Term Review 2 (spring)

The approach that the whole group took when learning and completing a song was good.

Term Review 1( winter)

The practice sessions we have had this term as a whole band have been going well. I think this because, we had a strong plan and pre-production meeting that meant everyone knew what they were doing. My role in the group is learning the piano for our chosen song - I have been using the lyric and chord sheets for our songs.

What else has been going well?
The group has built a better friendship with each other

What hasn't been going well?

SWOT

My Strengths are when i practice, i play confidently and i'm a fast learner.
My weaknesses are i let my emotions take over some days.
my opportunities are the equipment that is available for me to use at school.
the threats are when i practice i can loss interest in what i am doing.

Practice Schedule

Day	Time	Duration
Monday	1:15 4:30	1 hour in class 30mins
Tuesday	4:30	30mins
Wednesday	1:20 4:30	1hour in class (odd week) 30mins
Thursday	10:10 4:30	1 hour in (class computer) 30mins
Friday	4:30	30mins
Saturday	10:30	30mins
Sunday	12:30	30mins

Rehearsal diary/log

Date: 

 28th september 2016

What did we do in today's lesson: 

we practice say something and anya looked at closer tutorials on youtube.

what i set out to achieve today:

well me and anya set out to kind of now the basic of the songs.

how was i successful today:

i know say something of by heart now 

 Targets for next rehearsal:

my target for next practice is to get the chords for closer and practice.

Date: 

3rd october 2016

what did i do this lesson:

as anya was not in i ask sir to print me off closer chords and i practice closer. This is the first time i have practiced closer because before i have only watched tutorials before. I found this hard as there was a black note  in the chord d.

what i set out to achieve:

i set out to achieve the first couple chords of closer

how was i successful:

i learnt the chords c d em of by heart

Targets for next week:

show anya the chords and help her

Date: 

10th / 12th october 2016

what did i do this lesson:

i practice closer with anya. i played the chords and anya played the riff.

what i set out to achieve:

we set out to get a steady beat and set out the structure of our song

how was i successful:

i was successful because we manged to play with the drums and make a steady structure.

Targets for next week:

do one run through and then show.

Date: 

31st october

what did i do this lesson:

we practiced and then recorded the song closer to be assessed on and then keir and luke asked me and anya to join them to play heathens by twenty one pilots.

what i set out to achieve:

to achieve the timing in closer and to get a good grade in our performance 

how was i successful:

we got the timing right

Date: 

2nd november/7th november 

what did i do this lesson:

anya,keir, luke and i practice

what i set out to achieve:

I set out to know the basic chords and to be able to have a good transition between the three chords (c,a,e and then occasionally b7)

how was i successful:

I was successful because i found the chords i can play all the chords in one hand and i am a lot more comfortable when playing the piano and a lot of  my confidence boost is down to anya because she always helps me when i feel like i cant do it and she always pushes me to do it and it has helped me alot through out this so far.

Date:
14th November 2016

What I did in the lesson:
In the lesson me, Keir and Luke practice the whole song
What was I successful at:
I was successful at gettingng the timings. Correct and I can successfully play the chords with out stopping


Date: 16th November 2016
What did I do in the lesson:
Me and keir finished the song and we were looking at new songs to do

date: 5th december 2016

we practice the song heathens and finished any of the final touches. we also talked about how me and anya can play the piano so we can both be marked probably.

date: 14th december 2016

Last lesson Anya and I played a mixture of all the songs that we have learnt ( closer,heathens and say something) because keir was not in. Anya and I recorded us playing closer by chainsmokers.
Anya and I had trouble understanding the chords for thinking out loud so we asked sir to help us and now next lesson we are going to practice the chords he gave us.

next lesson Anya and I need to talk to luke and keir about the change sir helped me and anya to do.

all of january we practiced all the songs and we started hello

date: 6 february 2017

In mondays lesson we performed closer by the chainsmokers and it went awful as i couldn't keep track of what was happening as i got nervous performing in front of the class.
so next time i need to pluck up the confidence to perform in front of people especially in front of the class as they have more experience at playing instruments compared to me.                                                        
Date: 21st february 2017

I was going to start practicing shape of you by Ed Sheeran but i got pulled out of the lesson by mr lancaster

Date: 27st february 2017

In this lesson me and anya revisited all the songs we have learnt and practiced them and then we started learning shape of you by Ed Sheeran and hello by Adele .

Date: 6th march 2017

I was not in for this practical lesson neither was anya.

Date: 9th march 2017

This lesson me and Anya went on the grand piano because House music was on, keir had his guitar and luke was doing the drum beat on his legs, I practiced  Indian Dance quickly just so i revised what i had to do in my independent lessons, then me and Anya practiced closer, heathens, say something and we started playing hello. Next lesson I need to remember to bring in my folder that has the chord sheets in for every song that we are doing and was thinking of doing, just so that me and Anya can start practicing the songs that we haven't even started.

Instrumental Lesson Diary

so far my music lessons have been great i have learnt how to figure out and find minors and majors. I can use to hands by my right hand using 1,3,5 and my left hand using 1,5. I can read c,d,e note on music.
I have music sheet to practice. I have practice the music sheet at home because i haven't had a lesson in awhile so i just go over stuff, we went through in the lesson and i improve and learn the stuff that is written in my lesson diary book.

1st december

In my lesson today I went over jingle bells and then i started on silent night.

march


all the songs I have learnt so far:

1. ode to joy
2. silent night
3. go tell aunt nancy
4. my house
5. c. d, c,b 
6. yankee doodle 
7. westminster chimes
8. merry go round
9. green gravel
10. sailors hornpipe
11. Indian Dance

Health & Safety

How can you protect your hearing during rehearsals?

The way to protecting your hearing as a musician is to wear earplugs during rehearsals and concerts.  Not just any earplugs, but special ones that are specifically designed to reduce the intensity of sound while not disrupting the frequency of those sounds.

How can a mixture of repertoire (quiet and loud songs) help protect your hearing?

  Schedule a variety of loud and quiet music during a rehearsal to reduce the overall exposure. Try and allocate noisy instruments/passages into separate rehearsals.
Should you rehearse with loud or quiet sound levels? Why?

 Aim to rehearse at a quieter overall level unless the group is trying to achieve a 'balance' in the actual performance space. Limit the time spent when trying to get a balance before returning to the quieter rehearsal level. When repeating sections to iron out problems, musicians should try to play quietly, except for those who need to be heard at full volume. Try to avoid rehearsing when extraneous noise is increasing the overall exposure to noise.
How much time out (silent time) should you have during your rehearsals? Why?

Exposure to noise can induce high stress levels in individuals. Stress should be assessed as part of the overall risk assessment. Consider allowing time-out for individual musicians and crew to manage their own stress levels by permitting them to leave the rehearsal for a short time if they are feeling extremely stressed by the noise. The conductor/musical director needs to be informed if this policy is in place. It might also mean that the seating position of one or more performers needs to be reassessed.
Describe a suitable venue for rehearsals, why is it suitable?

 Make sure the venue is suitable for rehearsal. Wherever possible use a purpose-built/acoustically treated rehearsal room/hall but, if not, using a larger space might mean that noise exposure is reduced.

Term Review

I want to become better at playing basic chords on the piano, once i have done that then i can focus on playing single notes/ single notes on my left hand aswell as playing my right hand chords.

2. Are these musical goals new/have they changed from when you first wrote your goals on your blog?

They haven't really changed, i've only changed them into realistic targets and i've lowered my goals and once i've achieved them i will take the next step.

3. Do you think you are achieving these goals? What in detail how you think you are/aren't achieving your goals. How do you know?

I think i have started achieving my goals as on my 1-1 piano lessons i am started to play notes on my left hand aswell as my right hand.

4. Is there anything stopping you from achieving these goals?

I think the amount of equipment we have and i get easily distracted

5. What do you need to focus on each lesson to achieve these goals?.

They song where learning and just keep my head down and keep working.

7. Write five things you need to learn/be taught for you to become the musician you want to become.

1. different chords
2. eaasier was off doing the chords
3. what part of the piano to play it

Example Brief

I personally would do a concert of aq 10/15 minute  piece to our generation (13-18 years of age) because they are of a close age range as us so we know what they listen to and would like.

I personally think 'pop' style music would best fit the concert because everybody knows songs from that genre and it will entertain people.

5 songs that will be ideal

1. Closer by the chainsmokers
2. We dont talk anymore by charlie puth
3. Cold water by major lazer 
4. Treat you better by shawn mendes
5. Hold up by beyonce 

I would need to focus more on boosting my confidence to perform in front of a big crowd and i would have to sort out my focus and practice hard to make sure I don't make any mistakes in the performance.

Mid-Term Review

My goals that I want to achieve this year are improving my confidence when i perform and my piano playing skills.I want to play on piece of music really well.

I have not changed or added any more goals because i want to set a couple so i can set out to achieve them and i'm not worrying about that i'm not going to be able to do them.

I personally think I am achieving my goals because i have got a lot more confidence when playing in our group and playing in front of other people because when anya and I used to play on the piano you used to have the year 11 PE group and even though your not showing them it still took a lot of confidence to playing when they were around.

Lately my focus has been a bit off and that has stopped me from achieving my goals because my personal life has got in the way a bit lately. In future lessons I am going to improve my focus and practice before I do anything else.

Pre-Production Meeting and Planning

At the start of the term me and Anya joined to make a duet and then sir joined kian to our group to make a trio and then we started practicing "closer by chainsmokers" and then keir and luke asked if next term we wanted to join them to them to perform the song "heathens by twenty one pilots".

Personal Goals & Musical Experience

My Personal Goals for this Course:

My goal for this course is to be able to perform confidently without any nerves and to be good at playing the piano.

I am going to practice very hard at school and at home playing the piano and listen to the music that i am learning to play and study it. I am going to record myself playing and then listen and see what i can improve on and ask members of my family and my peers to help me improve

I will practice at home when i have spare time and i will practice at school with my group when they are free and i am free.

My Musical Experience:

when i was in year 6 i started learning how to play the guitar by watching youtube videos, brought a couple beginners books that came with dvds. At the start of year 9 i started learning the piano i can play a couple of songs on the piano/keyboard.

I was in a band playing the guitar in primary school, we made our own song called 'ice cream' we played you raised me up and in primary school i was in their choir and i used to go to church every sunday and i was in their choir.