Who you are and your interests and hobbies

• Do you play, sing or produce music?

• Favourite bands and artists

• Favourite songs - explain why you like them

• Have you been to any gigs? Who would you like to see perform live?

• What you did

• What you learnt

• What went well

• What you could improve on

• Include screenshots and videos from your own projects and performance sessions

TIP: You should make us of at least 2 research sources to help you gather your information (websites, articles, videos etc)

• What are your aspirations in music?

• What job in music would you like to have one day?

• Why do you want to achieve these things?

• How do you think you will achieve them (college study, making beats, university, playing in bands etc)?

• What it is you like about each song

• The types of sounds and instruments used

• What the lyrics, vibe or mood of the songs mean to you?

• Live performances

• Recording studios

• Theatres

• Music Festivals

• Spotify links

• YouTube links

https://www.canva.com/ 

The song contains instruments such as a synthesizer, cello, organ, two violins, and drums. The rhythm stays slow and simple through the verses creating a 'false sense of peace' https://www.afterglowatx.com/blog/2023/9/22/album-review-mitski-makes-it-clear-that-the-land-is-inhospitable-and-so-are-we

then progressively, the instruments become almost aggressive, showing the emotion and severity of 'The Deal'.

The tempo during the outro of this song speeds up, representing Mitski's fear and the realisation of what she's done.

Mitski explains in the video link that this song is based off a poem called 'How Charming is Divine Philosophy' by Maria Mitchell. The origin of this music piece is due to Mitski misreading a line in this poem as 'There's a deal to be made on a midnight walk' instead of 'There's a deal to be learned', which then created the story of 'The Deal'.

The first verse sets the narrative of the song by explaining what 'The Deal' is. The line 'It will ask what you'd give and what you'd take for it in return' is familiar to stories of those who make deals with The Devil. Of course, The Devil has connotations with death and evil, which links to Mitski's point of how our souls give us our freedom, making a Devil-like deal takes away that freedom. In the first chorus, Mitski sings:

'I want someone to take this soul
I can't bear to keep it
I'd give it just to give
And all I will take are the consequences
Will somebody take this soul?'

The line 'I'd give it just to give' emphasises how desperate Mitski, in this narrative, is to give away her soul in hopes of no longer having to deal with the pressures of life.

The lyrics 'Will somebody take this soul?' lead into the last verse and final chorus when Mitski sings 'there was no one in sight save a bird perched upon a streetlight, watching me So, I stopped and let it watch 'til I found that it said

"Now I'm taken, the night has me
You won't hear me singin'
You're a cage without me
Your pain is eased, but you'll never be free for now I'm taken, the night has me"'

Mitski references this 'bird' that is speaking to her, alluding that the bird was the 'somebody' who took her soul. This links to a line in the first verse 'hear it fall from above' the sound she is referencing in this line could have connotations with the bird being 'The Deal' itself. 'Your pain is eased, but you'll never be free' This line brings the listener back to the moral of this narrative; while not having to face the pressures of life may be safer, you can never express your true emotions, values and personality.

The final lyrics express Mitski's realisation of what she has done as she repeats 'There's a deal that I made' while the music becomes harsh, once again and the tempo speeds up.

In conclusion, Mitski wrote this song to tell a metaphorical story of how, without the painful weight of society and our lifestyles, we wouldn't be people but simply just humans.

Although I knew a slight bit about music notes, I enjoyed learning notes I had not seen before. Whilst I did enjoy singing with my band, I think we could improve on our team work skills. For example, we have three singers and we were trying to figure out what we were going to sing that suited all of our voices, however, we could not hear each other over people playing the instruments.

I picked this song because its origin comes from alcoholism, which is something I grew up with. Most songs that speak on this topic romanticise what it's like to be an alcoholic but very few talk about how alcoholics rely on drink 'instead of facing their emotions and responsibilities'. The tempo for this song is 176 BPM; It's a low/moody energy (https://songbpm.com/@boa/drinking).

The instruments used consists of acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar, and tambourine.

The first verse starts off with 'You say the drinking is better than a woman' This line is repeated twice throughout the song, which I believe was done intentionally. Seeing as the vocalist of the band is a woman, the listener is meant to percieve the song as a message from her to the individual about their drinking. Jasmine Rodgers, the vocalist for Boa, intentionally repeats the line to show how much those words affected her.

'For to you, there′s nothing if there's no wine' This last line of the first verse emphasises that alcoholics become selfish people because they want 'nothing' but to drink.

The chorus repeats throughout with the same words, 'you have so much more' and 'here has your time gone?'. Rodgers believes that this individual has 'so much more' to offer in life than just simply being an addict but instead they're wasting their 'time' on alcohol.

The second verse contains the lines 'You sing like an angel, your voice melts my heart. Your words are of wisdom, your life has been hard'. This links back to the chorus as Rodgers mentions how this person sings 'like an angel', showing that they have more to them than just drinking. This also shows to the listener that the vocalist empathises with this person because their 'life has been hard', alluding that this is the reason they turned to alcohol, in order to escape from their life. 'Should you ever wonder where all the time has gone. You′ll find the answer far away from home' again, this references the alcohol and how much time this alcoholic has wasted on drinking.

The bridge, which is similar to the end of the song, contains the lines 'I don't want to see you like this when you're crawling. Please, don′t you weep ′cause I will shape the day and make you feel alright'. Rodgers is comforting this character because, like the previous verse implies, she feels empathy about where their life has led them.

Finally, the song comes to a conclusion with the lines of the bridge being repeated several times, specifically the lines 'Won't you weep for me, won′t you breathe for me'. This exhibits Rodgers hurt, shown in the first verse, towards the person's selfishness.

In conclusion, this song has an incredible perspective on how it is to watch an addict from an outside perspective, practically begging them to make a change, and knowing they won't because they only care about alcohol.

This career consists of skills such as:

1. Budget management - Producers have to get creative on how they want to create certain sound effects if it goes over the budget, which in turn leads to discussions on whether or not certain sounds or parts of a song are necessary.

2. Negotiation skills - This links to budget management as producers need the ability to work out compromises with artists and bands while still keeping them satisfied with their project.

3. People management - Producers have to be capable of working with people and creating a bond. This then makes it more comfortable for both parties to work on a projects together.

Sylvia Massy is a famous producer, who has worked with bands and artists such as Prince, System of a Down, and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. https://www.soundtoys.com/artist/sylvia-massy

Massy is the perfect example of how a producer should act. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJtJY0KmkNE

In this video link, she states she feels compelled to make the artist(s) 'as comfortable... or uncomfortable as possible' , which shows that she is dedicated to getting the best out of that artist for their musical project. She also mentions how she has had to kick people out of the studio previously for not cooperating. This reflects Massy as a producer, showing she is professional and direct; Massy doesn't waste hers and her artists time.

What I like about this performance is the vocals; Whilst both singers are in a relaxing setting and sitting down, they give it their all, as they would any other performance, while still adding unique parts in, specifically towards the end.

• Performing - Creating music, melodies, and lyrics then performing them, (this can be in places like pubs, recording studios, radio stations etc.) brings the artist publicity and fans who enjoy their unique style.

• Practice - Practising instruments, vocal techniques, and songs helps improve your skills

• Promoting - Promoting your music is important in order to grow a fanbase and get recognised by labels, festivals etc. You can use social media, interviews and live events for this.

In order to perform these responsibilities efficiently, there are important skills that are needed:

• Confidence - Being confident in yourself and your music, not only shows you take pride in what you make, but it also makes you less likely to mess up because you're in control of your emotions.

• Stamina - Maintaining healthy, physically and mentally, is crucial for performers to prevent burn outs and keep high energy during performances.

• Collaboration/connections - Collaborating with producers and other performers assists in building popularity and improving your own music pieces, same goes with having connections in the music industry.

What made this piece stand out to me was the communication between both singers. With just looking at each other, they know when to come in and how to stay on the same page.

A directors job is to oversee the performance and all the details that go into the project.

This career is extremely complex as Directors need to have a vast knowledge on production, design, casting, acting etc.

Some important responsibilities as a director include:

• running auditions

• multitasking

• communication

• time keeping

What is a Sound and Lighting Technician?

https://getintotheatre.org/blog/what-does-a-theatre-lighting-technician-do/

A Lighting Technicians job is to operate the stage lights and effects. A Sound Technicians job is to mix, amplify, and sync music, effects, and actors mics.

Sound and Lighting Technicians need similar skills in order to perform their job efficiently:

• Communication - Lighting Techs need communication with the Lighting Designer to understand what they are asking for and if it's possible. Sound Techs need communication to organise sound cues exactly how the director and stage manager wants.

• Rehearsals - Rehearsals are crucial for Technicians as they need to learn cues and be prepared for performances

What is a Stage Manager?

https://getintotheatre.org/blog/what-does-a-stage-manager-do-theatre/

A Stage Manager's job is to keep the production running smoothly, this includes arranging costume fittings, scheduling rehearsals, and maintaining props and furniture.

Being a professional is to have the ability to earn enough money off of creating, producing, or teaching music in order to make a full time career out of it.

What went well, for me, this term was that I gained a large amount of confidence when performing on stage and due to that, I've begun projecting my voice. As a class, I noticed that everyone put their best efforts into their performances as well as feedback for others, and logic producing.

What needs improvement is communication between band members. For example, people were having issues with band members, whether it was personality clashes, different song choices, or lack of dedication to the performance, but instead of talking about it and finding a resolution, people were leaving their or excluding band members from performances. Personally, an improvement I could make is not doubting myself as much and contributing my ideas with my band as I have a tendency to exclude myself from those conversations.