Select the voice for your essay. First person voice includes first-hand accounts, impressions and subjective language. Third person voice writes from a static, non-personal point of view. A first person narrative of a concert you attended is ideal.
Review your notes from the concert. Re-read all of your notes to jog your memory of the event and set aside notes mentioning specific facts that you may want to use in your paper. Type the notes onto a computer, if necessary, for safe keeping.
Construct the introduction to the paper. Choose a creative angle from which to begin the essay. A creative angle should grab the reader's attention. For example, begin the essay by explaining what it was like to see the lights come up on stage while sitting in the front row or how your heart felt walking backstage after the event.
Conclude the introduction with a thesis statement. The thesis should encapsulate what the essay, as a whole, will say. The thesis may determine if the concert was well played or left a lot to be desired. You may also use the thesis as a launching point into discussing the history of jazz or jazz concerts in general. Thesis statements set the tone and theme for your essay.
Construct the body of the essay. Write at least three paragraphs that support your thesis. Include technical information on the performances, such as input on the tempo, volume and rhythm of the music. Detail what kinds of instruments were played and what kinds of emotion the music evoked.
Capture a context in your essay. Describe how the music you heard related to various styles of jazz. If the concert was a retrospective on the work of a specific musician, include biographical information on that musician.
Include interviews or quotes in your essay. Using interviews or quotations from the musicians is a great way to offer deeper and exciting insight on the event. Include biographical information if the essay is centered on the artists who performed at the concert.
Write the conclusion using one paragraph to recap the essay. The conclusion should reemphasize the thesis.