1. The Romantic Times A WebQuest for Instrumental Music/Music History
Image from pianosociety.com
Based on a template from The WebQuest Page

2. Introduction
Congratulations!! All of your work has finally paid off! For the longest time you have been working hard to make your way up the ladder and you have finally done it. You have been a journalist for one of the nation’s largest newspapers for 15 years and your editor has finally asked you to do a front page cover story! He has asked you to do an article on a famous Romantic composer who recently finished and premiered a work during the Romantic time period. Research the composer and write a newspaper article/music review on them and the influence of their piece on the Romantic time period.

3. The Task
Your editor has asked you to write this article, where do you start?! You will create a professional looking front page newspaper article discussing your composer and their work. To do this you must gather research on your composer by:
- Researching biographical information.
- Researching information on their most influential pieces
- Researching information on the piece that you chose to
write about.
- Researching the styles in which the piece was written
(Concerto, Symphony, Sonata, etc…) and its components.
Make sure your newspaper looks professional and realistic including a font section, titles, side article teasers, DATE (relevant to the time you are in) and your name as writer for the article. Have fun and learn!! Be sure to ask your editor (Me) questions if needed.
At the end of the project the final product will be shown and presented to the class. You will read other newspaper findings and share yours as well.

4. The Process
Each student will pick a Robert or Clara Schumann composition from the list below (or if there is another piece you’d like to do, clear it with Mrs. Thurston). Research the composer’s background information and gather relevant biographical information. Information should include date written, why written (background on the process and reasoning behind writing the piece), was there anything that influenced the writing of the piece (historical, economical, etc…), and why this impacted the Romantic time period and was such a popular piece.
After gathering this information, write an article for your newspaper about the composer and this work. Include biographical information, the piece you chose, information about the piece, how it impacted this time period and any other information you feel contributes to your article. Also include what your personal opinion is on the piece. Did you like it? Do you think it will become a hit? Do you recommend it to your readers? Think of it as a music review (remember the New Zeitschrift?)
Your final product should look like an official newspaper cover. Be sure to include a newspaper title (New York Times, Coloradoan, etc…), an article title, date (relevant to time period your in, and include in the article the dates of your composer and piece), editor name, your name, and anything else you wish to decorate it with (side teasers, weather, etc…). Be creative in your presentation of the article and the paper.
Robert Schumann
Papillons
Dichterliebe
Symphony No. 3
Vom Pagen und die Konichstochter
Symphony No. 4
Clara Schumann
Piano Trio in Gm
Scherzo, Op. 10
Drei Gemitsche Chore, 1-3

5. Evaluation
*Carefully study the rubric and make sure you satisfy all areas. 
Topic
Grading Guidelines
Points Possible 100
Points Received
Participation
- Directions Followed Completely – 5 pts
- Project Completed On Time – 5 pts
10 points
Research
- Useful Biographical Information – 10 pts
- Impact/Importance of Piece – 10 pts
Time Period Correct – 5 pts
25 points
Final Product
- Title of Newspaper – 5 pts
- Title of Article – 5pts
- Dates – 5 pts
- Professional Looking – 5 pts
- Names (You and Editor) – 5 pts
- Biographical Information – 10 pts
- Information on Musical Work – 10 pts
Influence/Importance of Piece– 10 pts
Musical review/your opinion-5 pnts
- Creativity – 5 pts
65 points

6. Conclusion
Congratulations!! You have just finished your first front page cover story and your information is out to the world. Through your research you have learned about a very important influential Romantic composer. You have learned about their life and how they compose their music. You can now say you know about one of the most popular works coming from the Romantic time. And by knowing the information that you have learned you can now incorporate your knowledge into your playing and interpretation of pieces you play, not to mention informing all the people who read your article. You have made your big break in your writing, and you’re smarter because of it.

7. Credits & References
This WebQuest was created by Chris Krueger, student at Colorado State University studying in the department of Music and the department of Education. It was completed during the spring semester of 2008 as a project for the class Educational Technology and Assessment
Images courtesy of Cyberbass.
Animations and background courtesy of WebWeaver
Created with the use of The WebQuest Page Template and The WebQuest Slideshare Group so that others can acquire the latest version of this template and training materials.
*Note: This presentation was downloaded from slideshare.net and tweaked by me, Brittany Thurston for use in the classroom. Most of the credit belongs to Chris Krueger. Most of the tweaking involved changing the content to fit my lessons.