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Performing vocals at 4.46 (in orange top).

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Erykah Badu Live Performances
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TpzRoYasm4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFVVIHiG2FI

6LACK Cover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HETDClwTAuA

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What I did
I planned what song I wanted to do to fit both the theme, the venue and my voice itself. I decided to do On & On by Erykah Badu, however I decided to modulate it and perform it slower and in semitone lower than the original to give a more eerie and disfuncional tone. I was comfortable with doing this because of the abilities and skills I have learned whilst doing this course e.g.: the 'Versions' gig we conducted in Term 1.

I then thought about who I wanted in my group and how they could benefit my performance and decided on final roles. I decided on who I wanted in my group by thinking of the skill levels and comfortability in my group. I chose people who were comfortable with playing a modulated piece; as the key would have to be found by ear and not researched or read as sheet music etc. This was a difficulty I overcame as I personally checked with each person and agreed to help them work on anything they struggled with

After this, I looked at Erykah Badu and 6LACK performing this song live on stage and what kind of instruments were used, how the song was sung and Badu's overall stage presence to help me plan and assess what to do for the oncoming weeks.

How it went
As we have had a lot of time to get to know each other and get to know how comfortable people are with playing certain genres and styles, it was a lot easier planning on a song and band as we have had to pick and work with bandmates in previous performances.

What I need to do next
Next, I need to discuss with classmates if the song I'm doing is suitable to them and discuss rehearsal times.

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6LACK covers Erykah Badu 'On & On' for Like A Version

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What I did
In class, we arranged to have weekly meetings to let each department (marketing, poster design, social media, merchandise etc.) know the progress and any help or advisory they made need or give to other classmates. We decided that these meetings will take place every Tuesday in our afternoon session.

I also caught up with my classmates that I had chosen to be in my band and we arranged to rehearse in our next Westbourne rehearsal session.

At the end of the week, after school, my peers and I went to the Cockpit Theatre to view it first hand and we got to enjoy a live performance of 'Jazz In The Round' which is performed the last Friday of each mon. This allowed us to look at the venue and think about how would perform our chosen pieces and understand the space we are working with. This included observing the lighting, the seating, the entrances to the stage and even the bar and foyer.

When I was watching the performance of JITR, I liked the ideas some of the artists had used, for example, the lighting. An Afro-Jazz band that had a very cheerful, laid back set, used sky blue lighting that made the pieces even more enjoyable. On the contrary, a performer with a more dissonant and disjunct set of songs varied between harsh and dim green lighting and a warm yellow spotlight which made the lack of consonance prominent in his piece. His pieces were atonal thus, there was no set order or pattern in his piece; this was mirrored and demonstrated in his lighting.

How It went
The meeting we had in class was extremely productive as we cleared up a lot of queries and questions that we had for each other and for our tutor. Questions such as our responsibilities, rehearsal dates and upcoming events such as the Cockpit Theatre visit.

What I need to do next
I was given the role of promoting. I had to promote the show and ensure that people came along. Because of this, I started noting down how I was going to promote the show successfully and look at how some social media influencers use their platform to promote events.

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What I did
I started to speak to the social media team about our Instagram page and website and asked if they had started creating our pages. They showed me what they had so far and we discussed ideas on what features and updates would help us with coverage and general knowledge about the show itself.

We talked about having a countdown to the show, links and dates for when the tickets would be on sale. We also talked about providing updates about the theme and ticket cost as we wouldn't know until our few meetings with each other and the Cockpit.

We shared ideas such as making merchandise and how we would go about it, as well as making it cost effective (being student/budget friendly as well as making a profit for the K & C charity).

On Wednesday the 10th, we had our first rehearsal, in which we practiced both mine and my peers performances. Not everyone had a chance to rehearse with their groups so we split the days and times up equally, planning who got what slot and with who, to avoid confusion and disappointment. Those who didn't rehearse with their groups, practised either alone, with others or helped and advised other bands.

On the Friday, we had our photoshoot with Sue from Marketing.We all posed individually and in groups to post on social media and on tickets etc. Everyone looked smart and unique to their taste, it made the whole session really fun and relaxed. She helped with poses, props and lighting. She also suggested who we should pose with and where we should post them.

How it went
The rehearsal was extremely helpful, my bandmates were really good and they tried their hardest to do the augmentation and modulation that I wanted in my piece, that we eventually mastered. I realised I needed backup singers and I added a rap verse performed by a peer to my group which I wouldn't have realised or arranged had I not had this rehearsal.
The meeting was successful, we researched both as a group and individually on computers, looking at possible examples and photoshoot examples which helped us look at how important our image is when in comes to promoting yourself in general.

The photoshoot went very swiftly, our pictures were taken on site in a studio which made things a lot easier as there was no confusion with location - resulting in poor punctuality or attendance. This was also extremely cost effective as professional pictures or pictures for a portfolio are often very expensive as they work by the hour plus the amount of photos you use. Copyrighting also comes into affair when working with companies so working on site made the whole process a lot easier to do.

What I need to do next

Listen to my recordings from the rehearsal and work on parts I could improve.

Link to 'Kickback' Website:
https://mbeka7.wixsite.com/kickbackldn

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(From left to right) Nelce Mbeka, Hannah Isaac and Myself. We took this photo as a trio as we all have similar taste in genre and style.

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What I did
I took pictures and videos of everyone as I felt as if it was good to have some live shots to post on personal or professional accounts.
I felt like my presence backstage was beneficial to my friends/classmates as I kept the morale high and conducted vocal warm ups. I also went out and greeted some of my peers' family members and did errand runs (food, wires, collecting people etc.) to help the process go a lot easier and take stress off the performers and teachers.

How it went
The Monday back was the performance. It was amazing and everyone who took part did an outstanding job. I could tell that some people were nervous and that they didn't feel entirely prepared (which resulted in changing songs 20 minutes before the show!), so calming those nerves made me feel a lot more helpful and less guilty for missing rehearsals prior to the perfomance.

Next time
I deeply understood why it was frustrating for my poor attendance and I tried my best to catch up. My absences during this year provoked the epiphany of how important it is to maintain good attendance - this I will carry on not only to next year but also in my future as a musician.

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What I did
This week was half term and unfortunately was very ill. This prevented me from being able to attend my half-term rehearsal. This lead me to being cut from my final performance and made a massive impact on my overall grade. I understood and respected my teachers decision to cut my piece from the set and I just worked on promoting from home for the rest of the week.

How it went
Of course, I was disappointed but I didn't want to cause any abruptions to my friends so I continued to help with any problems my peers were having.

What I need to do next
I am still going to go to the performance to keep the morale high and help out with warming up and keeping the nerves away.

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What I did
As I rehearsed last week, I didn't get a chance to this week. Instead, I rehearsed at home and discussed with my bandmates individually what they should practice in order to strengthen the piece. I was a backup singer in a peers group where we spent the morning session rehearsing and practising the song we had to do.

At Westbourne, I further rehearsed with the fellow backup singers to nail our riffs and harmonisation as our other band members were rehearsing elsewhere. I also accompanied on piano (rough practise below) and helped her with the parts she was unsure of. We did this for the whole 10am-1pm session with a few breaks.

With the promoting, I had posted on both my personal and the 'KickbackLDN' (Our performance handle on Instagram/Twitter etc.)
about the ticket cost conclusion, dates and theme. My peers posted this and a short biography on ourselves to share our thoughts about where we are right now and how the show and the course is benefitting us.

How it went
At the beginning of this week, I was less productive. So I ensured that I was practising religiously at home and promoting the event to fill any spare time I had during the week.

As well as practising individually I also helped others with their pieces and lead and participated in vocal warm ups.

Although this week was less busy, it helped me a lot as I had time to reflect on any grey areas or catchup with anyone who was in my group to check their progress.

What I need to do next
I need to catchup with some members of my MD as I haven't caught up with everybody that I need to. I also need to discuss when the tickets will go on release in the meeting next week.

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What I did
I predominantly spent time posting biographies and pictures, helping my classmates with their MD and working with other backup singers to polish our harmonisation and help each other with our verses/sections.

I was absent for a few days this week so I also spent sometime catching up with what happened in this weeks meeting and delivering messages to people I hadn't got a chance to meet up with earlier on in the week or last week. This consisted of me negotiating with band members that found difficulty in some areas.

How it went
I found this week hard as I was trying to work around my absences and catch up with anything I had missed or any changes made.
I was still pushing my peers in my group to send through their biographies and we went over things they could add or change e.g. quotes, favourite music genres/artists and where they want to be in 5-10 years time.

What I need to do next

I need to make sure I'm in college to prevent any disappointments or struggling to keep up with my piece as I will need to rehearse again soon. I also need to make sure the link to the tickets are displayed across all social media sites as well as personal accounts of classmates and peers.