a performance)

Part 2: Building an Audience & Navigating Pitfalls

As a creator, copyright and security are essential concepts to master. You have many decisions to make about how you want to share your art with your fan base.

  1. Understand the Framework: Take a look at YouTube’s copyright guidelines.
  2. Case Study Investigation: Find a real-world example of an independent creator or musician who has had issues with copyright claims (e.g., content ID matching, copyright strikes, or having their work used without their consent).
  3. Reflection & Discussion: Write a short discussion addressing:
    • The Facts: What were the details and circumstances of the creator's case?
    • The Legal Landscape: Are there differing laws depending on country? (For example, Fair Use in the United States vs. Fair Dealing in Canada).
    • Your Strategy: How does this case inform your own decisions as an artist regarding the ways you want to build and protect your audience?

Part 3: Your Performance Plan & Final Showcase

Now that you have considered some of the pros and cons of focusing on a live vs. online presence first, you can start to make concrete plans about how you would like to present your music. Develop a plan that fits your personal musical goals.

1. The Performance Compilation

Compile and submit a video of yourself playing 2–3 pieces that demonstrate your best playing and accumulated progress over the course.

2. The Audience & Format Strategy

Describe the specific audience you want to connect with and how they engage with music. Explain:

  • What kind of experience is your intended audience looking for? (e.g., Do they want to be excited and let loose, or do they want nice background music while enjoying a meal with friends?)
  • What are the key elements of a successful performance for this audience, and how do you plan to address them?

3. The Performance Safety Rider

Create a personal safety rider addressing how you will stay safe while performing. Consider:

  • Physical & Health Dangers: Address short- and long-term physical risks relevant to your style of music (e.g., hearing damage from amps/headphones turned up too loud, repetitive strain injuries from practicing with poor posture, or specific staging/instrument hazards).
  • Digital & Privacy Dangers: Address risks associated with maintaining an online presence and protecting your personal privacy.

Assessment

Pre-Submission

Before you submit, please complete the Pre-Submission Self-Assessment.

What to Turn In

  • 📤
    Pre-Submission Self-Assessment Google Doc/Markdown file
  • 📤

    Getting on Stage & Building an Audience Portfolio (Google Doc or Markdown)

  • 📤

    Final Performance Video Showcase (2-3 pieces compilation)

Learning Goals

We are learning to:

  • 🎯

    Student is able to make connections in the world around them which facilitate their musical growth.

  • 🎯

    Student develops pro-social skills and habits that enhance their personal growth and that of the community around them.

Success Criteria

I can:

  • Identify opportunities to be involved in the musical community, including formal, informal, and work-related opportunities in my area.

    Expectations Covered: C4
  • Demonstrate an understanding of a potential legal problem artists could face (Avoiding Pitfalls).

    Expectations Covered: B3
  • Consider my audience’s experience and explain the important elements of a successful performance.

    Expectations Covered: C3
  • Design a safety rider addressing physical/health risks (e.g., hearing damage, repetitive strain injuries) and digital/privacy dangers.

    Expectations Covered: B3
  • Compile a video showcase demonstrating my best playing and accumulated musical progress over the course.

    Expectations Covered: A1, A3

Rubric

Category Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1
Knowledge/Understanding
Knowledge of local/regional musical opportunities and ways to connect with an audience.
Plan demonstrates detailed knowledge of local/regional musical opportunities and ways to connect with their audience. Plan demonstrates reasonable knowledge of local/regional musical opportunities and ways to connect with their audience. Plan demonstrates functional knowledge of local/regional musical opportunities and ways to connect with their audience. Plan demonstrates some knowledge of local/regional musical opportunities and ways to connect with their audience.
Thinking/Inquiry
Investigating ways that artists can be exposed to legal risk or unintended consequences (copyright/privacy).
Building an Audience investigates, with exceptional effectiveness, ways that artists can be exposed to legal risk or unintended consequences. Building an Audience investigates ways that artists can be exposed to legal risk or unintended consequences. Building an Audience investigates, with some effectiveness, ways that artists can be exposed to legal risk or unintended consequences. Building an Audience investigates, with limited effectiveness, ways that artists can be exposed to legal risk or unintended consequences.
Application
Demonstration of student’s musical improvement over the course in an appropriate format for their goals.
Performance demonstrates student’s improvement over the course in an appropriate format for their goals with exceptional effectiveness. Performance demonstrates student’s improvement over the course in an appropriate format for their goals. Performance demonstrates student’s improvement over the course in an appropriate format for their goals with some effectiveness. Performance demonstrates student’s improvement over the course in an appropriate format for their goals with limited effectiveness.
Communication
Materials clearly explaining student’s rationale in a way which feels collaborative and engaging.
All materials clearly explain student’s rationale exceptionally well in a way which feels collaborative and engaging. All materials clearly explain student’s rationale in a way which feels collaborative and engaging. Materials often clearly explain student’s rationale in a way which feels collaborative and engaging. Materials sometimes clearly explain student’s rationale in a way which feels collaborative and engaging.
Knowledge/Understanding
Criteria: Knowledge of local/regional musical opportunities and ways to connect with an audience.
Level 4

Plan demonstrates detailed knowledge of local/regional musical opportunities and ways to connect with their audience.

Level 3

Plan demonstrates reasonable knowledge of local/regional musical opportunities and ways to connect with their audience.

Level 2

Plan demonstrates functional knowledge of local/regional musical opportunities and ways to connect with their audience.

Level 1

Plan demonstrates some knowledge of local/regional musical opportunities and ways to connect with their audience.

Thinking/Inquiry
Criteria: Investigating ways that artists can be exposed to legal risk or unintended consequences (copyright/privacy).
Level 4

Building an Audience investigates, with exceptional effectiveness, ways that artists can be exposed to legal risk or unintended consequences.

Level 3

Building an Audience investigates ways that artists can be exposed to legal risk or unintended consequences.

Level 2

Building an Audience investigates, with some effectiveness, ways that artists can be exposed to legal risk or unintended consequences.

Level 1

Building an Audience investigates, with limited effectiveness, ways that artists can be exposed to legal risk or unintended consequences.

Application
Criteria: Demonstration of student’s musical improvement over the course in an appropriate format for their goals.
Level 4

Performance demonstrates student’s improvement over the course in an appropriate format for their goals with exceptional effectiveness.

Level 3

Performance demonstrates student’s improvement over the course in an appropriate format for their goals.

Level 2

Performance demonstrates student’s improvement over the course in an appropriate format for their goals with some effectiveness.

Level 1

Performance demonstrates student’s improvement over the course in an appropriate format for their goals with limited effectiveness.

Communication
Criteria: Materials clearly explaining student’s rationale in a way which feels collaborative and engaging.
Level 4

All materials clearly explain student’s rationale exceptionally well in a way which feels collaborative and engaging.

Level 3

All materials clearly explain student’s rationale in a way which feels collaborative and engaging.

Level 2

Materials often clearly explain student’s rationale in a way which feels collaborative and engaging.

Level 1

Materials sometimes clearly explain student’s rationale in a way which feels collaborative and engaging.