Brief:
Your school is hosting a showcase for parents and governors. You have been asked to compose a 15 minute soundtrack appropriate to the opening of the event.
Your work: Must be suitable for the audience
TASK 1 Planning:
IN THE BEGINNING...
I am pleased with my first composition not necessarily because it sounds amazing, but because of what I've learnt from making it. My first composition has been all over the place and has changed direction many times, however from this I've become a lot more confident and knowledgeable of what composition actually is and how to experiment with it. As far as specific qualities go, I'm not extremely pleased with the overall sound because I had such a specific idea of what I wanted to create, and for someone with no composition experience, I wasn't able to achieve that. I do, however, like the vibe of the track and I think the synthy sounds included help this.
My statement of personal aims:
a) What do you want to achieve through your contribution (compositions)? E.g. improve my confidence with composition skills by….. develop my skills with…… (You can write as many realistic and achievable goals as you like here. I have started the sentence for you below but feel free to change it if you wish).
With the showcase I would like to achieve a polished set of compositions to show parents and governors what I have achieved in music over the past two years. I want to demonstrate the skills I have learned and provide the audience with different and interesting instrumental music to listen to.
My goal is to feel confident in my compositions and improve my composition skills to include a wider range of instruments and melody and rhythm ideas.
Through my contribution to the event I would like to achieve a better composition knowledge and skill set, to be able to be confident in making music and to be able to see composition as a creative and trial and error process. I also hope that I can convey elements of being experimental and curious about different styles in my pieces to an audience.
I feel that my musical skills are relatively limited, however I think that I have a good sense of rhythm and timing. I'd also like to think that my curiosity, open mindedness and existing knowledge of some music is an asset. These skills help me to be able to make music flexibly and be able to learn quickly.
I will know if I have reached the expectations of the audience by asking them what they thought of the music and also asking the host/s of the event what their opinion/s were.
I think my music will meet the expectations of the audience as it is a palatable length and has a relatable structure with interesting instrumentation including some world instruments to give the audience something new to listen out for. Garageband is a well renowned app with good quality audio which also makes it suitable for the event.
Plan of my contribution to the performance:
The brief for this task was to create a set of music for a showcase, in my case this is a performance to parents and governors. I have had to tailor my composition to be suitable for the audience, meaning it has to be appealing to a range of people with different music tastes and a fitting length for the event (15 minutes). I will make it appealing by using a range of different instruments in a neutral style so that they work well together.
How I have been, and will continue, working towards my final deadline is to maximise lesson time during the week, attending my one to one composition lessons with Mr.Gower and meeting Ms.Rotchel on thursday lunch times; all in order to reach a total 15 minutes of music. I already have around 8 minutes of music however I need to expand on some of my other compositions, in order to reach the 15 minutes required. I will also require a sound crew to play my compositions to the audience.
This requires the garageband app on an Ipad and speakers for the compositions to be played through.
The time required is 15 minutes for all compositions combined. I will need a maximum of two minutes to set up to play the songs and to ensure that everything is accurate.
Health and safety issues of composing are more minor and general risks compared to other tasks, such as tripping on cables, accidents with other pieces of equipment or high noise levels causing possible damage to hearing. However, I will check the stage before hand for hazards and check with the sound crew that the levels for the playback have been checked.
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Own preparation time (I will be working on my music with my instrumental teacher in weekly 30 minute sessions totalling 2.5 hours)
Composition Writing Schedule
Composition Session 1: 23rd March (Controlled Assessment Time)
I realised that I would need to write a new composition and plan to create one that slowly evolves with one layer at a time.
Composition Session 2: 30th March (Controlled Assessment Time)
Finish and refine composition 3.
EASTER HOLIDAYS (Own preparation time - 7.5 hours)
Composition Session 3: 20th April (Controlled Assessment Time)
I plan to create a new composition by creating a few basic layers.
Composition Session 4: 27th April (ARD - COMPLETE 2 HOURs OF TIME IN MUSIC) Controlled Assessment Time
Composition Session 5: 3rd May (Controlled Assessment Time)
Composition Session 6: 4th May (Controlled Assessment Time)
Composition Session 7: 8th May (Controlled Assessment Time)
Composition Session 8: 9th May (Controlled Assessment Time) 2 Hours
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This is my work in progress that I will use for the showcase and I will now just evaluate where I am at so that I can see what still needs to be done.
Molly1 : complete
Pastiche, around 4 minutes
Molly2 : complete
In style of, around 3 minutes
Molly3 : almost complete
This piece is coming towards it's final state, Mr.Gower and I have worked for a long time on this composition taking inspiration from several other pieces of music and styles. Over 2 minutes
Molly4 : not complete
This piece is still in its early stages. Mr.Gower and I are working on layering different sounds and instruments, some of which are miscellaneous sounds played into a rhythm. Time not confirmed. At around 1minute 25 seconds
FINAL RECORDINGS OF COMPOSITION FOR 15 MINUTE SET SUBMISSION
9.41
TASK 3 Evaluation – RECOMMENDED TIME TO SPEND ON THIS – 2 HOURS.
Strengths Reflection:
1. What went well
What went well when composing, was my ethic towards inspiration and goals for composing, in the sense that I worked towards my goals and explored the styles I was inspired by. This helped conjure innovative ideas that provided a positive attitude towards learning to compose despite my lack of initial knowledge about it.
What went well when composing, was my ethic towards inspiration and goals for composing, in the sense that I worked towards my goals and explored the styles I was inspired by. This helped conjure innovative ideas that provided a positive attitude towards learning to compose despite my lack of initial knowledge about it.
Composition 1:
In composition one I am pleased with the polarise rhythm as it carries the composition and keeps it in style.
This piece is good for the repertoire as it has a clear and repetitive beat to gain the audiences interest but still remains quite atmospheric with long notes on the string parts.
On listening back one of the parts stops in a strange place and I could maybe have changed the structure so that the audience could have expected the changes that happened.
This piece is good for the repertoire as it has a clear and repetitive beat to gain the audiences interest but still remains quite atmospheric with long notes on the string parts.
On listening back one of the parts stops in a strange place and I could maybe have changed the structure so that the audience could have expected the changes that happened.
Composition 2:
In composition two I am very proud of the amount of layers in the piece and how they work together to create an interesting composition throughout with a variety of instruments making it interesting to listen to. The combination of tech instruments and normal instruments work well together and I have used a variety of rhythms and a catchy melody.
Composition 3:
Composition three has a switch over point at around 20 bars which works successfully and creates an enticing mood. On reflection I feel that I could develop the guitar parts in the second half of the piece and extend the drum ending as it stops suddenly.
Composition three has a switch over point at around 20 bars which works successfully and creates an enticing mood. On reflection I feel that I could develop the guitar parts in the second half of the piece and extend the drum ending as it stops suddenly.
Composition 4:
My fourth piece has many individual guitar riffs that are repeated now and then but they maintain an enjoyable beat throughout. I think the piece is very atmospheric and I pleased with the mood at the start that i have created through the use of the organ and slowly layering up the other parts. I think I have also managed to create a blues feel with some of the notes I have used, so it shows a lot of different styles in one. The structure works as I bring back original ideas later and I have made it my longest composition because it developed well.
Composition 5:
Composition 5 links well after composition 4 because it has an organ again so the audience would get a sense of familiarity when listening to my music. I like the way composition five is comprised of mostly repeated parts but they are composed in a way that still sounds entertaining with smaller unique riffs added in. Some of the parts in this composition sound a little unclear and with more time I would like to rerecord these in so that each note is perfectly in time and clear.
Composition 6:
With my last piece I want to create a layered effect with slowly added parts and experiment with higher parts and call and response between chords and tune and I feel that this piece is very successful in showing this.
Composition 5 links well after composition 4 because it has an organ again so the audience would get a sense of familiarity when listening to my music. I like the way composition five is comprised of mostly repeated parts but they are composed in a way that still sounds entertaining with smaller unique riffs added in. Some of the parts in this composition sound a little unclear and with more time I would like to rerecord these in so that each note is perfectly in time and clear.
Composition 6:
With my last piece I want to create a layered effect with slowly added parts and experiment with higher parts and call and response between chords and tune and I feel that this piece is very successful in showing this.
Improvement Reflection:
I think that my timing could be managed better, initially in the composition process as a whole as I would focus on little parts rather than trying to build an overall structure for my pieces. However musical improvements could include learning certain scales and which notes belong to each scale in order to play more accurate riffs and melodies rather than a more trial and error approach to recording. This would also help with my chord progressions.
I have noted some things above that I would improve in each composition but I think the main thing is making sure that the structure is clear in each piece and that memorable parts come back at expected times, I think in some of my compositions it is hard to hear the structure and I would like to improve this in the future. Rhythm and quantising is another area that I need to develop, making sure each part is exactly in time before creating a new part.
I feel I have used a good range of instruments in my pieces, but if I were to learn more about each instrument then I would be able to use them better, e.g. drum fills or guitar slides etc.
I have noted some things above that I would improve in each composition but I think the main thing is making sure that the structure is clear in each piece and that memorable parts come back at expected times, I think in some of my compositions it is hard to hear the structure and I would like to improve this in the future. Rhythm and quantising is another area that I need to develop, making sure each part is exactly in time before creating a new part.
I feel I have used a good range of instruments in my pieces, but if I were to learn more about each instrument then I would be able to use them better, e.g. drum fills or guitar slides etc.
Skill 1:
To learn some basic notation skills and music theory so I have a better understanding of chords and how to write down music as well as extending my use of good chord progressions and interesting melodies.
Skill 2:
Skill 2:
Managing composing time and knowing where to spend time efficiently. I spent a long time on small passages rather than checking the overall structure and getting the piece created before doing little edits. I need to work on looking at the overall composition plan and picture in the future.
Skill 3:
Being more independent with my ideas rather than relying on inspiration. I would always look to music I listened to for inspiration which was difficult to recreate and ultimately not original. This meant that I often got stuck when trying to think of new ideas. However, with my last composition, I used improvisation more when experimenting with ideas and this meant that I could create ideas quicker. I will use improvisation more in the future, basing it around certain scales when I have this extra knowledge.
Being more independent with my ideas rather than relying on inspiration. I would always look to music I listened to for inspiration which was difficult to recreate and ultimately not original. This meant that I often got stuck when trying to think of new ideas. However, with my last composition, I used improvisation more when experimenting with ideas and this meant that I could create ideas quicker. I will use improvisation more in the future, basing it around certain scales when I have this extra knowledge.
Improvement #1: Improve timing whilst recording.
Strategy:
Practice recording each part and keep each part, then listen to see which is most in time. Learn about quantising and how to pull parts in time to help with this.
Improvement #2: Plans for composition - develop my structures.
Strategy:
Have a pre conceived idea of the structure of my composition before jumping into making it. To learn more about the various styles of structure in music and try to follow them to an extent.
Improvement #3: Work more independently on my compositions, creating new, original ideas, rather than relying on the music that I listen to for inspiration
Strategy:
Learn the music theory for different scale and then practice with improvising around these scale. Perhaps with jazz backing tracks so that I can really extend my ideas. I will then start to record in these ideas and play them to other people to see if they are catchy.
Feedback from others:
Jamie said the rhythm of composition 3 was 'pleasant and easy going' and that he thinks it is suitable for a range of audience due to its neutral style. However it could've varied more to sustain interest from the audience throughout, despite this it was well composed.
Maddie said - what about including some singing in some of your pieces? They are all instrumental.
This feedback helped me because I hadn't really realised how repetitive my compositions were from an audience perspective and would look to create more variation in the future with very different musical styles chosen for each composition.
I also hadn't thought about including a singer and think that writing for voice would be a great way to help me add structure to my music and help develop my composing skills.
I also hadn't thought about including a singer and think that writing for voice would be a great way to help me add structure to my music and help develop my composing skills.
Conclusion:
I composed my pieces in a fairly slow and neutral style that is not too invasive or particular in style. I hope that by doing so my audience will feel relaxed and curious about my music rather than excited and hyped up about it. I aim for the curiosity to be stirred by the progression of my tracks as they are played in chronological order of when they were made to show my journey with composing.
In the future I would like to develop my improvisation skills and music theory knowledge in order to write more complex and interesting compositions.
In the future I would like to develop my improvisation skills and music theory knowledge in order to write more complex and interesting compositions.
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