# data[].attributes.body
We started our rehearsal by choosing the songs we wanted to perform out of a list of songs we were given. We based out choice of songs not only off of how much we would like to perform them, but also how plausible it would be to perform. We spoke constructively amongst the band, working out whether the singer could reach the vocals needed, or if the guitarist or drummer or I, the bassist, could play our parts, and we only settled on playing the songs that we were all confident that we could play accurately to the song. We then started to learn our parts for the songs, we mainly focused on Johnny B. Goode, as that song had arguably the most difficult parts to play out of any of the other songs. After about 30 minutes of rehearsing, we were able to play the beginning riff, as well as the first verse and chorus all together somewhat well. We still made some mistakes every now and again, but we were able to put the song together and perform the first half of it coherently. I think that at the beginning of the rehearsal, everybody seemed somewhat nervous and afraid to speak to each other, I think we all felt quite shy and quite unprepared, but once we got more confident, we started to speak to each other more, and we seemed to be able to play together a lot better than in the beginning when we were all quite nervous. I feel like now, we are all quite confident in speaking with each other, and playing together, and the nerve of this whole new experience has turned into excitement, and anticipation for what the future could hold. I personally was quite nervous when it began, having to meet, speak to, and perform with people id never met in my life, but now that I'm not afraid, i feel a lot more confident and I personally feel really excited to see how far we can take this, and how well we can play together as we grow together as a group.

# data[].attributes.body
With the rehearsals, I think that everybody in the band is incredibly talented at what they do, and we play together really well, we all have a common understanding that everybody in this band is incredible, and it boosts the confidence for everybody, which is amazing. What would have been better in the rehearsals is if we ended up speaking, practicing and getting along much sooner, rather than taking near to half an hour to actually start communicating and giving criticism. I think everybody contributed positively to the band and the performance, we all gave out good constructive criticism, and we all seemed to listen to the criticism that was given which I think helped us all out a lot, and I think that is a large part of the reason that we seem to work together so well, because we have a shared understanding that we all want to do our best, and we all support each other to do that. I believe that the reason things went so well is because we all have the same goal, which is just to have fun, play music, and grow together. We all seem to get along, and we all seem to want to help each other, which is another large part of the reason we work together so well. One of the ways it could've gone better is if we had have started to communicate properly sooner, because it did take us some time to be able to give and receive constructive criticism, as we hadn't spoken much and didn't know how the others would receive criticism. From the rehearsal, I learned that the people I am in a band with are incredibly helpful, constructive, and fun to work with. I also learned that everybody processes how to play music differently, some people base their timings on the drums, some people base it on the bass, some people base it on themselves, but everybody plays and perceives music differently. The rehearsals were already really positive, but a way we could have made it more positive would have been if we spent more time practicing together, rather than practicing alone in the same room. To handle situations like this better, I think I need to work on my communication skills, I've never been really good at communication, but now it is something I need to work on.

# data[].attributes.body
We went into the recording studio, whilst another band went into the recording room when they were ready with their song. My band was configuring all the different equalisation for the other band, whilst they played for us to record. Once it was all recorded, they were allowed to listen to it and tweak what they were doing a bit, and try again. I was feeling nervous during the recording, because i was new to it and there was a lot of different things i could do, but i felt better seeing how well the recordings turned out. Before the situation, i was thinking about how to place them and the microphone to get the best recordings, and afterwards i was thinking whay i could do to make it better. I think the other people both in the studio and in the band were feeling a bit nervous, having to perform infront of a group of people and having to do justice to their musicianship by recording it properly, but i feel like everybody is happy with how it turned out, it was a really good performance, with a good recording of it as well. During recording, i was thinking about what i could do to make the recording better, and how much i wanted to record well, and now im feeling happy because it turned out great.

# data[].attributes.body
The situation was good because we all got to try something new and i feel as though its helped us all to grow a lot. I also feel, however, that because 5 of us were trying to record, not everybody got a decent amount of time to record. I feel as though everybody was contributing positively, the studio was really supportive and the band was supportive back, and everybody seemed to work together flawlessly. A lot of things went well, such as us all working together, which allowed us to get a solid recording and all to feel much bettwler about working together. Some things didnt go as well though, not everybody got a proper chance to try recording, because there was 5 people trying to record one song, which was very complicated. I feel as though the knowledge to be able to work together efficiently and effectively would be a helpful piece of knowledge, to make sure everybody can do their part. I have learnt that people who have a common goal will work together to get it done, and i have also learnt that we should take less time per person on the recording so everybody can have a chance. This would make the situation a lot more positive, as everyone would get their chance to learn. I should work on my teamworking and communication skills to work on this.

# data[].attributes.body
The production was good, everything went well besides the fact that my amp volume was muted at the tech desk for the first half of our first song. The rehearsal process as well as the tech setting up and us getting ready felt really inefficient, there was a lot of waiting around and doing nothing. I feel as though I could have improved upon this by practicing or doing something to keep myself prepared to play. I think the volume and equalisation of all the instruments were great, you could hear everything and it sounded just like the 1950's. We decided that to make the gig feel more like the 1950's, we should all dress the part. We all came dressed in simple suits, mine was a black button up with black suit trousers. I feel as though this, paired with our mannerisms on stage really helped to give off the idea of the 1950s. Overall, the process of the production felt great and i enjoyed every moment of it. Everybody in the band got along great, and we all helped each other with songs. We all had a lot of fun and I feel as though thats what helped us to play together better as a band. We got to college to regearse from 1-4, and then we did sound checks until 6:15. The show started at 7, and then everybodys band took it in turns doing their setlist. Id also spent the past few days rehearsing non stop. In getting ready for the performance, another thing we did was record ourselves playing. We used a compressor microphone to record all of us at once, and we would listen back to it. We did this not only to experiment with equalisation, but also to see where we needed to work on from an outsiders perspective. I feel as though this helped to fix a lot of issues like volume, timings and coordination across the band.

# data[].attributes.body
Whole - 4 beats

Half - 2 beats

Quarter - 1 beat

Eighth - 0.5 beat

...

Dotted notes add half of themselves

Dotted whole - 6 beats

Dotted half - 3 beats

Dotted quarter - 1.5 beats

Dotted eighth - 0.75 beats

...

# data[].attributes.body
The live performance was great. Id been struggling in rehearsals just before the performance but i feel as though i did so well in the performance. I was able to keep in time and hit all the notes i needed to. The tech messed up my bass volune in the beginning, which meant i was inaudible for the first half of the song, but i was able to play along after my bass was turned back on. Id unfortunately not been well enough to come in to college for rehesrsals nearer to the performance, which was greatly detrimental to my band and our progress. I would practice bass at home to be able to play along, and i was able to pick it up and play along well with my band. Id spoken with them beforehand about songs, intros, breaks, solos or outros that we'd omitted, and we were able to play together well. I couldnt stand with my bass because the strap peg at the bottom of the body had snapped off, so I was sat next to the drummer, which was good because we had similar parts and a similar groove for a few songs. I feel like as much as id not been the best band member, we still worked together as a band well, we all got along and had similar ideas, wed formed a bond and I see everybody and myself as a band rather than an individual. I feel as though this inspired me to give everything in the performance, because i didnt want to let my band down, and I feel like I'd done a much better job than anybody expecting

# data[].attributes.body
Our band, The Princesses of Whimsy, consists of Ash and Santa on vocals, me on bass, Matt on drums, and Frazer and Matthew on guitar. We all work together relatively well, we all agreed on what songs we would like to play. These turned out to be Hit the Road Jack by Ray Charles, These Boots are Made for Walking by Nancy Sinatra, Stand By Me by Ben E. King, Be My Baby by The Ronettes, Come Together by The Beatles, and How Many More Times by Led Zeppelin. We also spent time learning more about the microphones and experimenting with dynamic microphones for the drums, instead of the condenser microphones we were used to. We practised with people in the studio room, as we adjusted the drum microphones to find the sound that we considered to be the best for the songs we wanted to perform. We also learnt equalisation, and how generally you'd want to reduce the lowest frequencies and increase the mid frequencies, but more specific frequency equalisation can help to emulate and amplify the sounds of the songs we were recording. We also, through having multiple microphones which we paid attention to, discovered the issue of microphone audio overlapping, and the drum microphones were picking up things like the guitar sounds and the vocals as well, which we also were able to sort out, by having these large glass walls around the drums, which helped to isolate the sound.

# data[].attributes.body
We were starting to have trouble with the number of cables. We had 4 for the drums, as well as one for both of the guitars, the bass, and both of the vocalists. We decided to organise the cables, and it was an easy fix, but the issues which wed discovered along the way offered much appreciated insight into how viscerally complicated the production process can be, as well as serving as a form of reminder that we will continue to find issues which shape us into the professional musicians which we look up to so much. We started to record some songs, but we mainly wanted to work on Be My Baby first. We started recording, and we started messing with the equalisation on both the amps and the recording software, until we finally found a balance that seemed just right. We were all quite happy about this, and it wasn't long before other songs, such as Stand By Me and Hit The Road Jack had neared the same level of completion, and we all felt proud of the work we were able to put in as a band. We hadn't worked on the Led Zeppelin song so far, as it was incredibly technically complex, and people were doubting their ability to play the song. Matt the Drummer and I seemed to have the song down quite well at this point, but the guitarists and vocalists hadn't begun learning the song yet.

# data[].attributes.body
Our final production lesson with the full band took place on a Monday. We were able to set everything up more efficiently than before, as we had a better understanding of the process by then. We had a few issues; there were times when we would get no signal from some of the tracks, but thankfully, we were able to fix it. We decided to record Be My Baby, as this was the one that we felt we were all best at, and we all enjoyed playing it, so it helped us to finish our recordings on a strong note. Some of our band began to experiment with mixing a little bit more, whilst I and a couple of others went to pack away all the equipment in the studio. I was quite nervous that we'd end our 60's production with a few okay but lacklustre recordings, but we did great for this final recording, and we all felt great about it too. This final session was a great display of everything we'd learnt. We were all able to work efficiently, not only as individuals in the performance but as a team in everything else we needed to do. It was a clear reflection that we'd all grown immensely over the past few weeks, which I think is just as beautiful to witness and incredible to be a part of, as the band itself. One thing I do hope to work on in the future is my equalisation skills, since I find I struggle with that somewhat. I think I lack the understanding to do it on my own properly, but I hope that changes in due time.

# data[].attributes.body
With me as the Bassist, Ashlyn and Santa as the vocalists, Matt as the drummer, and Frazer and Matthew as the guitarists, we were able to put together our band, aptly named The Princesses of Whimsy. We began preparing for our 1960's Performance, taking place on Tuesday the 16th of December, by picking songs from the setlist that we all felt would help us not only to demonstrate our skills, but also to help the audience to enjoy themselves. We decided that the songs we wanted were How Many More Times by Led Zeppelin, Be My Baby by The Ronettes, These Boots are Made for Walking by Nancy Sinatra, Come Together by The Beatles, Stand By Me by Ben E. King, and Hit the Road Jack by Ray Charles. For the first rehearsal, we decided to work on Stand By Me, since it was the song we were most familiar with. I believe that we as a band were able to work well, and coordinated; The vocalists worked together brilliantly, the guitarists complemented each other, and I feel I was able to work well with the drummer too. Not only did we work together well, but we were also able to get along, and not just play well, but to have a great time doing it too, which I feel is critical for any group of people working together, especially in a band.

# data[].attributes.body
During the rehearsal process for Stand By Me, we decided to put a twist on the song, taking slight inspiration from the Florence and the Machine cover. We did this by having Frazer improvise a little, and tweak the equalization on his amp a bit, to make the guitar sound "whimsical." The vocals were also adjusted a little, and I made some minor adjustments to the bassline as well. I tweaked the equalisation of my bass, aiming for more treble and less bass, to try and get a somewhat clean bite whilst I was using a pick, and I feel this helped add a lot to the sound of the songs. I also added a little bit of improvisation into the song, to make it feel more full in parts where it needed it most, like the end chorus. Once we felt we had reached a good point to stop the song and work on another one, we stumbled into the realisation that we didn't know the order we would be playing the songs in, we had only worked out which to play. We discussed many options, taking into consideration the general flow of the whole performance, good songs to grab the audiences attention, good songs to end on, and much more. After a few minutes of deliberation, we settled on the following order: Hit the Road Jack by Ray Charles, These Boots are Made for Walking by Nancy Sinatra, Stand By Me by Ben E. King, Be My Baby by The Ronettes, Come Together by The Beatles, and How Many More Times by Led Zeppelin. One issue we were starting to have as a band, is that Matt, the drummer, seems to have issues with staying quiet and letting other people talk, which caused a problems with communication during rehearsals, before one of our tutors intervened and made it clear that it wasn't okay, and it was harming the band, since he wouldn't listen to us when he said it. This made things more manageable, and things swiftly started to pick up again.

# data[].attributes.body
We decided to scrap the Led Zeppelin song, seeing as everybody except me and Matt were struggling with the song, because people had become unwell, or not had time to learn it before the deadline date. The vocalists also spoke up about the guitars and bass being too loud, making it hard for them to hear themselves during rehearsals, which then me and the guitarists promptly adjusted our volumes. Not long was left before the final performance, when we had finally reached a point where we felt comfortable that all the songs we were planning on performing, we were going to play the best we could. Moments before the performance, the band morale was high, we were all excited to perform again, and we knew we had it nailed down at this point. My bass volume was messed up for the first half of Hit the Road Jack, since somebody had accidentally turned off my bass amp, but outside of that minor slip up, everything went great. The audience had fun, we all had fun, and I believe this performance was much better than the last one.

# data[].attributes.body
Hazards in a Venue

1. Hearing Damage from High Stage Volume. This happens due to loud speakers, drum kits, as well as poor monitor mixes causing musicians to turn up. This can be prevented with hearing protection, and soundchecks with proper volume managing.

Likelihood: 9/10

Damage: 9/10

Overall: 9/10

2. Trips and Falls (Cables, Monitors, Low Lighting.) This happens due to dark stages, and poor cable management changeovers. This can be prevented with cable runs, adequate lighting, and by being more careful around the stage.

Likelihood: 8/10

Damage: 6/10

Overall: 7/10

3. Electrical Shock

This happens due to poor wiring and damaged cables. This can be prevented by making sure all your equipment is in good condition, and by being more careful when dealing with electrical equipment.

Likelihood: 4/10

Damage: 8/10

Overall: 6/10

4. Falling Equipment

This can happen due to poor quality venues not keeping equipment in good condition, causing unstable stages, as well as poorly secured lighting.

This can be prevented with proper rigging by qualified workers.

Likelihood: 5/10

Damage: 9/10

Overall: 7/10

5. Feedback

This usually happens due to monitor audiio loops, as well as live microphones, and can be damaging to the ears.

This can be prevented by making sure any live microphones are kept away from anything making aound except for the musicians the microphone is meant to record.

Likelihood: 6/10

Damage: 2/10

Overall: 4/10

6. Getting hurt moving equipment

This may happen when attempting to carry heavy amps, drum cases, and other electrical equipment. This can also be due to a poor lifting technique.

This can be prevented with team lifting, trolleys and ramps, as well as basic manual handling training.

Likelihood: 3/10

Damage: 5/10

Overall: 4/10

7. Theft or Gear Loss During Changeovers

This can happen due to the open backstage access, as well as multiple acts sharing space.

This can be prevented with supervision of the equipment at all times, as well as supervised load ins, and lists of what everybody should have.

Likelihood: 2/10

Damage: 6/10

Overall: 4/10

Hazards in a Studio

1. Hearing damage

This may happen due to high volume headphones, as well as being in the same room as several amps and a drum kit for multiple hours at a time. This can be prevented with volume control and breaks

Likelihood: 3/10

Damage: 8/10

Overall 5.5/10

2. Repetitive strain injuries

This happens due to long sessions and poor technique.

This can be prevented with breaks, as well as a proper technique.

Likelihood: 4/10

Damage: 7/10

Overall: 5.5/10

3. Trip hazards

This can happen due to cables not being managed properly, as well as people not being careful backstage.

This can be prevented with proper cable management, as well as caution backstage.

Likelihood: 6/10

Damage: 4/10

Overall: 5/10

4. Electrical faults

This can happen due to faulty or damaged electrical equipment. This can be prevented by making sure all your equipment is working and in good condition.

Likelihood: 3/10

Damage: 7/10

Overall: 5/10

5. Fire

This can happen due to faulty or damaged electrical equipment, as well as not being safe and careful around the stage.

This can be prevented making sure all your electrical equipment is fully functional and in working condition, as well as being careful around the stage.

Likelihood: 2/10

Damage: 8/10

Overall: 5/10

6. Fatigue/strain

This can happen due to long sessions, and improper texhnique, and can lead to damage to the musician, as well as makingh mistakes more often.

This can be prevented with breaks, and proper technique.

Likelihood: 5/10

Damage: 2/10

Overall: 3.5/10