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My strengths and weaknesses in playing music

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My strengths and weaknesses in playing music

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Strengths:
-> I have a good memory
-> I am very determined
-> I normally play all notes accurately
-> I can independently learn music
-> I work well in teams
Weaknesses:
-> As I'm left-handed, I put too much power on my left hand
-> Timing issues/rhythms
-> I'm not consistent with practices
-> Slow sight reading
-> Although I am determined, I sometimes give up too easily

Reflection:
I want to improve all these weaknesses. Because I put too much power on my left hand, it sometimes messes up the dynamics of the piece which are crucial, so I slowly want to train my hand to stop this. Timing and rhythms in the piece are something I will have to learn to fix just as I start to learn the piece or I'll develop a bad habit. Finally, I sometimes feel playing piano is a chore, and therefore I give up easily and I become less consistent with practice, so whenever I play a piece I always want to incorporate something new in the piece so it excites me to play.

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What art form are you interested in/do you like?

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What art form are you interested in/do you like?

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I am interested in the music art form because music allows us to decode and experience the emotions felt by an artist that could be encoded through harmony and lyrics as a listener. Therefore, being one of humanity's greatest accomplishments. I am specifically interested in playing the piano, but I would like to try out singing.

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What arts/creative skills do you already have or feel confident in?

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What arts/creative skills do you already have or feel confident in?

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I am already confident in my ability to collaborate and work effectively with others to meet a goal so performing in an ensemble and I am confident in my ability to take responsibility, therefore, being able to schedule and get to lessons and rehearsals, to learn my part for a group performance and to lead a section in my band or orchestra.

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What arts/creative skills you would like to develop or try out?

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What arts/creative skills you would like to develop or try out?

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The art skills I want to develop are the ability to manage time well, and handle several projects at once while planning ahead too so I would juggle school with playing and performing the piece. Another skill I would like to try out is to be creative and think outside the box meaning I would improvise, compose innovative music, or deal with a myriad of challenges that crop up before or during the performance.

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Do you have any ideas for possible challenges you could set yourself?

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Do you have any ideas for possible challenges you could set yourself?

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I believe because I have not played in a proper ensemble yet, I would like to perform in one, so it would allow me to improve my piano playing skills since I have a little trouble with my rhythm as it is one of my weaknesses and because it would be a thrilling experience. I may also want to compose some music as my music teacher Mr. Lau is also instructing me to do so.

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My arts challenge will be where I perform the song Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen at my school's termly showcase on the 14th of July 2022. I will be performing this song 3 times with my friends, consisting of Aayan (who plays the drums), and Rohan and Pranavi (who will be singing) while I will be playing the piano. I am working at a grade 4 level currently, while the sheet music for this song is a grade 7-8 piece, therefore being a challenge because I am playing with my peers, so I need to be in time, and because it's a very difficult song to play.

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Why have you chosen this as your arts challenge?

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Why have you chosen this as your arts challenge?

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I chose this as my arts challenge because it gives me the opportunity to develop my skills of playing with a band, and learn a difficult piece in a short amount of time. I have to coordinate with the drums, singers, and the backing track playing in the background meaning there are many different elements to making the performance difficult but truly a memorable experience.

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What will the outcome of your challenge be? 

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What will the outcome of your challenge be? 

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The outcome of my challenge will be the band performing one of the last performances in our school's Summer Showcase 3 times. We will be performing to around 200 audience members as a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.

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What steps will you have to take to achieve your challenge?

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What steps will you have to take to achieve your challenge?

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I will be practicing with them at any time available, because we first have to perform at the auditions, and then play in the showcase. I will also be practicing the piece either with my piano teacher or on my own at home and obviously with the rest of the band.

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Who or what will you need to help you and how will you arrange this?

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Who or what will you need to help you and how will you arrange this?

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I can either ask my piano teacher for assistance with the piece, or I can ask my music teacher, Mr. Lau if I am confused about any part of the piece. I will also be using the metronome to keep me on the beat since this is one of the things I struggle with. I will arrange this by contacting them if necessary.

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What targets will you set to achieve throughout your challenge, and how will you show you are working towards them?

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What targets will you set to achieve throughout your challenge, and how will you show you are working towards them?

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Throughout this challenge, firstly I want to be able to learn the whole piece on my own. Then, I want to collaborate with others to be able to play slowly with them, get to the auditions, and be accepted. Then finally, we should perform at the showcase at the standard we are expected to. The piece's standards should show that we are working towards the goals we have set.

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How will you collect feedback about your arts challenge?

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How will you collect feedback about your arts challenge?

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I will be collecting feedback from my music teacher Mr. Lau because he will be assessing my performance at the showcase. I will also be collecting feedback from the people I am playing alongside, and the audience, some of who I know.

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This is me playing Bohemian Rhapsody on the piano at 1:10 of the song on 06/06/22.

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How are your skills developing?
The auditions were taking place on the 10th of June meaning 4 days away from this date. In this recording (the amount I'm playing for the auditions), you could see I play most of the notes accurately however I do not play exactly in time, I am either going too fast at one section or too slow when it is a difficult part to play.

Is anything going particularly well?
As the audition is in a few days, I will sort out the problem of my timing issues, because I am playing with a drummer and he relies on being in time. For the audition, I also will include the pedal, which will make the piece a more lyrical flow to it. And again, I am able to play nearly all notes of the sheet music accurately.
Is there anything you find challenging?
I do find it challenging to adjust to the time of the actual piece because, in the recording, I am going quite a lot slower than I should be. But I would prefer to play all the right notes, then be in time to the actual song. After practicing the piece many times, I will be able to sort out this issue.

Do you need to adjust your action plan?
We do not need to adjust anything right now, but we need to think of things we need. For example, a guitarist can either be presented through a backing track or an actual person performing with us. Moreover, as the song is around 6 minutes long, we need to decide whether we want to cut the song or perform the whole piece.

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This is me playing Bohemian Rhapsody on the piano of the song from 0:00 to 2:38.

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How are your skills developing?
In this audio recording, I played all the notes correctly and only messed up once. I have sorted out my issue with timing, but I still believe I am going a little faster than I should be at certain sections of the piece. I performed the first half of the song in this recording, and I do believe I played it up to standard while rehearsing.

Is anything going particularly well?
Because I'm playing very accurately, I do not need to worry about the notes but focus more on the rest of the song, where it gets harder, and play with the others. I am also now playing this piece with the pedal as I had wished in the first reflection, meaning I have already achieved that target.
Is there anything you find challenging?
This is where I start to practice with my friends, and we have slight difficulty all performing together, because the drums are very loud so I can't hear myself play, meaning I might play a few wrong notes and develop a bad habit because of this. It's quite hard to schedule practices with the whole band because we are all very busy practicing other pieces too so our practices are inconsistent. Also, the timing issue again, because as individuals we all use different beats per minute we needed the backing track to keep us on time as it has clicks per beat.

Do you need to adjust your action plan?
Yes, we have now decided that the 'guitarist' would be played in the backing track, and we decided, that the first section of the song and the guitarist's solo would be cut, meaning the finished song would be around 4 minutes instead of 6. This will make it a little more difficult for me because I have the first section very well rehearsed and now I am going to not play this, but I will adapt to the situation.

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This is me playing the ending of Bohemian Rhapsody a day before the showcase.

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How are your skills developing?
In this recording, I played the ending of Bohemian Rhapsody and this is after not much practice because the song was 7 pages long, and I had to also focus on the other parts of the song however I made sure nearly all the notes were accurately played and I clearly used dynamics while playing.
Is anything going particularly well?
I can finally play the whole piece with the pedal and with the correct timings, with the correct notes. Therefore, I am quite proud of how I'm playing.

Is there anything you find challenging?
At one part of the song, I do not understand the rhythms because it is quite unusual and uses quavers and dotted crotchets in a certain beat while also being played very fast. So, I had to reach out to my friend (Sheldon) who has previously learned the ending of this song, and he had to help me learn that part. I want to give up playing this piece as it is one of my weaknesses, but I feel like I am improving my motivation with this piece because it's interesting.

Do you need to adjust your action plan?
As there was a slight miscommunication, we could not show our piece to Mr. Khutan and Mr. Lau on a scheduled technical rehearsal a few days before the showcase. This meant we had to show it to them during our breaks, lunches and after school on different days. Also because we recently cut our backing track, we had to adjust to these new timings.

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I did achieve my arts challenge by performing the piece however I did face a few setbacks that I wish could be improved upon, but I believe the overall outcome was achieved.

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Did you have to change your action plan or your challenge in any way? If so, what changed and why?

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Did you have to change your action plan or your challenge in any way? If so, what changed and why?

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We did have to change the challenge slightly by firstly changing the layout of the song. We had cut the backing track by 2 minutes because Mr. Khutan advised to, by cutting the first section of the song and then the guitarist's solo so it would be able to fit in with the times of the showcase and other pieces. Another thing we had to decide and change was the backing track. At first, we thought we didn't want a backing track, and Mr. Lau also recommended this, but we finally decided the song sounded better with a backing track as it also had the guitar and because it had a click, it would allow us to stay on time and provide more elements to the song.

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I performed Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen on the piano at my Summer Showcase, hosted by my music teacher in a carousel-like fashion, meaning we had to perform the song 3 times. I performed with my friends Aayan, Rohan, and Pranavi.

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My third Bohemian Rhapsody performance. 

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In the showcase, because we performed 3 times, I believe we improved as we played. In the recording, this is our third performance and arguably I believe our best performance. Because the audience was clapping to the beat, it enabled us to be on time, which was something we struggled with. With the 2 previous mishaps with the backing track in the first and second performances, we felt a little disheartened, but hearing the audience cheer and all of our parents listening to our final performance encouraged us to give our best despite everything else. Also in all of our performances, we kept going and followed our own beat, even though we knew sometimes it sounded a little wrong, the audience didn't, so it was adequate. Personally, I think that I played the piano well with what resources I had. Finally, with the lights changing, it made the performance more memorable and the audience were also quite surprised.

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This is my first Bohemian Rhapsody performance in the showcase.

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I am going to be evaluating my first and second performances to answer this question. In the performances, there were some technical difficulties with the backing track as you can clearly see in the recording which definitely messed us up. The backing track played at the wrong time at the wrong moment, and because of this, we were all very confused and I just stopped playing. The singer decided to keep going, and because of this, I was able to continue playing after. However, at one part of the song, I played quite a few of the wrong notes but at the end of the song, I got my rhythm again, but I was quite shocked during the whole performance because we were reliant on the backing track to work. This was definitely the most challenging part of performing Bohemian Rhapsody.

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Me singing Bohemian Rhapsody in rehearsal as fun with my sixth-former friends. 

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What have you learnt from doing your arts challenge?

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What have you learnt from doing your arts challenge?

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I have learned that facing obstacles while playing teaches you to keep going in the face of adversity and to become resilient. I turned this into a life lesson because overcoming obstacles isn't impossible which is something I demonstrated because I kept playing with my group even though we definitely knew it did not sound correct at all for us and we could've performed a lot better. I also tried singing in a rehearsal as fun with some of my sixth-former friends, and it showed I was actually quite a good singer, and I might want to try that for the next showcase.

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What would you do differently another time?

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What would you do differently another time?

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If we were to perform this song again at a showcase, I would schedule more practice days so we can practice together because I believe we were overly practiced individually, but under-practiced as a group. Furthermore, there were sections of the song where it was difficult to play because it had unsteady rhythms and quite a fast tempo. This meant during the performance, I would occasionally stop playing even though it was not that noticeable, it is something I want to avoid next time.

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A text message from one of my friends about my performance.

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What did you think about the feedback you received from others?

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What did you think about the feedback you received from others?

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I texted a few of my friends to ask about my performance and I believe the text above sums up all of their responses and my performance. With all their responses, I do understand their opinion and I see where I have done well in. But I would like more harsh opinions, so I can see where to improve. I also asked my music teacher Mr. Lau and he said I did well with what I was given in terms of the backing track mishap but I could have definitely done better.

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What event did you attend? When did it take place? Describe the arts event.

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What event did you attend? When did it take place? Describe the arts event.

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I watched Eurovision's grand final in 2021 - Italy. The song performed was Zitti E Buoni which was performed by Måneskin. This took place on 22/05/2021 however I watched this on 20/10/2022. This was performed in the Netherlands and they were the winners of Eurovision 2021.

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Måneskin - Zitti E Buoni (LIVE) | Italy 🇮🇹 | Grand Final | Winner of Eurovision 2021

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The main art form in this piece was music, they sang, played the drums, and played the guitar. However, you could say there was some dancing also incorporated into this piece.

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The reason why this event took place was that the Eurovision Song Contest (held annually) is an international song writing competition organized by the European Broadcasting Union, featuring participants representing primarily European countries.

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The Maneskin costumes in the performance

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Was there anything unexpected about what you saw/experienced?

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Was there anything unexpected about what you saw/experienced?

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I found a few unexpected things while watching the performance. For example, I did not expect them to wear the costumes that they did. But I actually liked them because it showed how unique they were. I also did not expect the song to be as powerful as it was, which also definitely surprised the crowd, since they were cheering very loudly. Finally, I did not expect the special effects such as the flames from the ceiling.

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I believe this performance is one of the most successful Eurovision performances I have ever heard. This is because of the energy and confidence they displayed, it seemed as if they were performing at their own concert. They performed as if this was the last ever performance they would be playing together as it was so powerful. I also appreciated the use of special effects such as the lights flashing and changing colours and definitely the fire. Finally, their costumes were so distinctive, which made it so much better, because it added to the aura.

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Was there anything about the arts event you didn’t like? Why?

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Was there anything about the arts event you didn’t like? Why?

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This wasn't something I specifically disliked however I would have preferred if the song was in English so I could actually understand the lyrics. However, I understand why they did it in Italian as they wanted to express their love for the country they were performing for.

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What was the creative impact of the event?

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What was the creative impact of the event?

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Because the event had many creative elements involved in it, for example, the drumming, it left an impact on me and the audience. It showed me a whole new side of music because I don't normally listen to this genre, and instead listen to melodic rap or pop. Therefore, elements such as these surprised me.

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Did the event develop your knowledge and understanding of the art form?

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Did the event develop your knowledge and understanding of the art form?

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The event did develop my understanding and knowledge of the art form, music because I was able to listen to the piece critically so I could make a judged understanding of the piece, and what I liked and disliked of the piece.

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How will you share your review with other people, and how will you evidence this?

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How will you share your review with other people, and how will you evidence this?

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I actually showed my peer Tiffany and it is shown in the image above. She listened to the performance, read my review, and liked it very much.

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I am interested in the music art form because music is so unique and lets me express myself through lyrics and composition.

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Describe the kind of people or careers involved in these art forms.

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Describe the kind of people or careers involved in these art forms.

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Normally musicians are involved in the art form, music. However, some careers that could be involved in music, but their main focus isn't music can be, for example, directors, producers, and choreographers, who all are dependent on music. But if you were specifically interested in music only, you could also become a singer, pianist, composer, etc. If you want to work with other people, you could be a part of a choir, orchestra, or band. Finally, you could become a music producer or publicist, or tour manager booking agent. There are many careers involved with music, even jobs as simplistic as being a music teacher.

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What kind of places might they work or perform in?

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What kind of places might they work or perform in?

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Musicians may typically perform or work in places such as festivals, concerts, studios, music venues, or theatres, or they could even practice in recording sessions. However, it may not be this stereotypical and instead in places such as their homes and offices.

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How did you find out about future education and career pathways in the arts?

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How did you find out about future education and career pathways in the arts?

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The practitioner at the venue spoke to me about jobs in music and what qualifications you need to achieve this. I have already written about jobs in music but you may choose many qualifications for the future:
-> Degrees in music - these aren't essential but beneficial to have. You could most commonly get these in universities.
-> Practice is crucial so you can develop experience and talent for the future.
-> Conservatories (music colleges) - These may be hard to get into but are definitely worth it. You can get in by auditioning because they focus on the practicals of music. These are different from universities because of this, and because they also focus on workshops and weekend activities.
-> Undergraduate courses and postgraduate qualifications lasting from 3 to 4 years.
-> ABRSM (The Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music) and RockSchool music.

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What did you do to get involved with arts practitioners and arts organisations?

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What did you do to get involved with arts practitioners and arts organisations?

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I used the website artsaward.org.uk/supporter to find arts organisations near me. I found an arts award supporter organisation called Tomorrow's Warriors. I emailed the practitioner and called the organisation to ask whether I could visit the organisation to ask a few questions. I then went to their organisation as it wasn't far from my hose and asked them questions about future careers. Here is their supporter weblink: https://tomorrowswarriors.org/contact/arts-award/

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What did you learn about practitioners' career development and work?

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What did you learn about practitioners' career development and work?

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Career development practitioners help people make decisions about their education, training, and future jobs and careers. They normally work in private, public, voluntary, and community settings.
What do they do?
-> They listen to the client's experience and talent to make an informed and judged decision.
-> They help clients consider the choices that are available to them.
-> They make the client question how they can achieve their goals and provide the support needed for this.
-> Finally, the client overcoming barriers is very important to them.
The work:
-> Face-to-face interviews with the client (like the one I attended)
-> Working in groups
-> Communicating through emails, phone calls, or texts.
-> Writing reports and keeping records.
-> They attend career events and activities.

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Did you find other opportunities within your art form?

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Did you find other opportunities within your art form?

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After my meeting with the practitioner, they asked me to contact them soon again because they felt it was very necessary for me to be informed of opportunities that provide to be beneficial for my future. As I've been to places such as the Royal Albert Hall, I understand what I need to do, if I want to find more opportunities like this, however, I have not found any so far. Aside from this, my piano teacher has recommended that when I get older to work for her, to teach younger kids piano and music theory as a part-time job while going to university, and this will also be quite useful.

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How has what you found out had an influence on you?

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How has what you found out had an influence on you?

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With all this new information that I have found out either by researching or going to a practitioner to ask about, has helped me quite a lot, since I believe I want to pursue a career in music in the future. This knowledge has influenced me because as I get older, I'll be quite certain about jobs and careers in music so if I want to become a musician, it will become easier for me to do so.

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These are my notes of the questions I asked.

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I saw kids transferring piano skills as the practitioner was talking to me. 

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In conclusion, I now have the knowledge of future education in music, either meaning to follow a career in music or the qualifications necessary in order to do this. I also learned about what, where, and how career development practitioners work. To summarise, this was very helpful and useful because I can use this knowledge in the future, and discuss with my parents if this is something I want to do in the future.

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Second half of Bohemian Rhapsody sheet music

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Second half of Bohemian Rhapsody sheet music

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Annoying rhythms of Bohemian Rhapsody (Reflection 3)

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Annoying rhythms of Bohemian Rhapsody (Reflection 3)

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-> Choose a piece and people to perform with.
-> Play Bohemian Rhapsody daily and weekly with the rest of the group.
-> Audition for the showcase and get in.
-> Practice more with the group until the upcoming date of the showcase.
-> Perform my best with the face of adversity and receive reviews.