Arakin 4 kurs new 001 176. indd

3. Below are opinions on the development of music
a) Spend a few minutes individually thinking of further arguments you will 
use to back up one of the opinions:
1. The line between serious music and jazz grows less and less clear. 
2. A certain amount of so-called avant-garde music in our modern art 
tries to shock and be original for originality’s sake.
3. In any age the advanced of today in music may become the com-
monplace of tomorrow.
4. Radio, television, cinema and video bring “new sounds” into our 
homes.
b) Now discuss the opinions with your partner. One of the students is supposed 
to play the role of a student who is not knowledgeable in music. The other — to 
present a student whose hobby is music. Keep interrupting each other with ques-
tions. Use the topical vocabulary
4. Group work. Split into buzz groups of 3—4 students each. Discuss the fol-
lowing, using the expressions of agreement or disagreement
1. “Some people prefer only classical music and find contemporary 
music to be cocaphony.” “Stop being conservative,” say others. “We 
need something ‘far out’ to shock the audience.”
Which side do you agree?
Composer A. Ribnikov says: “Ours is an age of great technological 
progress and accompanying emotional stress, which requires new 
forms of expression in music.”
Can his opinion help you formulate your answer?
2. Many modern composers and performers change the sound of live 
instruments by making technical adjustment (for example “prepared 
piano”
1
). a) What other examples of changing instruments do you know 
and do you find such change necessary? b) Will musicians have to sell 
their instruments in order to pay for tuition as engineers?
5. When you criticize you normally try to find faults rather than virtues, but it