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1. Hope to gain

·  Improved production skills when creating music digitally

·  Increased instrumentation on tracks that blend well

·  Enhanced storytelling, taking listener on a journey

·  Use a variety of techniques while keeping a choesive feel.

2. Source of Inspiration

Taylor Swift is an excellent practicioner in songwriting and has successfully stayed in the billboard charts for a consecutive 19years. I enjoy her older country albums and I find it interesting how her music has develped throughout the years.

3. Home in

I specifically want to home in an artist who uses a variety of songwriting methods to create their tracks. Relating to Taylor, I want to embody the songwriting techniques she has employed throughout her career.

4. Back it Up

In an Interview with Ryan Adams, Taylor Swift discusses a variety of techniques which she employs in her songwriting. She explains how dreams can be a source of inspiration in her music, how she compiles lists of notes which she later collates to fit in with the themes of her songs and lastly she discusses how she takes inspiration from different sources of media and puts herself in the mind set of the character.

5. Harvard reference

GQ Australia (2015) ‘Watch Ryan Adams Lovingly Grill Taylor Swift On Love’, Gentlemen’s Quarterly, available at: https://www.gq.com.au/entertainment/music/watch-ryan-adams-lovingly-grill-taylor-swift-on-love/news-story/873e032223623b52fc64eb9f7e02e660 (Accessed: 22/08/2025).

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A massive influence in my passion for music lies with my Dad(</3), who treats the guitar as an extension of his body. He is so often in the flow state when playing music, it has always brought such wonder into my life.

Other musical influences are bands such as the XX, Daughter and Ben Howard. I discovered all three of these artists around the same time during high school. Their music is very hypnotic and finds interesting ways to tell stories through sound.

I didn't realise at the time that these bands allowed me the opportunity to dissociate when I was in a low place. It showed me how powerful and moving music can really be and the impact it can have on its audience.

This is my goal as an artist, to use my experiences in this life and hopefully connect with other people who are going through the same.

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I have felt the pull of music at several different points in my life, the reason I did not pursue it from the start was due to my confidence levels and trying to please everyone around me.

I remember writing songs when I was 5, I found so much joy in turning stories into a musical journey but was made fun of because of my singing voice. In high school I practiced hard with the violin but kids on the bus would make fun of me, so I tried singing and I struggled to fit into other artists' box.

I practiced the same song on guitar for years until one day it clicked, and I started to free style over the chords I'd learnt. I applied to college that year and I haven't looked back. I knew that music was my career, when it got me out of bed in the morning.

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7 - BA Summer Task 2024 Creative Arrangement Task

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8 - BA Summer Task - Engagement in Music making

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My name is Shannon, and I am a vocalist who is from Edinburgh. I enjoy playing instruments such as the guitar, ukulele and keyboard. I am 28 years old and I'm very passionate about nature, art, kindness, music, tarot reading and experiencing the most out of life.

I have been practicing vocal techniques for 6 years and I don't currently specialize in any specific genre. I am looking forward to partaking in the degree with my fellow students. I have always been very keen to learn, and I plan to bring this attitude into my degree.

I hope to create music in the Indie Folk genre, I really enjoy acoustic music and think it suits my writing style. In the past year I have decided to start singing in my own accent which has been revolutionary for my music making. - For this year in the degree I want to branch out into areas which I am not comfortable wth so I can grow as much as possible!

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As a songwriter, I am looking forward to honing my skills musically, so that I can become the best version of myself as an artist. I hope to gain a deeper understanding about music and I'm hoping to work with others to develop my practical skills.

This is the further I have reached in my education, I am aiming to improve my professional writing skills, so that they can be at a higher academic level.

As I am joining this year as a part time student, I want to focus my energy on the classes I do have and find inspiration from other student’s projects as the year goes on. Lastly, I hope that this year in music will help build my skills in sharing music with others and build confidence in myself.

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I remember being in Primary School and writing my own songs which were a representation of my current environment. I felt very free to write about what I wanted, because I had little knowledge of how music worked, I was able to try lots of different things. I stopped writing my own music in early high school when I realised, I couldn’t remember the tunes I had been creating, I hadn’t yet learned how to write or record music. I think this stands out for me, as I felt robbed as a child for not being able to take music further. I was in control of my learning the whole time, I robbed myself.

I remember the frustration of trying to learn Good Riddance by Green Day on the guitar, it was like trying to move a muscle that didn’t exist on the body. I would figure out finger picking and then couldn’t switch back to strumming, it was frustrating. When I did learn the song, many others followed, but I wasn’t adept to playing them without the sheet music. I’m still at that place with guitar, I can’t play anything from memory. This is memorable for me as it’s the foundation of what got me back into music, I imagine if I didn’t crack the guitar, I wouldn’t have tried to sing.

As a vocalist, it can be hard to prove your skills to other people, I have often felt like I am an imposter who is faking being a singer. The confidence that my vocal teacher has had in me, has helped me to shape myself into a musician that I’m proud of. Taylor has also been an amazing help in making me see the power of our mistakes, they provide such an opportunity for growth. This stands out for me as it is part of my foundation as a vocalist, I have a lot of passion for my teacher.

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In this section I'm going to disclose information on my mental health which may help lecturers to better understand me.

I have a dissociative personality disorder which means that, in an instant I can either lose my sense of self or I lose the ability to move my body as my mind overloads. This is typically a stress response, I’ll do my best to manage it by limiting the amount of triggers around me. However, I can't control the environment and so there may be times I need to remove myself from the class or be excused if I go completely mute.

I also have borderline personality disorder which can also have an impact on my sense of self. The disorder can manipulate how I think, feel and interact with other people. This means that I may need to take the occassional mental health day if I am not feeling up to interacting with people.

I am currently trying to get a daignosis for autism and I am working closely with my mental health mentor to make sure I am making the most of my studies. For this, all I ask is that briefs are clear, and deadlines are given in advance.

Lastly, I would like the lecturers to know that my dad is terminally ill, and this massively impacted my studies last term. Currently he is stable, but I can't predict the future (</3). So hard to look over this document again after a year away from it.

In December last year I was told I have carpal tunnel which has been a massive struggle in regards to playing instruments and writing. I am now in contact with a physio and I'm getting treatment, so hopefully it won't bother me anymore.

(I would also like to mention that I like 2 hours away from college, I will try my best to not let that interupt my studies.)

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Please summarise the article ‘The Power of Music’. Please discuss a part of the article you found most interesting and why.

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What environment are you drawn to?

The environment that I am most interested in would be either primary school or in a community setting. I like the idea of working in a school setting, I think it could be fun to work with young kids and to help them express themselves through music. High school would be more of an issue for me as I feel inferior in my musical knowledge, to teach someone at that level.  Working in a community setting is appealing as I would like the opportunity to help someone with music who wants it and may not have the easiest time getting into it.

Why it's the best fit for you?

I think that working in a primary school would be good for me as I’ve had several years of experience working with children that age. I am also a child of 6 and I’ve been used to having younger people around me, I think I could use that to my advantage when helping other young people. I think the community setting would also be a good fit for me as I’ve been in the receiving end of those activities, and I think my experience would help me be more empathetic.

Environmental concerns

I would genuinely love to teach people about music; however, I feel very under qualified. In my HND I didn’t take up the opportunity to teach other people and now I feel I’ve left it too late to do a good job. Although I think if I am able to plan appropriately, I should be able to create lesson plans and build on people’s knowledge.

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The purpose of the article is to display the positive impact music can have on the development of children and young adults. Throughout the piece there are case studies referenced to help reinstate the articles point and provide evidence to back up their theories. It also discusses the other side of the argument and details how different factors outside of the experiments, may influence the development of children, such as: class, parental involvement and private musical instruction.

This article takes the reader on a journey of development, using music from infancy to adulthood. It covers specific topic areas such as: literacy, numeracy, intellectual development, creativity, health and physical skills. It also details the impact that working within a musical group can have on an individual’s self-esteem and overall confidence. The article is a necessary pillar to help aid in the argument that music should remain in the school curriculum.

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The most interesting part of the article explores the psychological well-being that music can have on the development of humans, throughout their life span. It provides a powerful example of this by detailing the impact of music on babies who are born prematurely or underweight: “reducing inconsolable crying and leading to improvement in physiological measures including heart rate, respiration rate, oxygen saturation and mean arterial pressure.”  As this article is describing the educational effects of music, it is curious to understand the physical effect music can have on humans. Another reason for the importance of this in the article, is that it proves humans are capable of developing through music, at the earliest stages of life.

Reference:

Halam, S. (2015) ‘Chapter 1 - Executive Summary’, in The Power of Music. London, England: Internation Music Education Research Centre (iMerc) Press, pp. 9–20. Available at: https://archive.org/details/the-power-of-music-susan-hallam/page/3/mode/2up (Accessed: 20 August 2024).

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BA Summer Task 2024- Hearing and Writing Music

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6 - BA Summer Task 2024- Creative Arrangement -Reading

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Q1: Read 'Hearing and Writing Music,' and explain why it may support writing a creative arrangement. Please cite at least one document that offers a different perspective and explain why it might be relevant.

Ron Gorow explains in his book that it is crucial for musicians to work on their ability to listen to the music, so that they can better write down what they are hearing. It is a skill which must be developed through training but will result in a deeper understanding of the music being played. As “music is the only art that is intangible,” writers must focus on their listening skills, to fully comprehend a piece. In building this skill, it will ease the pressure of trying to translate music from the mind, on to a sheet of paper.

Another relevant piece of work is an article called “Listen like a producer,” which offers a unique perspective on the topic from a producer’s point of view. The job of a producer is to work with an artist to help translate their vision into sound and creating the best version of it that they can. This work is relevant to Gorows’ book as it explores the necessity of a producers need to have a developed ear. The article explains steps in which the reader can take to build on their listening skills.

Q2. What ways can we as musicians communicate our musical ideas that cannot necessarily be notated?

Musicians can express their musical ideas through the medium of sound, rather than a notated piece of music. The first place that music is born, is in the mind of the artist and so to express the music, they must vocalise it. In order for another musician to receive this communication, they must have a developed listening skill to be able to fully understand and interpret what the musician is trying to communicate.

Q3: How might we listen to improve our musicianship?

Gorow offers many exercises throughout his book for the reader to practice active listening. The first exercise in chapter 2, asks that the reader to find a sport to sit ad relax. The first step is to quiet the inner dialogue and then begin listening to the surrounding sounds. It is then recommended to focus on one sound for as long as possible, then switch to another sound for as long as possible. Then try to listen to the first sound again. This helps the reader to fully concentrate on the sound and to exercise how long they can listen to it.

References:

Gorow, R. (2011) ‘Developing Your Ear’, in Professional Training for Today’s Musicians. 2nd edn. Studio City, California: September Publishing, pp. 14–17.

Music is the only art that is intangible

Steventon, M. (2023) Listen like a producer: Exploring the art of active listening, dBs Insider. Available at: https://insider.dbsinstitute.ac.uk/listen-like-a-producer-exploring-the-art-of-active-listening (Accessed: 26 August 2024).

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To create an original creative arrangement out of Summertime by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald (1959), Sublime (1997) did the following:

The tempo of the piece was drammatically changed in the new arrangement, from 60bpm to 110bpm.

The instrumentation has changed from classic orchestral backing music to hip hop/reggae, which features samples throughout the piece.

In the new arrangement, there is a much larger emphasis on the beat, rather than the melody of the piece.

The singing style is also dramatically different, being delivered in a more casual way, which was popular at the time.

Another feature which separates the two, is the driving bass of the Sublime track, which helps add groove to the piece.

References:

bizmixer (2007) Sublime - Doin’Time/Summertime, YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxGh6VGxuw0 (Accessed: 27 August 2024).

Fitzgerald, E. (2022) Summer Time, YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HJCN3upMHE (Accessed: 27 August 2024).