230 Live Music Performance

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:

My statement of personal aims:

Through my contribution to the event I would like to achieve the following goals:

- Through contributing in the event, I'd like to develop my confidence. I haven't had much experience in performing in front of large audiences and I'd like my confidence skills to be improved. This will allow my drumming skills to be enhanced when performing to a crowd because I will be more focused on my drumming rather than worrying about how the audience react to the performance.  

- I'd like to improve my drumming skills too. Specifically, I'd like to broaden the genres that I play to. For example, I could try and develop skills in Rock, Ska and others. In our set we will be playing 4 different songs which are different genres.This will improve my coordination, along with my left hand and right hand independence because different genres require different types of beats and grooves. Doing this will ensure that my drumming skills are more effective.   

- I'd like to be able to completely satisfy any audiences I play to. Not only will this improve my confidence, it will motivate me to carry on performing in front of audiences. 

I think that I have the following skills which I will use to help me achieve these goals:

- I am receiving drum lessons each week which allows me to tweak and change the drum beats that I am playing. This will also allow me to improve at a faster rate in order to incorporate interesting notes into the beats. I will also be able to improvise in the songs to add certain notes which suit the dynamics and the tempo of the song at that current time. For example, in the chorus of Craving (seen in the video down below) I add 2 crashes which suit the dynamics of the song, and then I hit the crash (quietly) multiple times in a short amount of time which sounds really good with the fact that the guitars stop at this time. This means that I have been observant of the dynamics and have been able to add the right notes to suit the certain part of the song. 

- I am able to vary the types of beats in different songs I face. In our set we will be performing a variety of different genres, which allows us, as a group, to perform an entertaining set which applies to our audience with different tastes in music. In addition, it will help with my skill development in drumming. 

- I am a relatively skilled drummer who can develop my own version of a beat which would sound better compared to playing the exact same beat that the original song used. Despite this, I have the knowledge that the audience may enjoy some songs more when the drum beat is the same. For example, Superstition, a song that many people will recognise, I will use the original drum beat which many people know. This will satisfy the audience. 

- In the set, whilst Louis is switching guitars to an acoustic, I will be playing a drum solo. This will surprise the audience and we predict it will satisfy them because drum solos keep the set flowing, applying smooth transitions between the songs. In addition, we will vary the dynamics in each song to suit the mood of the song. This will hopefully satisfy each member of the audience because we are playing a variety of genres with the correct dynamics. 

I will know if I’ve achieved it because:

- I will know my confidence has improved because I won't be as shaky and I won't be focusing on the way I come across, I will be focusing on making my drumming the best it can.

-  I will know my drumming skills have improved because in the future I will be able to play other genres such as Jazz, or Ska. I will also know if they have improved because I will be able to play faster whilst maintaining control, play longer and more complex fills (such as 16th note fills) and play swing rhythms.

- I will know that I have satisfied the audience because I have catered to a variety of audiences interests. This will ensure I have satisfied the audience because I have covered a number of genres.  

How I will you meet the expectations of the audience:

- Repertoire - our repertoire uses a variety of styles and genres for an effective set.

- Our audience will be a range of ages, meaning that some will be interested in more youthful music such as pop and some will be interested in older music such as blues. Despite us playing relatively new music, the genres will apply to lots of different audiences, guaranteeing that as many people will be satisfied as possible.  

- We have chosen to do 3 songs with a drum solo which comes to around 13 minutes, which is perfect. This means that it won't be too long and tedious. 

2.      Plan of my contribution to the performance

The requirements of the brief and how I will you meet them:

The brief: We are required to perform a 10-15-minute set at an awards ceremony which will provide songs which suit the tastes in music for as many people as possible, allowing as much of the audience as possible to enjoy the set. Therefore, as a group we must analyse the type of people which will be at the ceremony, meaning the ages that they will and the tastes that they will have. We will try and create a balance of choosing songs that are appropriate to the ceremony and also songs that the audience will enjoy. For example, we won't be playing genres such as Heavy Metal (which some people may enjoy) because the music will be too loud and won't be appropriate for the ceremony.  

- Firstly, we need to play a set that is 10-15 minutes long. This means that the songs which we are doing will go over the 15 minutes, so we will take out one song (Superstition) to make it around 10 minutes and then I will play a drum solo, which will last around 1 minute. This will create a perfect time for the set as it is in between 10 and 15 minutes and it will make sure that it isn't tedious for the audience, or it isn't too short for the audience.

- Also, we need to make sure that our performance is suitable for the audience. This means that we will need to asses the type of organisations going to the ceremony, meaning that we will analyse the interests that they have and the ages that they are. We have identified that because we have Youth Connections as an organisation watching our performance, we know that they maximum age is around 25. This means that they will most likely listen to Pop, which are songs are similar to. 

What I intend to do:

- We will be performing to a relatively large audience which consists of a variety of organisations. 

- Our set list includes:

• Craving - James Bay,
• Gravity - John Mayer,
• My drum solo
• Why Georgia - John Mayer. 

- We decided to play Craving first because we would like to start on an extremely positive song. It has a high tempo with high dynamics. This will hopefully draw the audience in with positive energy and surprise them, making the audience interested and intrigued to watch the rest of the set. 

- Next, we decided to play Gravity because it juxtaposes the high intensity of Craving, and it switches to a Blues style song which is pleasing on the ears. The tempo has decreased and it shows that as a group we can change the tempo we play at which shows that we are skilled enough to be comfortable playing in different circumstances, making sure we are in time too. 

- Next, in the transition of songs, whilst Louis is changing guitars, I will immediately play a drum solo which progressively draws the audience in. I will start off playing a small groove on the floor tom for two bars, then I will add the mid tom within the groove to slowly progress in intensity (staying at the same tempo). I will do this for another two bars, and at the end of the second bar I will do a relatively long drum fill which sounds very effective and it helps me to switch to the ride, where I do another groove using the ride, the snare, and all three toms. Because the ride groove is almost the "chorus" groove in the solo, I will play it for longer compared to the other grooves. At the end of this groove I will do a short fill to go back to the floor tom to do the same groove which I began with for two bars, and finishing the solo off with the same fill that I did to create the transition from the toms to the ride. This drum solo will hopefully draw the audience in and make them excited for the next song that we will play.

- Finally, we will play Why Georgia because it is a higher tempo than Gravity, and the start of Why Georgia doesn't consist of the drums and I wait around a minute to go in with a groove. This allows me to have a break from my drum solo. The song is progressive until the end, and the end will finish on a high. 

How I will do it:

- I have been receiving drum lessons each week in order to refine the small mistakes I am making in our set, or to add small parts into the beats. Firstly, me and my drum teacher looked at the songs I am doing and we went through them, looking at the main grooves they contain and the main fills that they consist of. I then recorded him playing to the certain parts of songs that I didn't quite understand and I took it home and practiced alongside the videos. For example, in one of my lessons I showed him my first ideas of my drum solo and he asked me to record him playing all of my ideas, however all in one piece so I was able to learn it, and be able to add fills and tweaks to the grooves in the solo to make it more interesting. 

- At home, I have been practicing the songs frequently alongside the original songs and I have recorded them. For example, I did a run through of the whole of Gravity without any mistakes. Also, I recorded my drum solo without any mistakes to not only help us as a group to sort out the timing to help with the guitarists stage presence, but to help me remember the solo as I listened to it frequently just before my performance. This helped me get used to the drum solo to make me more confident as a result when playing it. 

- We also recorded Why Georgia when we played through the song as a group to make us familiar of our own elements that we applied to the song. This helped us in future rehearsals as we could refer back to it if we were having difficulty in playing the song. 

Who I will you need to involve:

Firstly, I will need to include the other peers in my group. We are required to carry out multiple practice sessions in order to create a clean, polished set, so that in our performance we will make the least mistakes possible.

In addition, we will include our teacher to give us advice on how to improve our set performance in normal rehearsal and our dress rehearsal. For example, he could give us feedback on our dynamics and how we could improve. This will ultimately improve our set for our final performance.

Finally, we will include the other peers in our music class. They can give us feedback when they watch our dress rehearsal and possibly give us small tips on how to come across on stage. 

The resources I will need:

We will need practice areas which have the correct resources that we can use. These include: two Amps, a complete drum kit (including all toms, the ride cymbal, the crash cymbal, the high hat, the snare and the base drum), two electric guitars and one microphone.

We need to make sure that these resources are the best they can be so that it will make it easier for us to rehearse and work together to create an effective set of songs.  

Timings:

We have 6 sessions within lessons in order to rehearse all of our set. This means that we have organised 1 song over 2 sessions to allow us to have maximum amount of practice on each song. I will also practice my solo in my own time because of the fact that it doesn't require guitars. 

The dress rehearsal will hopefully be a relatively high quality set with minor mistakes for us to receive feedback on and improve on. It will also be another opportunity for us to have a rehearsal to improve our skills and understanding of the songs. 

This means that we need 2 hours for each song (not including practice sessions outside of our lessons). 

Health and Safety issues for rehearsals and the performances:

The possible health and safety issues with the equipment could be lifting heavy amps. To lift them correctly without damaging your back, you need to hold it with your back straight, and also to be cautious of the other equipment around you. Another possible health and safety issue during the rehearsal process could be being aware of the volumes that different amps are on. Doing this will reduce the risk of damaging your hearing. In addition, making sure that each person who you are rehearsing with are in spaced out areas will make rehearsing a safer environment. This will ensure that no collisions will be made, meaning that no one will suffer from injuries. Another health and safety issue could be running around the room that your group are rehearsing in. This then makes having a rehearsal extremely dangerous. Therefore, if no one runs around then nothing will be broken or damaged and the people rehearsing won’t be either. Finally, an important health and safety issue could be having lots of wires and leads around the area that you are rehearsing. If it is clear and tidy, then no one will trip over and potentially hurt themselves. 

I can ensure that I and others are safe during the rehearsal process by doing many things. For example, not allowing food or drink to be brought out of peoples’ bags while rehearsing. If there is food and drink around electronic equipment, then it increases the risk of not only equipment breaking, but people can be affected by it. This means that having a food or drink free zone, then there is a low possibility of equipment breaking. I can also ensure that I and others are safe during the rehearsal if people are safe with the levels of volume on the amps. This means that having the volume at a safe sound will make sure that peoples’ ears will not be damaged from loud noise. I can ensure that others are safe while carrying an amp if they correctly carry it without damaging their back. This means holding it with their back straight and being cautious of other equipment around them. In addition, I can ensure that others are safe if they are in spaced out areas and they do not run around the room. This will make sure that no injuries will be caused and equipment will be kept in good condition, along with the fact that there will be less distractions if people aren’t running around. 

Being safe during rehearsals will allow me and my group to have a more enjoyable experience. This is because if people mess around then it can potentially lead to disagreements and arguments. If there are arguments, then rehearsals wouldn’t be fun. Therefore, messing around and being unsafe during a rehearsal risks morality in the group and how much fun people are having.  

My set list:

1.    James Bay - Craving 

2.    John Mayer - Gravity

3.    Ollie's drum solo 

4.    John Mayer - Why Georgia 

5.    Superstition (we have decided we are not going to play this because our set will be over the 15-minute mark). 

Style and Image:

Our style will be relatively new (from around the year 2000 onwards) because we will be playing songs which are written after the year 2000 and they are songs that suit our audiences interests.  We will be required to wear school uniform when we perform as this is a school requirement of performing during school time. This presents a minor problem in our rock/pop image, but is a requirement of the school.

Ideas for the performance:

We will carry out a dress rehearsal which is recorded so we can receive feedback from our peers and from our teacher on how to improve. It is also recorded so we can look back on it closer to our final performance and see how to improve. 

Staging and equipment needs:

We will need two Amps, a complete drum kit (including all toms, the ride cymbal, the crash cymbal, the high hat, the snare and the base drum), two electric guitars and one microphone.

Staging requirements:

We will set up the stage so that the two guitarists are at the front of the stage, and the drums at the back in the middle. This will ensure that we can all be seen and it will also ensure that there is enough space for each of us. For example, Louis will need lots of space as he will need to walk to the edge of the stage within the performance while I am doing my solo when he is switching guitars. Having lots of space will ensure that there will be no tripping hazards. 

Rehearsal Schedule

Rehearsal 1: 4th January

Today me and James mainly practiced Superstition, with Louis taking an exam during our lesson so he missed the rehearsal. James decided he'd play the bass for this song as the bass is an important part of the original song. From my drum lessons, I had already been practicing the drum groove for this song and some drum fills. After a short amount of time, James learned the general riff on the bass even though he doesn't usually play the bass which is really good. We kept on practicing the song, especially the chorus, which required a different drum fill and a change in the bass. Overall this lesson was very productive despite Louis not being there to rehearse. For next lesson in 2017, to prepare I will carry on practicing Superstition and most importantly, All along the watchtower.  

Rehearsal 2: 9th January

Today me, Louis and James were in a small practice room with an electric drum kit. We decided not to play All along the watchtower as our performance is coming up and we feel like we should play a different genre. This means that this lesson, we discussed a fourth song to play and we practiced Superstition. Overall, this was quite productive however a setback was that we were using an electric drum kit instead of an acoustic drum kit. An acoustic is better to practice with because it gets us used to playing with it and it sounds better. 

Rehearsal 3: 16th January

Today was a very good practice session. The music department purchased a new drum kit, with a high quality ride cymbal and crash cymbal. We played on the stage with the new drum kit and it felt as if the sound of our tracks were enhanced just because of the drum kit. In addition, I can now use a drum kit which sounds good and works well to allow me to perform my skills. We looked at 'Why Georgia' and 'Gravity', and we feel we have mastered 'Gravity', whereas 'Why Georgia' needs more practice. I noticed it needed more practice because towards the end, I needed to switch to the ride, and I also needed to incorporate more fills. In my drum lesson and on my drum kit at home, I will rehearse 'Why Georgia' so I can play with ease. It was successful because we have more knowledge on the songs now. 

Rehearsal 4: 23rd January

Today we were on the stage again. We decided we'd go through gravity once, then Why Georgia twice because it needs more practice. We started with Gravity, which flowed well and sounded good, however, we talked about me performing a short drum solo in between Gravity and Why Georgia because not only will it sound good and satisfy the audience, it gives Louis time to switch to the acoustic guitar. I believe that the fact that I am performing the drum solo, it is very useful and it will allow me to pick up points. 

Rehearsal 5: 30th January

Today we were in the hexagon. We have chosen our final set (not in order), which is:

- Gravity - John Mayer

- Why Georgia - John Mayer

- Craving - James Bay

-  Superstition - Stevie Wonder

We decided to play Craving because it is an upbeat song which we can use as the first song in our set to satisfy the audience. We listened to the song multiple times and I worked out where to go more Forte in the chorus for example. The fact that we are using a percussion really thickens the song and makes the song sound very effective. For almost the whole lesson we were looking at the song and I was watching the Live Lounge performance of the song so I could see the drummer and the drum beat he is doing. I did this and developed my own beat which worked really well with the song. Despite this, I need to get used to certain parts of the song which has crashes, fills or where the drumming pauses. To do this I will listen to the song regularly throughout the week so I can get used to the different elements of the song. This will allow me to be able to identify where to put my own fills and crashes to make the song sound even better. Overall this was a productive lesson, however I need to get to grips with Craving so as a group we are ready for the dress rehearsal in a couple of weeks. 

Rehearsal 6: 6th February

Today we played through our whole set -- particularly Craving. This is because although Louis and James could both play it relatively comfortably, we still needed to polish up on small elements of the song, such as the dynamics and small fills or change in tempo. We went through it and I was starting to play the correct beat consistently and I gradually became comfortable enough to tweak it to make my own version and to add fills to make it more interesting. Gravity was faultless as it has been for a long time now. Why Georgia was positive for the majority of the song, however the fact that the bars were different than regular songs, I found it difficult as I was adding fills in the wrong places which disrupted the song. For preparation for our dress rehearsal I will go through my drum solo and try and practice it as much as I can. 

DRESS REHEARSAL ON STAGE: 8th February

Rehearsal 8: After school / Lunch Time Rehearsal

In this rehearsal, we didn't have much time, however we managed to go through Craving once again and because I had practiced in between these I was more familiar with the beat and we were almost flawless; the only downfall was the ending. We need to practice the dynamics for the ending more. 

PERFORMANCE: WEDNESDAY 22nd February

TASK 3 Evaluation

Strengths Reflection: 

What went well during the performance:

- The performance came across in a professional way - it seemed like it was well rehearsed and flowed together well. We were able to carry out what we planned to do. The first song was at the perfect tempo and came together really well. It came across to the audience really positively like the original song would do. Gravity went perfectly, the dynamics especially. I purposefully increased the volume of the drums in this song because not only does the original song do it, but the beat I am playing is an iconic beat and really suited well with the guitars even if they are quieter than the drums. We were faultless in timing and none of us made one mess up in our individual efforts. My drum solo also went well (see below). Finally, Why Georgia was extremely good, despite the minor mistakes that were made. The dynamics were good, and the fact that the drums were introduced later than both guitars really made the performance come across in a professional way. 

What I did well during the performance:

My drum solo when Louis switched guitars was a strong point of my performance. It was completely flawless and was perfectly timed within the transition of the two songs.  I played a small groove on the floor tom for two bars, then I added the mid tom within the groove to slowly progress in intensity (staying at the same tempo). I did this for another two bars, and at the end of the second bar I did a relatively long drum fill which sounded very effective and it helped me to switch to the ride, where I did another groove using the ride, the snare, and all three toms. At the end of this groove I did a short fill to go back to the floor tom to do the same groove which I began with for two bars, and finishing the solo off with the same fill that I did to create the transition from the toms to the ride. This required lots of planning and practicing to carry out, and in my performance the audience could see this. 

What could have been done better if I performed again:

- Firstly, I believe that we could have improved on the endings of our songs, especially Craving. I feel like we didn't practice this enough so we weren't used to lowering the tempo or dynamics as the song came to an end. If we practiced more, on the endings we would've known how to make it sound perfect, for example I would've known to hit a crash at the end or lightly tap it and the end to add effect.

- We could also have added crescendo to our songs to add effect.

Improvements and my suggested strategy:

Improvement #1: More communication with the audience. Watching back at our performance, I feel like my stage presence could've improved. For example, I could've smiled at the audience when I finished a long fill or after my drum solo.

Strategy: How could you make that improvement? I could improve by practicing in front of lots of smaller audiences to improve my confidence. Once my confidence has improved, I will be able to focus on my stage presence to the audience.

Improvement #2: Revise the endings of the songs so we can get a cleaner finish.

Strategy: How could you make that improvement: Rehearse the full songs with my group so we are familiar with the ends to create the right dynamics when the song comes to an end. 

Improvement #3: Revise the correct dynamics for each songs. 

Strategy: How could you make that improvement?: Observe each of the official songs by the original artists. This will help us because we will be able to emulate these dynamics in our songs. 

Feedback Received:

This is the feedback I received from the audience, the band and my teacher:

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 Loui 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 helped me realize that I need to rehearse my fills more. I wasn't completely comfortable with the fills and so they weren't as clean as I wanted them to be.

Also, it is good that we had positive feedback on our set choice. This shows that we met our plans by pleasing the audience. 

Conclusion:

Overall, I am extremely satisfied with our performance. I was able to express my drum skills within the songs and my drum solo and I was able to engage the audience with it. I feel like I satisfied almost all of the audience as we chose songs which suited their age range and tastes.

My individual efforts could have been improved, for example in Why Georgia - however I was able to showcase my skills and improvised when I made a mistake. As you can see from the feedback we received, this improvisation was successful because the audience could hardly notice the minor mistake and I was able to carry on playing the groove but in a different way.