Fill out the essential information first at the top of the music performance evaluation form. If you are writing a review in essay form, follow the basic rules of journalism: tell the reader who, what, when, where and why in the first paragraph.
Who: Musician or group name
What: Compositions played
When: Date of performance reviewed
Where: Place of performance
Why: Purpose of review: concert, annual review, musical competition
Take detailed notes during the performance or record it on a portable tape recorder for future reference. This will help you remember the songs performed and the order in which they were played. Jot down your observations and thoughts on various aspects of the performance.
Devote your second paragraph to a brief overall description of the artist's performance, summarizing the musician's strongest talents, the audience's reaction and the approximate number of people who attended the concert.
Write a detailed description of each composition performed, including instrumentation, arrangement, tempo, mood and artist's interpretation of the piece. Ask yourself if the artist employed any unusual or creative approaches to make the piece uniquely his own, rather than simply playing it by rote. If so, note these and whether you felt he was successful.
Note the audience's response to the artist: if they applauded ecstatically after every movement, or hung on the singer's every syllable. Note if the audience appeared bored, were shuffling in their seats and only offered polite applause. Whether the response was positive or negative, it should be noted because ultimately musicians play to entertain, please and sometimes shock an audience. The artist needs to know if his desired approach is or isn't working.
State your opinion of the artist's performance. Tell the reader why you either were or were not impressed and, most important, why. If your view differs from the majority — for example, if the audience seemed to love the show and you didn't — explain your reasons for feeling the musician's performance was not up to par. Support your point of view with facts or comparative examples.
Devote a paragraph to the musician's presentation and stage presence: note if he was smooth and confident, if he was visibly nervous and if this had a detrimental impact on his performance. Note if he moved around the stage a lot, played to the audience and if he avoided eye contact with the crowd.
If you are judging a contest or writing a one-on-one evaluation report, be sure to suggest ways in which the musician can improve his stage presence. Encourage him to relax and interact with the audience more if he is obviously suffering stage-fright.
Write a concluding paragraph that sums up the performance as a whole and give the student (or performer) a "grade" or "score." On some evaluation report forms, you will be required to give him a certain number or points or rate him on a scale. In a more informal essay or concert review, a brief sentence or two summarizing why the concert was poor, average or excellent will suffice.