Brief:
Your school is hosting an awards ceremony for local
community organisations. You have been asked to provide a 10-15 minute
performance appropriate to the event.
TASK 1 Planning:
1. My statement of personal aims:
Through my contribution to the event I would like to achieve the following goals:
By the end of the school year, the key things I would like to have achieved, is to widen my knowledge of different musical genres, improve my ability to both play and sing, learn new styles and techniques from other members of my group and improve my group communication skills. I believe that this will be an excellent opportunity to collaborate with others who have different tastes, styles and preferences, as well as hopefully develop my style of playing.I think that I have the following skills which I will use to help me achieve these goals:
I believe I have a reasonable vocal range and have a fair amount of experience in performing. I have played the guitar for around ten years and that has meant that I have plenty of time to learn different chords, keys and scales. I also have some experience in reading TAB notations. I do sing, but often I am either singing or playing guitar.I will know if I’ve achieved it because I would have gained a greater understanding of how to play guitar in different musical genres, this will probably come from the song choices for the set that will be examined. Then by working in a group, I will hopefully learn new techniques and styles from the other members of the band as well improve my timing. I can watch the recording back and evaluate my guitar and singing combination. Listening and watching the recording will be key because when I am doing both at the same time, I am often concentrating so much on what I am doing that I might not notice any issues. I will also be able to speak to my band mates, teacher and audience and collect feedback on my performance.
To meet the expectations of the audience I will ensure that I do the following:
We will be playing a variety of different songs, hopefully each under a different genre in order to increase the chances of there being something that everyone will enjoy. We have also chosen songs from different time periods to ensure that the set isn't aimed at a specific age group. This is important because the audience of youth organisations may be a mixture of young people, youth workers and older members of the community.2. Plan of my contribution to the performance
The requirements of the brief:
The school is planning to hold a reward ceremony for community organisations in the local area. Those who are performing have been asked to play a fifteen minute set that is appropriate to the event. Due to the event being an award ceremony, There will need to be at least two upbeat and fairly popular songs in the repertoire to reflect the purpose/ mood of the occasion.What I intend to do:
All songs in the set list will be ensemble pieces to insure none of the group members are left out. Furthermore, there is a greater amount to be achieved in an ensemble group as you have wider variety of songs to choose and a greater number of instrumental knowledge and skill to use. Our set consists of four songs as well as a drum solo after the second song which will lead into the third. This will provide a smooth transition between two songs. The opening song will be Craving by James Bay as it is modern, fairly fast and upbeat which will be played at a relatively high volume. This makes Craving the ideal first song as it will appeal to the younger generation all the way up to people in their mid thirties. The second song that will be played is Gravity by John Mayer which is a slower more bluesy song that may appeal to a slightly older generation. This song will lead into a drum solo which is planned to last for roughly a minute, which will then lead into the third song (Why Georgia). After that, we will hopefully finish the set with Superstition by Stevie Wonder.
How I will do it:
We will be practising as a group, at least once a week and then individual practising as well whenever we can. We also have a couple of recordings that have listened to and used them to improve our set. We have a dress rehearsal next week as well as a practice section two days before, this will give us an opportunity to test our set in front of a live audience. All of us have also agreed to book a couple of lunchtime slots in the school's music department to give us the best chance to improve our whole performance as much as we can.Who I will you need to involve:
The main people we will need to involve are the group itself, our own private music teachers who are trying to improving each of our performance techniques. It will also be useful to involve our peers and music teacher when we want feedback and possible improvements. This will help us work to get our set as good as can be and will also help us to know what specific areas need working on, such as the texture or communication.The resources I will need:
The main resources that me and my group will require, are amplifiers, a microphone and a drum kit. The reason for this, is that me and James don't think it's really practical to bring our amps in for the performance; especially as they are heavy and rather expensive. As for the mic and the kit, I don't have a microphone of my own and Ollie firstly, doesn't have an acoustic drum kit and secondly, he has no means of transporting it to school even if he did. Finally, it would be useful to have a guitar stand in the wings on stage right, where I can keep the guitar I'm not using. However, this is the only thing that is not essential, though I will do my very best to try and ensure that there is one there.
Equipment list;
Entire Set:- Drum kit (Ollie)
- Amplifiers (James & Louis)
- Microphone (Louis)
- Electric Guitar (James)
- Acoustic Guitar (Louis)
- Distortion Pedal (James)
- Electric Guitar (James & Louis)
- Reverb (Louis)
Why Georgia:
- Acoustic Guitar (Louis)
- Electric Guitar (James)
Health and Safety issues:
See this web address, where I have covered all the main health and safety issues that may occur in the music business: https://louissmithmusicpractitioner.blogspot.co.uk/p/health-safety.html:
Hazards in the working studio environment:
- Handling heavy objects must be done with extreme caution.
- Watch out for sharp edges or corners when using/carrying the equipment.
- Also treat electrical equipment with care.
- Caution must be used when cables are laid, they are tripping hazards so the use of coloured tape or rubber curbs will ensure they are noticed.
- When music is played, please ensure that it is at a sensible volume. If the volume is too loud it could lead to ear damage, an example of this would be Tinnitus.
- When using electrical equipment, there is a risk of exposed wires which, when live, could electrocute those who are unaware of the danger.
- All electrical equipment must be serviced and certified to be safe in order to avoid any electrical problems.
To work in a studio environment, you must operate with a certain amount of caution and common sense. There are a reasonable amount of possible dangerous hazards in a studio, some are heavy, some require a large amount of electricity and therefore run the risk of electrocution and finally, some equipment may have cables running across the floor such as which ar tripping hazards.
In summary: There are clear tripping hazards on the stage, with all the cables running along the floor and a possibility of hearing damage if the amps/ P.A. systems have been turned up too loud (may also damage the equipment). The other key safety hazard, are exposed wires that may electrocute someone if plugged into mains electricity. There was also slight issue with someone running cables in a messy fashion up the stairs that are the main exit from the stage as well as a considerable amount of mess in the wings, which posed a fairly sufficient threat of tripping.
My set list:
- Craving - James Bay
- Gravity - John Mayer
- (Ollie's drum solo)
- Why Georgia - John Mayer
- Superstition - Stevie Wonder ( 08/02/2017 Having now completed a dress rehearsal we have decided that there is no need to perform this song as it would cause our set to run over the set time.)
Style and Image:
We are performing music of many different genres so we can attempt to please people of many different ages. However, there is definitely a theme of rock and roll throughout the set especially in our playing style and the use of certain effects e.g. distortion. Will will need suitable volume levels on the amps, but within safe listening volume. We will need to use the dress rehearsal to make sure our volume levels are safe and appropriate.
Ideas for the performance:
The best way the that we can all ensure that the performance runs smoothly is to be organised. Me and my group have already planned what we are going to do for the rehearsals to try and reduce the amount of time spent on faffing around with the amps and the setting up; this will be an excellent opportunity to see if anything in our plan need altering. We plan to arrive at least fifteen minutes before the performance so we can set up, make sure every thing we want is present and working as well as ensuring our instruments are in tune.
Staging and equipment needs:
The microphone and my amp needs to be situated at the front of stage right. The drum kit needs to be at the back of the stage and positioned right in the centre. Finally, James' amp needs to be situated at the front of stage left. Throughout the set, I will need to change guitar a couple of times which means it would be very useful for there to be a guitar stand in the wings on stage right where I can keep the guitar I'm not using for the duration of the song (as I've said previously).
Rehearsal Schedule
Rehearsal 1: 4th January
This week the me, James and Ollie decided we would dedicate this lesson on perfecting Gravity. To start off we played it through once, and then used that performance to help us edit and improve it. We listened to the original song a couple of time and discussed what we could take from it; as well as what we could add to it, Ollie managed to make a couple of his own fills that sounded good and also cued the changing from verse to chorus. James suggested that during the last few bars, he improvised some blues solos over the chords i was playing which sounded great We finnished off by running through the song again; only this time, it featured new things that we had added. The overall performance, was far better than the on we did at the begining which was nice because it meant that our efforts had not been wasted.
Rehearsal 2: 9th January
Most unfortunately due to some health issues, I was unable to attend school on this date. However, Ollie told me that him and James were working again on gravity as well as listening to the other songs on our set list. I made sure that I practised my parts and caught up on this hour by staying at school with Mr Flowers to work on my vocal technique to backing tracks of the songs we are performing.
Rehearsal 3: 16th January.
This week we decided that we would dedicate this lesson to Why Georgia in the pursuit of getting it as good as we possibly can. We started off(like last week) with playing the song all the way through. This was a good idea, as Ollie struggled with the song, due to not being as familiar with the song as I thought and gave him a chance to really get to know the song. James decided he would just improvise the whole of his parts (after we listened to the song a few times) which turned out to be a great idea and sounded amazing; he even managed to harmonise with my instrumental parts. After Ollie had got to grips with the song, we all ran through the song and found that it sounded much much better.
Rehearsal 4: 23rd January
This week me, James and Ollie decided to not play anything and just dedicate the lesson to picking a third song for our set. This was due to us deciding that our previous ideas were fairly unrealistic. We spent the whole lesson listening to different songs that both we and our teacher suggested. Eventually we all settled on a son called 'Craving' by James Bay, which we chose for it's upbeat and bluesy sound. However, we spent around fifteen minutes listening to Ollie play the drums as I had suggested that he had a minute drum solo between the second and third songs, while I changed guitars. This will give him an opportunity to show off his skills, and by the end of the lesson he had a good idea of what he would play.
Rehearsal 5: 30th January
Today we completely focused on Craving, as we had only decided to play it in our performance last week. The song requires the lead guitarist to be in a different tuning so James tuned down while Ollie quickly practised his drum solo, and then we started work on the new song. In order to get a classic blues sound, James distorted his guitar and then we both fiddled with EQ in order to boost the bass. This gave us a deep gravely sound that fitted nicely with the song. We ran through the song four times; and by the end of the lesson, my other group members and I thought it sounded quite good.
Rehearsal 6: 6th February
This week is the week of our dress rehearsal which meant that the lesson was spent running through the set time after time just to try and help us get it as good as it possibly be. The only slight issue was hat Craving needed a little bit of extra attention, but by the end of the lesson we had run through the set twice almost flawlessly.
DRESS REHEARSAL ON STAGE and rehearsal in practice room: 8th February (2 hours)
Rehearsal 8: After school / Lunchtime Rehearsal
21/02/1017: Today we decided after our lesson to practice for an hour after school just help us have our set as good as we could get it for the final performance in two days. Ollie has very nearly mastered his drum solo which lasts for around a minute which will give me ample time to change guitars for Why Georgia. James' improvised solos are sounding great and I am having less trouble with hitting the higher notes; we managed t run through the set without a mistake which was a real confidence boost . The session was a success and we are all now feeling fairly confident about the performance.
Rehearsal 9: After school / Lunchtime Rehearsal
22/02/2017: Me and James practised before school for around half an hour. We managed to play through the entire set without stopping; and found all of the instrumental parts were played without a single mistake twice. I also practised singing through the second run through and hit pretty much all of the correct notes; I did have one or two voice breaks and I will focus on and practice my vocals for these parts.PERFORMANCE: WEDNESDAY 22nd February
TASK 3 Evaluation
Strengths Reflection:
What went well during the performance:
All in all the groups communication skills were great; our collective timing was fairly good, there were minimal mistakes and Ollie was pretty good at cuing me and James. James' playing was pretty much flawless and in perfect time almost all the way through the performance. Both of my fellow group members and I, were able to perform with a great sense of unity, keeping the dynamics as equal as we could however, the people on the soundboard were mostly in control. I also thought that the EQ effectively produced the desired sound that me and James wanted for the guitars. Furthermore, I believe the songs were arranged in the best possible way: craving gave us a strong; upbeat beginning, Craving gave us a bit of a rest and showed off mine and James' ability to solo especially James' bluesy improvisation and finally, Why Georgia which had the quickest tempo and the most complex both vocal and instrumental melodies.
What I did well during the performance:
I managed to play all of my guitar parts almost without a single mistake and all in all, my timing was fairly accurate throughout the set. I also managed to sing at a reasonably loud volume and I tried my very best to ensure that my diction was as good as it could be.
Improvement Reflection:
What could have been done better if I were to perform again:
What I need to improve and my suggested strategies:
Improvement #1: Falsetto/vocal pitch
Strategy: How could you make that improvement?: I could practice vocal exercises and warm ups three times a week, and then every day for a week before a performance. This will hopefully help to ensure that I can hit the correct notes at the right pitches; I could use help found on websites such as this one; http://www.vocalist.org.uk/singing_exercises.html
Improvement #2: Stage presence
Strategy: How could you make that improvement?: One of the first issues was that Ollie (drummer) had been situated too far on stage left which meant you could barely see him; so it would definitely be a good idea to move the kit to the centre of the stage if we were to do it again.
Improvement #3: Timing
Strategy: How could you make that improvement?: It would have helped in we had all practiced to a metronome, both when we practice alone and in our group. This would have improved our overall timing immensely; and is definitely something that we would do next time. It also is useful creating specific fills with the drummer that we know cues a change in melody, section or texture.
Feedback I have written up that I recieved from others:
Accuracy: Good solid performance – fantastic choice of instruments with
two independent guitar parts.
Technique: Ollie – good use of the full kit and good use of dynamics in
your drum fills. Great drum solo whilst Louis and James set up – very good idea
to keep the audience engaged.
Louis – great ability to play guitar and sing at the same
time – especially demonstrating different picking and strumming techniques.
Good vocal range when you went falsetto.
Musicality: Create choice of songs that everyone could
enjoy.
Communication and stage
presence: James and Louis at the front of the group – frequently made
good eye contact with the audience.
Health and Safety: Be careful James and Louis when you go off stage – blog what
you need to look out for.
Improvements: Make sure you practice how to end
your songs as much as your practice how you start.
Ollie – try to be tighter with a
few drum fills. Make more eye contact with the audience at times.
Louis – Memorise your lyrics so you
can communicate with the audience more. Watch out for a few of your chord
changes in the songs, you accidently switched to the wrong chord. Watch the
guitar levels when you go back to the electro-acoustic guitar.
James – try to move more on stage
so if you turn they can still see you. A lot of the time I could only see your
side.
How this feedback helped with my evaluation of the performance:
This feedback has identified some key possible improvements such as that I should watch the change in dynamics when I switch guitars but have also put my mind at rest when it comes to the falsetto I the third song.
Conclusion:
I am incredibly pleased with the overall performance by the group; which was performed in a professional and calm manner. This experience has definitely boosted my confidence and has widened my knowledge of different genres and styles within music. Our performance went very well and I'm especially impressed with how much Ollie has improved and developed in a year. The songs we played were knew to me and some of them; such as 'Why Georgia', challenged my abilities. I thought Craving sounded very good; particularly as it was chosen within only a couple of weeks before the performance which really put some strain on us to get it sounding good. Although we were all still struggling with the structure of the song when we performed it, I thought that we all did very well to perform it at the standard that we did. I think our second song 'Gravity' was certainly our strongest which was probably down to the fact that we decided on this at the very beginning year 11 and have had the whole of the school year to practice. Due to this, our second song was performed in time and without a single mistake; however, there was just a slight issue with the dynamics at the very start but was fixed very quickly. Ollie's drum solo provided a smooth transition between songs two and three as well as allowing people to see just how good his rhythm and timing skills are. Finally, the set finished off with 'Why Georgia', which had the potential to be the perfect song to end the performance on. I think we did a reasonable job of it; and it was certainly the most fun for me to play.. However, I think that I should have worked a little more on my falsetto, as I found that slightly difficult sometimes to hit the right pitch; and I do believe there was a very brief moment where I thought that the timing slipped ever so slightly. Nevertheless, despite the odd mistake and some difficulties with the endings, I believe that the overall performance was very good, and that we all should be proud of our efforts.
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