YouTube, (2008). Children Will Listen by Bernadette Peters. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gey1PtXYwLI [Accessed 4 Dec. 2015].
YouTube, (2013). AMAZING Bateria samba BATUCADA. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQLvGghaDbE [Accessed 4 Dec. 2015].
YouTube, (2014). First Aid Kit - My Silver Lining. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKL4X0PZz7M [Accessed 4 Dec. 2015].
YouTube, (2009). Dido - White Flag (Official Video). [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-fWDrZSiZs [Accessed 4 Dec. 2015].
Wednesday, 9 December 2015
Bibliography
Wilkins ML. (2013) Creative Music Composition: The Young Composer's Voice: Routledge p.16
Cooper. G and Meyer LB. (1963) The Rhythmic Structure of Music: University of Chicago Press p.6
Uribe E. (1994) The Essence of Brazilian Percussion and Drum Set: With Rhythm Section Parts ; Rhythms, Songstyles, Techniques, Applications: London, Alfred Music Publishing p.16
Cooper. G and Meyer LB. (1963) The Rhythmic Structure of Music: University of Chicago Press p.6
Uribe E. (1994) The Essence of Brazilian Percussion and Drum Set: With Rhythm Section Parts ; Rhythms, Songstyles, Techniques, Applications: London, Alfred Music Publishing p.16
Ensemble Performance
Our assessment did not start out very positively. My group had booked a final rehearsal just before the assessment and only three of us turned up to it. We could not get hold of the other two group members and as it neared the time of the assessment we had to prepare for the possibility that neither of them were going to turn up. Summer, Abi and I rehearsed quickly with piano chords that were thrown together in case this was to occur and I had to sing in for Yahya. Fortunately at the last minute they both turned up and the assessment went ahead. We started off with 'Reflection', this went mostly to plan. We were all in time and our dynamics were as we had rehearsed. I think Abi was panicked by what had happened prior to the assessment and got her hands muddled with the chords at one point, but you couldn't really tell as she did not make it obvious. I believe that we performed with confidence and a great range of instruments and sounds were used. I think that when we got around to performing that piece I lost a little bit of my folk style that I had been working hard on in rehearsals, it went a little bit into a musical theatre style, but mostly I feel like I stuck to the folk style. We got some really good feedback for the piece, the class said that they really liked the use of instruments and how we changed the piece to fit the style of folk. They also liked how it went from really upbeat and dancey to quite slow and sombre and then back to upbeat at the end.
The second piece, 'Man in the Mirror', I thought went very well. It started off shaky because the guitar chords were wrong which made the singing slightly off key. By the second verse we were back on track and all our harmonies were really good, the dynamics were great and all our voices blended really well together, which showed from the feedback we got from the class.
If we were to do this again I would definitely have arranged more rehearsal to get us more prepared for the final performance. I think the people you choose to work with are very important because everyone needs to pull together to ensure we perform as well as we possibly can in order to get the best grades possible. It isn't fair on the rest of the group when people are absent for rehearsals and let everyone else down when everyone has worked so hard.
Overall I think we did the best we could have under the circumstances, however I do not feel like we performed to the best of our ability and I am quite disappointed about that. During this experience I have learned that for a group project to really be successful, there must be a level of respect that you have for the rest of your group. This is very important
The second piece, 'Man in the Mirror', I thought went very well. It started off shaky because the guitar chords were wrong which made the singing slightly off key. By the second verse we were back on track and all our harmonies were really good, the dynamics were great and all our voices blended really well together, which showed from the feedback we got from the class.
If we were to do this again I would definitely have arranged more rehearsal to get us more prepared for the final performance. I think the people you choose to work with are very important because everyone needs to pull together to ensure we perform as well as we possibly can in order to get the best grades possible. It isn't fair on the rest of the group when people are absent for rehearsals and let everyone else down when everyone has worked so hard.
Overall I think we did the best we could have under the circumstances, however I do not feel like we performed to the best of our ability and I am quite disappointed about that. During this experience I have learned that for a group project to really be successful, there must be a level of respect that you have for the rest of your group. This is very important
Friday, 4 December 2015
Mock Assessment Performance
To show Hayley and the rest of the class how far we had all progressed we had to show one of our pieces as a little mock assessment performance. We decided to show 'Man in the Mirror' as it was our most polished piece. We had decided on the formation and the movement of the piece and it was coming along nicely. We performed it to the group and I thought it had gone really well apart from one minor mishap of someone getting the words mixed up, but that wasn't a huge issue. We got some fantastic feedback such as that we all looked really confident, well rehearsed and the harmonies and dynamics worked really well. My group were really happy about the comments and the only criticism we got was that if something goes wrong, we shouldn't let it show on our faces. I thought this was a really important point even if it was only a small one and I think we all took that on board.
After watching all of the other groups work I was really impressed with what I saw. I definitely think that my group is ahead of the others but even so there were some lovely harmonise and dynamics in the other groups pieces. I especially liked Amy, David and Erin's piece, their voices blended really well together, with David's low voice, Amy's soprano voice and Erin's alto voice.
I was also impressed with Emma, Olivia and Jess's piece. I thought it was really original as Emma was tap dancing the beat of the song. Although the timing was slightly off I can tell that with more practise it will be a really good piece.
With regards to our performance pieces, we are going to arrange a few more outside class rehearsals as we need as much practise as possible. I'm not worried about our assessment as with what we have already I'm sure we are going to do the best that we possibly can and I am quite excited. All we have left to do is polish 'Man in the Mirror' and finish and polish 'Reflection'.
After watching all of the other groups work I was really impressed with what I saw. I definitely think that my group is ahead of the others but even so there were some lovely harmonise and dynamics in the other groups pieces. I especially liked Amy, David and Erin's piece, their voices blended really well together, with David's low voice, Amy's soprano voice and Erin's alto voice.
I was also impressed with Emma, Olivia and Jess's piece. I thought it was really original as Emma was tap dancing the beat of the song. Although the timing was slightly off I can tell that with more practise it will be a really good piece.
With regards to our performance pieces, we are going to arrange a few more outside class rehearsals as we need as much practise as possible. I'm not worried about our assessment as with what we have already I'm sure we are going to do the best that we possibly can and I am quite excited. All we have left to do is polish 'Man in the Mirror' and finish and polish 'Reflection'.
Assessment Rehearsals and Solo Assessment Prep
To progress on our pieces it was important that we booked extra rehearsals as well as using the time we have in class as this takes a lot of time. We started thinking about our second piece and how we could turn 'Reflection' from Mulan into a folk song. I researched folk singers such as First Aid Kit to get some inspiration as I would be singing the main tune of the song and I would need to adapt my voice into a folk style. I also took some inspiration from Dido who has a folk twinge to her voice. This was more difficult than I expected as I have a Musical Theatre voice. It helped to play around with my voice and see what I could do with it and I found that imitating some folk singers really allowed me to work on the folk technique. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKL4X0PZz7M(YouTube, 2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-fWDrZSiZs (YouTube, 2009)
In the mean time, Summer was working on the introduction of the song and trying to make it sound folky, whilst Yahya arranged a drum beat to go with it and Abi and Constantine worked on chords for the whole of the song. The song would be faster than the original with a completely different style. The idea is to not make it sound like the original at all.
We also worked on 'Man in the Mirror' again and Abi had written a rap to go after the chorus. While she was doing this, myself, Yahya and Summer were free styling with some 'oohs' and 'aahs' and some other trills which sounded really good. My favourite part of this project is that we all have an equal input to the pieces. We work in unison and depend on each other. Without the whole of the group, it just doesn't work.
I am really proud of what we have got so far and I am really excited for the assessments, as I know the rest of the group is as well.
After the holidays we have another assessment. Two solo pieces with a specific theme. After mulling over some options I have decided on the theme of Jazz. A musical theatre piece with a jazzy twist 'Life of the Party' from the musical 'The Wild Party' and a Michael Buble song, 'All I Do is Dream of You'. I have arranged an accompanist to play 'Life of the Party' and I am going to sing the other song with a backing track. I have had to research some Jazz artists to learn some jazz techniques and allow my voice to develop in that area. I also need to transpose the Michael Buble song as the song was written for a mans voice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-fWDrZSiZs (YouTube, 2009)
In the mean time, Summer was working on the introduction of the song and trying to make it sound folky, whilst Yahya arranged a drum beat to go with it and Abi and Constantine worked on chords for the whole of the song. The song would be faster than the original with a completely different style. The idea is to not make it sound like the original at all.
We also worked on 'Man in the Mirror' again and Abi had written a rap to go after the chorus. While she was doing this, myself, Yahya and Summer were free styling with some 'oohs' and 'aahs' and some other trills which sounded really good. My favourite part of this project is that we all have an equal input to the pieces. We work in unison and depend on each other. Without the whole of the group, it just doesn't work.
I am really proud of what we have got so far and I am really excited for the assessments, as I know the rest of the group is as well.
After the holidays we have another assessment. Two solo pieces with a specific theme. After mulling over some options I have decided on the theme of Jazz. A musical theatre piece with a jazzy twist 'Life of the Party' from the musical 'The Wild Party' and a Michael Buble song, 'All I Do is Dream of You'. I have arranged an accompanist to play 'Life of the Party' and I am going to sing the other song with a backing track. I have had to research some Jazz artists to learn some jazz techniques and allow my voice to develop in that area. I also need to transpose the Michael Buble song as the song was written for a mans voice.
Tuesday, 1 December 2015
Ensemble Assessment Piece Prep and Rehearsal
For our ensemble assessment piece we selected our own groups and it was decided that I would be in a group with Summer, Abi, Yahya and Constantine. We decided to start off by grouping our ideas together and discuss them with Hayley to come up with our overall theme. We put across several ideas such as a Disney Medley, which we decided against when we spoke to Hayley due to it being very overdone and difficult to change with it still being able to sound good. We also discussed a theme of Magic and Fairy tales, however the whole group was not able to agree on it. We ended the discussion with a few ideas that we would try out on piano; Royals by Lorde, Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson and 'Want You Back' by the Jackson Five.
We found the chords for those three songs and just free styled and played around with them until we had a basis to decide what song we would choose as our first assessment song. After we had decided on one then we could create a theme and choose the second one. Man in the Mirror sounded the best so that was chosen as the first song. I came up with the theme of Reflection and that meant we could still incorporate our original idea of Disney by doing the song 'Reflection' from the film Mulan. We realised we still had to put a twist on both songs and change the styles. We knew we wanted 'Reflection' to be sang in a folk style, but we started on 'Man in the Mirror' deciding on who would sing what section and adding harmonies. We got to the first chorus in the song, Yahya would sing the first verse, I would sing the second verse, Summer would sing the 3rd verse (with Abi singing harmonise) and chorus and I would harmonise the chorus with Abi and Yahya singing oooh's. Constantine would be playing the guitar for the whole of the song. We experienced some timing issues with the guitar and also difficulties with lyrics as I wasn't sure of the tune or lyrics as I wasn't familiar with the song. This was quickly overcome and we are now well on our way with the first song.
We found the chords for those three songs and just free styled and played around with them until we had a basis to decide what song we would choose as our first assessment song. After we had decided on one then we could create a theme and choose the second one. Man in the Mirror sounded the best so that was chosen as the first song. I came up with the theme of Reflection and that meant we could still incorporate our original idea of Disney by doing the song 'Reflection' from the film Mulan. We realised we still had to put a twist on both songs and change the styles. We knew we wanted 'Reflection' to be sang in a folk style, but we started on 'Man in the Mirror' deciding on who would sing what section and adding harmonies. We got to the first chorus in the song, Yahya would sing the first verse, I would sing the second verse, Summer would sing the 3rd verse (with Abi singing harmonise) and chorus and I would harmonise the chorus with Abi and Yahya singing oooh's. Constantine would be playing the guitar for the whole of the song. We experienced some timing issues with the guitar and also difficulties with lyrics as I wasn't sure of the tune or lyrics as I wasn't familiar with the song. This was quickly overcome and we are now well on our way with the first song.
Duet
For a mock assessment, myself and Abi were put into a group to create an accapella duet to a song of our choice that we would have to change/put a fresh twist on, add harmonies and perhaps combine with another song. The song we chose to do was 'Toxic' by Britney Spears after experimenting with several other songs such as 'Fix You' by Coldplay and 'Viva La Vida' also by Coldplay, but decided against them because we felt the style we wanted to go for was portrayed better in 'Toxic'.
We started off by finding the piano chords for the song so we could find our starting notes and decided that we would slow the song right down and make it eerie with lots of dynamics to make it really effective. It was decided that it would all be sung in our head voices as this meant we were able to add slides to notes and really play around with dynamics which would be difficult if we were singing full belt.
We started off with a really soft, eerie tone - with a really simplistic setting and then from the second line onwards we added harmonies and a range of quite and loud dynamics (piano and forte). We experimented with adding another song, 'Mad World' by Gary Jules to sing over the top in some sections but then decided that less is more and the song suited a more simplistic set-up and just stuck with the one song. To suit the simplicity theme it was decided that there wouldn't be much movement involved when we performed it and just arranged to stand facing inwards opposite each other which on reflection and through feedback we realised that we should have added some movement in and changed our stances. I was stood with my hands in my pockets which is not an appropriate stance for singing and performing, however it worked that we were looking at each other and engaging during the performance to judge when to come in to make sure we were completely in sync and this really worked well. If we were to do it again we would add movement, keep the simplicity but add another eerie song into it to add an eccentric twist to it.
CMU105 Musicianship 1A : Meg and Abi Vocal Arrangment
We started off by finding the piano chords for the song so we could find our starting notes and decided that we would slow the song right down and make it eerie with lots of dynamics to make it really effective. It was decided that it would all be sung in our head voices as this meant we were able to add slides to notes and really play around with dynamics which would be difficult if we were singing full belt.
We started off with a really soft, eerie tone - with a really simplistic setting and then from the second line onwards we added harmonies and a range of quite and loud dynamics (piano and forte). We experimented with adding another song, 'Mad World' by Gary Jules to sing over the top in some sections but then decided that less is more and the song suited a more simplistic set-up and just stuck with the one song. To suit the simplicity theme it was decided that there wouldn't be much movement involved when we performed it and just arranged to stand facing inwards opposite each other which on reflection and through feedback we realised that we should have added some movement in and changed our stances. I was stood with my hands in my pockets which is not an appropriate stance for singing and performing, however it worked that we were looking at each other and engaging during the performance to judge when to come in to make sure we were completely in sync and this really worked well. If we were to do it again we would add movement, keep the simplicity but add another eerie song into it to add an eccentric twist to it.
CMU105 Musicianship 1A : Meg and Abi Vocal Arrangment
Saturday, 14 November 2015
Samba Arrangement
"A single technical definition could not accurately express what Samba truly is." Uribe E. (1994) The Essence of Brazilian Percussion and Drum Set: With Rhythm Section Parts ; Rhythms, Songstyles, Techniques, Applications: London, Alfred Music Publishing p.16
Brazil is famous for the carnival festivals where thousands parade the streets of the Rio De Janeiro dancing to samba rhythms. Samba's interlacing rhythms are made up of several different drums.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQLvGghaDbE (YouTube, 2013)
As a group we all participated in a Samba arrangement. There were big drums, little drums, tiny drums all in the Samba variety. We were all given a score based on what drum we had which we had to sight read and play our individual parts altogether in the group. However we had to come up with our own way of putting it altogether!
Firstly we appointed a conductor which at first no one wanted to put themselves forward for, but Amy volunteered. This ended up with everyone talking over each other and inputting ideas at the same time which was chaotic. Abi eventually stepped in and took on the roll and incorporated everyone's ideas. We started off by gradually adding all the instruments into the piece with their different rhythms and then adjusting the dynamics from soft to loud. I had a little drum solo in it which I was happy about. We ended the piece by getting all the instruments to drop out gradually and then all come back in together all at once and then finish at the same time which I think was really effective. This task showed me how important it was to listen to each other, work as a team and really concentrate on everyone as well as myself to keep in time. We performed the piece to a few lecturers and got some amazing feedback which was great. We could even take that piece further and perform it locally if we wanted to.
CMU105 Musicianship 1A : Percu-Dance by Curly Fries
Brazil is famous for the carnival festivals where thousands parade the streets of the Rio De Janeiro dancing to samba rhythms. Samba's interlacing rhythms are made up of several different drums.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQLvGghaDbE (YouTube, 2013)
As a group we all participated in a Samba arrangement. There were big drums, little drums, tiny drums all in the Samba variety. We were all given a score based on what drum we had which we had to sight read and play our individual parts altogether in the group. However we had to come up with our own way of putting it altogether!
Firstly we appointed a conductor which at first no one wanted to put themselves forward for, but Amy volunteered. This ended up with everyone talking over each other and inputting ideas at the same time which was chaotic. Abi eventually stepped in and took on the roll and incorporated everyone's ideas. We started off by gradually adding all the instruments into the piece with their different rhythms and then adjusting the dynamics from soft to loud. I had a little drum solo in it which I was happy about. We ended the piece by getting all the instruments to drop out gradually and then all come back in together all at once and then finish at the same time which I think was really effective. This task showed me how important it was to listen to each other, work as a team and really concentrate on everyone as well as myself to keep in time. We performed the piece to a few lecturers and got some amazing feedback which was great. We could even take that piece further and perform it locally if we wanted to.
CMU105 Musicianship 1A : Percu-Dance by Curly Fries
Rhythm
"Rhythm may be defined as the way in which one or more unaccented beats are grouped in relation to an accented one." Cooper. G and Meyer LB. (1963) The Rhythmic Structure of Music: University of Chicago Press p.6
What is Rhythm? Rhythm is what makes music move and flow. Rhythm is made up of sounds and silences. These sounds and silences are put together to form patterns of sound, which are repeated to create rhythm. A rhythm has a steady beat, but it may also have many different kinds of beats.
As a group we looked at African drumming. African musicians do not think of music and dancing as a separate thing. They think of it as one, in fact the word for dance and music in African is the same. I love this idea because it shows how important the dancing side of it is for African musicians. They use their bodies as instruments and to guide them through rhythm. We learned some African drum beats and played them as a class. The finished product was very good and pleasing to be a part of. Not only did we look at African Drumming, we also looked at Japanese war percussion, Military percussion etc and I was quite good at guessing what each percussion piece meant/what it was about.
For our task we split off into groups to come up with our own interesting percussion pieces. My group decided to choose Military drums, some with and some without the snare. It didn't take us long to come up with a solid piece which we rehearsed and perfected in no time at all. We performed it to the class and got some amazing feedback. One of our improvement points was to perhaps stand up with the drums and move around instead of sitting on the floor in a circle. I particularly enjoyed this task and I am excited to do similar things in the future. I gave other groups some good feedback as well because I really enjoyed their pieces and thought some of the dynamics were very effective. I think doing this task has allowed me to explore the drum as an instrument, but also all different types of drum and percussion instruments.
What is Rhythm? Rhythm is what makes music move and flow. Rhythm is made up of sounds and silences. These sounds and silences are put together to form patterns of sound, which are repeated to create rhythm. A rhythm has a steady beat, but it may also have many different kinds of beats.
As a group we looked at African drumming. African musicians do not think of music and dancing as a separate thing. They think of it as one, in fact the word for dance and music in African is the same. I love this idea because it shows how important the dancing side of it is for African musicians. They use their bodies as instruments and to guide them through rhythm. We learned some African drum beats and played them as a class. The finished product was very good and pleasing to be a part of. Not only did we look at African Drumming, we also looked at Japanese war percussion, Military percussion etc and I was quite good at guessing what each percussion piece meant/what it was about.
Composition
"From a strong concept will flow much information about the essential parameters of musical composition." Wilkins ML. (2013) Creative Music Composition: The Young Composer's Voice: Routledge p.16.
Over the past week we were asked to write a song based on a given poem. I was given three poems to choose from and the one that I liked best and the one I decided to base my composition on was 'Clear Sky' by Gieuseppe Ungaretti.
Over the past week we were asked to write a song based on a given poem. I was given three poems to choose from and the one that I liked best and the one I decided to base my composition on was 'Clear Sky' by Gieuseppe Ungaretti.
To start off with I was very confused and frustrated. I didn't have a clue how to use ProTools nor had I ever composed anything before. I sat for ages and ages trying to come up with something...anything. Sadly nothing came to mind. I made the decision to download a piano app to my phone so I could have a play around with some melodies. This proved to be a lot easier and clearly that is the way my mind can think up fresh, unique ideas. The mood I got from the poem was that it was quite a dark thought that had gone through his head and it was almost questioning the meaning of life...that is what I got from it anyway. I wanted to display this in my piece so I thought the most somber instruments were the viola, cello, basses. These are timbres that blend well and display the emotion I wanted to tell the story. I created this piece of music and plan to sing the lyrics over the top of this and perhaps add to the lyrics.
The pieces had to be shared with the rest of the group which was nerve wracking but beneficial. I could tell that everyone had put a lot of time and energy into this project and I have to say my personal favorite was Abi Lloyd's. It sounded so professional and you could see how much effort had gone into her piece and it was just amazing. I could learn a lot from her.
Where am I heading as a Musician?
I believe music means a different thing to every single person on this planet, whether it be a way of escape, a hobby or a career, music touches everyone. For me music is a whole other world in which I can lose myself and become a completely different person. I experience emotions I never knew I had when I'm on my own listening to different genres or even performing certain pieces. I would definitely say that music has shaped me as a human being, it is (without trying to sound dramatic) my whole existence. Even though music can put me on a real high where I am at the peak of happiness, it can also drag me down lower than I'd dare to discuss - Music is not always my friend.
It is important however, for me to develop my skills as a musician and allow myself to have a greater understanding of the world of musicianship. First and foremost I need to tackle my nerves. This is something that I have struggled with for a very long time. I know my own talents and how far I can go as a performer, but nerves are my greatest enemy and I am yet to defeat them as they often hinder my performance. It would be great if I could get familiar with different types of instruments such as the piano and xylophone. I would love to incorporate Musical Theatre as much as possible into pretty much everything I do. I come from a Musical Theatre background and I never intend to stray from that path. I would also like to get comfortable composing my own pieces which will only come through much practice and extra work on my part.I think it would be wise to continue with singing lessons over here. I used to have them at home with my fabulous teacher who has taught me everything I know. Singing is my strong point so it is extremely important that I keep it that way as I intend to pursue singing and performing Musical Theatre as a career. My most inspirational Musical Theatre actress/singer at the moment is Bernadette Peters. She inspires me beyond belief.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gey1PtXYwLI (YouTube, 2008)
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