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This was my eighth and final stimuli session with Michael Wayne. Over the eight weeks we have either been given a stimuli or told to create our own. Once we had done this we would have to create a song based upon it. This week our stimuli was ex relationships. Me and my group all wanted to focus on something that had recently just happened and turn it into a stimuli and baring in mind three out of the four of us had just come out of relationships we thought that this would be the perfect stimuli. We sat down and created a mind map made up of key words which we had all felt over the past couple of weeks. I took these into consideration and began to write a song based on these words and the stimuli. As always it was in a minor key. With just a piano and vocals we always choose a sad minor key as it is just easier. It is harder to do an upbeat happy song with just a piano and no main bass line. This week the group was made up of myself (vocals,) Eva (vocals,) Evie (vocals and guitar) and finally Leah (piano.) We worked so well this week and we actually manged to write a whole song. These were the lyrics:

Verse 1: I guess I gave you too much,
I guess that's the thing about love,
I guess I made you out a fool,
I guess I am better off without you,
Cause all the words that we didn't say,
yeah they're eating through all the mess we made,
And I just wanted you to stay.

Chorus: Cause did you even say goodbye?
Cause I can't remember, I can't remember,
If you were ever even mine,
It only makes sense, now I am hurting,
Are you still lost, are you still searching?
Cause moving on, ain't what I thought,
Cause I am still a little bit yours (x5)

Verse 2: I guess I kind of like the pain,
Cause you love killing me anyway,
All the words that we didn't say,
yeah they're eating through all the mess we made,
And I just wanted you to stay.

Chorus: Cause did you even say goodbye?
Cause I can't remember, I can't remember,
If you were ever even mine,
It only makes sense, now I am hurting,
Are you still lost, are you still searching?
Cause moving on, ain't what I thought,
Cause I am still a little bit.

Bridge: Another time, another place, another word,
Another line, another verse, another chorus,
Maybe you'd be mine for sure,
Maybe I wouldn't still be just a little bit yours,
Did you even say goodbye,
Cause I can't remember, I can't remember,
If you ever even mine,
It only makes sense, now I am hurting,
Are you still lost, are you still searching?
Cause moving on, ain't what I thought,
Cause moving on ain't what I thought,
Cause I am still a little bit yours.

I was really proud of this piece of work as I feel that it represented how my group felt at the time. We wanted to strip it back with this piece however it actually went wrong. Although no one noticed and some actually liked it, it was not meant to be acoustic for so long. It was actually only meant to be acoustic for the bridge as we wanted this silent. However when listening back it does not sound too bad and I can see why some people actually liked it. I also think this week was a slight change to other with the acoustic part. The feedback was good as I think a lot of people connected with the song and how mine and Eva's vocals went together.

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Another week and another session. This was the seventh lesson and we were again allowed to chose or create our own stimuli. This was a tough week for our group as it contained a lot of ups and downs. For the first time all members of the group showed up which were myself (vocals,) Chey (vocals,) Evie (guitar and vocals,) Eva (vocals,) Chloe (vocals) and finally Leah who was on piano. I think the main problem was that after working so many weeks with just a few people having five vocalists was just a bit too much. And because there was so many people in the group some got away with doing no work or very little. When we first went into room 2 at Magnet studios I sat back for a bit as I had down a lot of the work over the past few weeks and I kind of wanted someone else to take change. Eventually I took charge after a lot of frustration I realised that we needed to get a performance ready which was at a good standard. The stimuli was from myself which is made up of my Sunday evenings waiting for the bus after work. Across the way from my bus stop is a National Express stand which is where a lot of people get on long haul coaches to go home after seeing their loved ones for the weekend. I personally find this so hard to watch. Seeing couples and family members burst into tears as they know they have to count down another five days before they can see them again is so sad. Having been in a situation like that myself I think that is the reason why I connected with this stimuli so well. At the time I was also in quite a low place so it was good to put thoughts and feelings down onto paper. The main idea was that we would have me as lead vocal whilst Eva was led vocal two and Chloe and Evie were backing vocalists. As well as this we also had Leah on the piano. It was in minor key as we wanted it to be quite sad and depressing. These were the lyrics:

Verse 1: I had a dream it was a weekend night with you,
I pass the time whilst I finish a bottle or two,
Pieces of the jigsaw will become pretty prominent soon,
It was a Sunday night and I really seem to miss you.

Chorus: And here we go, It's time to move,
Just forget about life and my lies to you,
I hold you close across the room,
What is the meaning of love to you,
I am sick of falling over you,
You are my lifeline my saviour too,
Running, jumping, falling, diving,
It was all for you.

For me this was a hard week. There was a lot of problems which led up to the final performance. But overall nothing really went wrong with the performance apart from the fact that the harmonies could have been louder and more in sync which seemed to be the main outcome of the feedback. The teacher also suggested that to develop this we use some electronic instruments to change it up. We could take these slow songs and put them onto a dance track which at the moment there is a big market for. Because of having to work with different groups of people each week at the start I think this is what pushed me to go and take charge again. Although it would have been nice for someone else to do the lyric writing I did not want my group to fail and have nothing to show for.

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This was my sixth session with Michael. And it was another lesson where we were allowed to pick our own stimuli. I got into my group which consisted off myself (vocals,) Eva (vocals) and Leah (piano.) Some members of the group did not show up to this lesson which is why it was only the three of us. But after the previous week and how well we got on working as a group of three I was actually really happy with the outcome. At first we sat down and thought about what our stimuli could be. Eva said she had found a picture on Google which she wanted to use as the stimuli. The image showed a young girl stuck inside her room looking out the window. She looked down and her body position was quite hunched up which I think showed that she was quite sad and possibly even scared of something. When I began to write the lyrics I put myself in her position and tried to put all the feelings into one song. The piano is in key A minor as we wanted to create a dark and mysterious vibe. These were the lyrics:

Verse 1: Light days, warm days, what do I do?
Four walls, built for, me and you,
And what else can I do, than look at you, be with you,
I still seem to lose.

Chorus: I don't know if this is right,
Whats going on with my life,
I am sitting here because of you,
And what exactly is true,
Just stop right there, I am over who?
That's the end of me and you.

Verse 2: As time goes by,
I forget your sins,
What is happening?
Tore me down and threw me round,
I am sick of being pushed down.

Chorus: I don't know if this is right,
Whats going on with my life,
I am sitting here because of you,
And what exactly is true,
Just stop right there, I am over who?
That's the end of me and you (x2)

Out of all of the performances this is my favourite one! If I was to finish one of these songs and record it I would chose this one. I feel like it worked so well together. Nothing really went wrong apart from the fact that Eva's microphone was turned down slightly more than it was in rehearsal. Our overall feedback was really good and it had a really good texture to it. Of course it could have been even better but baring in mind it is not a finished piece and there is still a lot more to do to it. I think it sounded really good.

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Performance and feedback video.

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QS16 1 Room 2 Wk 9 Response to own Stimulus

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QS16 1 Room 2 Wk 9 Response to own Stimulus

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Performance and feedback video.

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QS16   1 Room 2 Week 8 Response to own stimulus

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QS16 1 Room 2 Week 8 Response to own stimulus

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Performance and feedback video

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QS16 1 Room 2 Wk7 Response to Own Stimulus

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QS16 1 Room 2 Wk7 Response to Own Stimulus

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Performance and feedback video.

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This was the fifth session and this week it was going to be a little bit different. We were not only allowed to pick our own groups but also our own stimuli. In the previous week we had picked our groups and the room we would be in each week. In my group was myself (vocals,) Chey (vocals,) Eva (vocals,) Evie (guitar and vocals) and Leah (piano.) However, this Eva and Eva were not here so it was just me, Chey and Leah which actually worked well. We stripped everything back and I think this complemented everyone's individuality perfectly. We all sat down with paper and a pen and created a spider diagram with all of our different ideas. We decided that we would write a song about growing up and our different experiences throughout our years at school/college. Our main stimuli was about how different groups of people are defined by a stereotypical name which is why we called the song 'Popular.' The piece was complemented by piano which was in D minor key. These were lyrics:

Verse 1: You got problem,
Come say something to me,
Is this really meant to be?
You got an issue,
Come shed light with me,
Just stop shading me.

Chorus: You're so popular, popular
You don't wanna be popular, popular,
We ain't popular, we ain't popular,
So who's gonna be popular? (x2)

Verse 2: You talk about this thing,
It takes seven days,
Acting all innocent,
Whats your low key game,
You got a problem,
Come say something to me,
Is this really meant to be?

Chorus: You're so popular, popular
You don't wanna be popular, popular,
We ain't popular, we ain't popular,
So who's gonna be popular? (x2)

Overall, I think the performance went really well. I think the message was spread well through the lyrics and it matched well with our choice of key. As we are quite a close group anyway it was easy to plan and sort out ideas before and during the session. Unlike other weeks we all got on well and the whole planning and rehearsing time that we got was spent productively. When listening to the feedback everyone seemed to have quite positive comments however, some people thought that the intro sounded slightly alike another song called 'Hello.' Although I have now listened to this song and I do not believe they sound the same so I generally think it was a near perfect performance.

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Stimuli

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This was my second session with Michael Wayne and I had been moved into a different group to see if it worked better. This is why I have no video for my second session as it is in the old groups Facebook chat and I can not get hold of it. However, I have attached the stimuli to the left. I was put into a group. It was made up of three other boys and at first I found it quite hard as I had never met them before and I did not know how they worked best or what their individual styles were. However, with all this put aside I sat down and began to write a song based upon the stimuli which I had been given. As I did this I told the other guys to come up with a melody in minor key as I had read through the stimuli and realised it had a sad and depressing theme. For the lyrics I picked out some key words for example, the blood and featured these in my lyrics. The stimuli was obviously based in Syria so I put myself there in Dima's position. It took me about ten minutes to write the song and once I had done this as a group we slowly pieced each part together from the intro to the verse. These were the lyrics:

Verse 1: All I seem to remember is your touch,
It was just the other day when our lives felt so lush,
But I still see your face and feel the imprints of your touch,
Oh yeah, It used to be good

Chorus: Your life is gone long before it should,
I seem to still see the scene covered in your blood,
My tears do not mean much but I miss your smile and love,
I am here and you are up there is this the meaning of us? (x2)

Out of all the weeks this was one of my favourites. It was nice to work with people who I had never met before and just connect through the music. When teaming the lyrics up with the drums and both guitars it sounded so good. The guitar riff on the intro also really gave it that sad but intriguing feel. I had been listening to a lot of James Arthur at this point and I used his vocal style when I was singing this song and it really worked well. Even though I have not personally experienced a situation like this I really connected with the lyrics and put this in the final performance. If I was to do it again I would of course finish writing the whole song and try and add some more vocal style. For example on the bridge I would probably do quite quiet and timid vocals and then build it back up again so that there is a big ending.

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Performance and feedback video.

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QS16 1 Wk4 Response to moving image Room 3

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QS16 1 Wk4 Response to moving image Room 3

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Stimuli Video.
https://www.facebook.com/100009888738135/videos/347435772262711/

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This was our third session with Michael Wayne. When I first arrived at Magnet studios we were all sat down and told about what we would be doing today. We had already been given the stimuli for this session which this time was a video. The video was from a theme song which I think was used on a television programme. The video was mainly made up of elf's, unicorns and rainbows. So from this I knew straight away that it would be a happy song, quite upbeat in a major key. Compared to the past weeks which had been sad and depressing stimuli's it was nice to have a change and do something which was fun. The first thing that happened was that we were put into groups. In my group there was myself (vocals,) Chloe (vocals,) Tiegan (vocals,) Dean (guitar) and Leah (piano.) We had a good balance of instruments and vocals. We were in room three and I suggested straight away that we all sit down and discuss our ideas so that we can come up with an overall performance which shared different elements from everyone. A lot of time was wasted at the begging as two members of the group did not get on which is probably why this is one of my weakest performances. Why me and Tiegan worked on the melody, Chloe sat down and began to write the song as she had told us she had some ideas in her head and wanted it to sound almost like a lullaby. These were the lyrics:

Ohhh Ohhh (x2)
Verse 1: I am playing my air guitar as I am looking at you,
we are kissing behind the stars and sitting on the moon.

Chorus: As it is all made up, as it is all made up.

Verse 2: We can ride a unicorn in the deep blue sky,
follow leprechauns to the rainbows light.

Chorus: As it is all made up, as it is all made up.

Verse 3: We can make a rocket ship fly real high,
we love all the parts that make it go real high.

Chorus: As it is all made up, as it is all made up.

Verse 4: We can follow that little man and watch him fly,
We can climb aboard but it don't feel right.

Chorus: As it is all made up, as it is all made up, as it is all made up.

Looking back at this week I feel slightly embarrassed. I wish I would have taken more control of the group and sorted it all out. The lyrics were not really going anywhere and there is nothing to distinguish which part is the bridge or hook. It does not even really have a complete firm ending as it could of gone on. I also feel like the melody did not really go anyway. It should have started slow and then gradually built up and got more upbeat verse by verse. But with the lyrics not really changing it was hard to does this. When watching the video back you can tell that no one in the group really felt passionate about the song. As it had no meaning it was easy to disconnect and you can tell that no one really wanted to be there performing this song. Because of this the overall performance just did not work and the whole thing sounds out of tune. However, it did suit the stimuli and baring in mind it was meant to have a lullaby vibe it did feel like that. I personally think the best thing about the song was the harmonies that me and Tiegan put over the top and the group seemed to agree with this when it came to discussing feedback. Working with different groups of people each week really changed the way I thought and next week when we get to choose groups I am sure my overall performances will be a lot better as we will be able to connect with each other a lot better.

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Stimuli Storyboard.

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Performance and feedback video.

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This was our second session with Michael Wayne. When we first came into the studio's we were given a short brief on what we had to do which was of course 'create an original performance based on what we thought the storyboard stimuli represented.' After the small group chat my teacher put us into groups. We were put into room three again and there was myself (vocals,) Chloe (vocals,) Isha (vocals,) Ethan (guitar,) and Rhys (vocals and guitar.) Even know myself and some of the others had pre-planned and written out lyrics and chords already we sat down as a group and talked about what we thought the storyboard's stimuli represented and all our different ideas. Eventually we decided to piece together everyone's ideas to create one final piece which included something from everyone. As a group we believed it showed quite sad and depressing emotions and believed that the women in the picture was being stalked. Ethan and Rhys decided to work on the main tune and piece together different chords and riffs whilst me, Isha and Chloe started to write some lyrics. Ethan had already written a song so we tried to include some elements from that. We only manged to write a verse and chorus however it was at a good standard level. I think some members of the group were slightly confused by the story and took it as a bit of a joke. Not only was this slightly annoying, it also took up a certain amount of wasted time. These were the lyrics:

Verse 1: Shining bright in the night, I see your car light,
nothing left to say can you just go away,
broken hearts, mind games, always gonna be the same.

Chorus: Following me, following me (x4)
please just let me be,
stop following me, following me.

When reading these lyrics you will realise that there isn't a lot there however, please take into consideration that we only had one hour to compose this piece ready for performance. On the right you will see that I have included a picture of the stimuli storyboard and a video of the performance and feedback we got. Overall I think it went well to say it was only our second week. Our ideas were great and after we had calmed down the performance actually went really well and there wasn't much out of tune. Although it was good, I do think that certain members of the group could of taken it a little more seriously which personally put me off when performing as at first. I couldn't stop laughing which isn't professional at all. I also think we could of made the song sound a little more complex and I think this came out in the feedback. After we had listened to everyone perform we packed up and were given the picture and text stimuli for next week. I'm am currently planning and writing some lyrics for this.

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This was our first session with Michael Wayne. When my class entered the room we were all sat down and talked through what we would be doing in this session. As well as this we were also given sheets which gave an outline of the course and explained what we were going to be doing. After that the teacher ran through the different health and safety precautions which we needed to be aware of. We were then shown how to set up the PA as well as our choice of equipment. Mine was vocals so it wasn't too tricky. I already had some background in this as i have previously studied the level two music tech and performance course. When that had been completed we were put into four different groups as there are four rooms down at Magnet studios. We were in room three and In my group we had myself (vocals,) Julia (vocals,) Evie (vocals and guitar,) Dean (guitar) and Rubun (piano) . As it was the first lesson we weren't given a picture stimuli we just had to create a performance based on a bongo which portrayed the theme of 'Reggae.' It had to be original. At first my group struggled to come up with something which i guess was down to the fact it was only the first lesson. I also believe this was because some of the group were so used to playing there own choice of genre that they wouldn't adjust. We didn't have much time so we only managed to come up with the main tune which was made up of a guitar riff and a few chords on the piano. We based it on Bob Marley as we thought he was a good choice that suited the theme. When this we all done we packed up and were given a storyboard stimuli for next week. I have already started to plan ahead.