When people attend a concert, they are usually given a program that lists the pieces they will hear and describes those pieces so they can understand and appreciate the music they will hear. Those descriptions are called program notes.
A program note usually includes a biographical profile of the composer, background information about the composer’s historical period, some mention of the first performance of the piece with a list or survey of major performances, and a description of the piece. The description will guide audience members through the performance, describing what they can expect to hear in each section of the piece.
One kind of program note is a profile of each performer, describing the performer’s major accomplishments and listing schools attended and major past performances. It may also give a brief discography, a listing of recordings that the performer has made professionally.
Writing program notes will require you to do some research so you can provide the information readers expect to enhance their enjoyment and understanding of the performance. Think of program notes as small research papers that teach your readers about the music they are going to listen to.
Related topics:
Response papers
Press releases
Concert reviews
Journal articles
Grant proposals