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/ 

I enjoy listening to an artist who goes by the name Laufey, she started producing music in 2020/2021 and went viral in 2022/23 due to one of her songs 'From the start'. I find many of her songs related as she likes to write songs about past lovers or bad experiences shes had in the past. I enjoy many different genres of music especially RnB, due to the types of beats and instruments they use within the songs.

I've never been to any sort of concert before or any gigs, I was meant to see Laufey in Brum but i didn't have any to go with and there was no way in hell that i was going to that massive place all along, basically setting myself up for failure

^ In this song she sings about loving someone who is selfish and only really cares about himself, and doesn't consider her feelings which makes the relationship become boring. I only really like it because i relate to the lyrics. And the way the vibe of the song slowly starts to change, kinda makes you wanna listen to it again, well that's what it was like for me when i first listened to it.

https://open.spotify.com/track/2GFExyKXf9383tSRSrEHEt?si=3dcdf63bfdf54325

^ I know she didn't originally sing this song but i feel like she made it a bit better as it's now more of a song you can sway side to side when listening to it. I enjoy many of her songs due to her voice and she sings beautifully and it's very softly spoken as well.

https://open.spotify.com/track/59c2xv2kMzYM6HR9oY6BIa?si=96ebc47e391e4b7a

^ I have no clue why i like this sing but i think it's how well everything fits within the song. It's also really chatty and just my type of vibe.

https://open.spotify.com/track/7lT8jCVzr3qxous1KFxmlw?si=6d296e01ac62440f

^ In this song Kate Bush sings about a wife wanting to test the loyalty within her relationship, this song is also sung in third person. I found this song very interesting as there are other things like random beats and sounds of glass breaking, i enjoy the way the vibe changes as the song goes on.

https://open.spotify.com/track/0R5vO904RzxDJ30yZaspQD?si=3d13b67a798f4b61

^ This is also another song by Laufey, she sings about a beautiful girl and compares herself to magnolia (the girl), I like this song as i think many girls such as myself can relate to the lyrics as many girls that i know compare themselves to other girls due to insecurities. Apart from that it's a very slow and calm song overall.

https://open.spotify.com/track/2nGFzvICaeEWjIrBrL2RAx?si=8fdb200f87d741c2

^ I love this song due to the fact that it's encouraging black girls to be who they are and to not be afraid to show that off, and it's a very catchy and up beat song. This is one of the songs i always go to and listen to for hours due to how happy the vibe is.

https://open.spotify.com/track/7c0ss9FGSyXGNczL4gV75a?si=b5ef55bd00cf42f1

^ I like this song due to the fact that me and my friend sung this song for a talent show back in primary, Its quite an upbeat song, I'm not like a huge fan of this song but listening to it brings back memories of that day.

https://open.spotify.com/track/2uP6t2J5MEwhr9rDkAAzwh?si=6dea41c7d39f4229

^ I enjoy this song due to how calming his voice is and the vibe of the song, within the song he speaks about how in love he is with a woman, and i like who Kali uchis voice fits in perfectly with the vibe as she is very soft spoken.

https://open.spotify.com/track/4v0hWD4N6qefyFrmSGLjTV?si=29a0d4f645d74711

^ This isn't my favourite song but the way she does rifts in this song blows my mind every single i hear it, it inspires me to be able to sing like this one day, especially in the part where she sings 'flames' as its not an easy thing to do. I always try to sing this song every now and then to see if i can sing like that, it's basically a goal I've created for myself in singing.

https://open.spotify.com/track/7tqhbajSfrz2F7E1Z75ASX?si=70676c104cdd41dc

^ I love this song as the way their voices go so well together and how catchy the song is, It also explains and shows how much they care about each other, saying nothing can come between them no matter what. It also brings back a lot of memories as this is one of my mums favourite songs.

I want to do something music related in the future, realistically speaking I'd like to be a vocal coach or maybe a music teacher if i were to learn an instrument as well, i'd be interested in getting my level 3 Btec in teaching after I graduate this program. The big dream with music is to be a well known singer, i want people to hear my voice and to enjoy and smile while listening, just like i do when i listen to some of my favourite artists. It sounds cringe but if i was ever able to make someone's day better by them listening to my music, it would make everything all worth it! That's mainly why i wanted to become a singer in the first place, making someone's day and putting a smile on their face would mean the world to me and i don't mean like a big singer like Ariana grande, i mean well known like people in the towns around me or many people in England know who i am. I feel like being famous would be amazing but i don't think that's a realistic thing to believe, in my opinion.

^ In this song, she speaks about wanting to let go of a person she loves, i love this song as i relate so much to the song especially the lyric, ' it hurts to be something but its worse to be nothing with you' as letting show who you love go can have a bigger impact than you may think, i like who in a way you can hear the emotions through out the song as well.The mood of the song is quite sad and cold but the lyrics are very meaningful. Within the song, the main instrument that is played is the piano and i think someone is also playing the violin and drums within the song as well.

BPM - around 55/60 as the song goes on the song slowly starts to increase to 70/80 BPM but slowly decreases back to its orginal tempo.

Metre - 6/8

https://open.spotify.com/track/1a19jsjG2DvbN1fVJonKUU?si=b8d2f291a5034558

^ In this song, i don't fully understand what the meaning behind this song but in my opinion its a very catchy song and unlike the last song, the mood is completely different and has more of a happy vibe to it. I can hear the drums and guitars. As you can tell i'm not very good with listing instruments but i think it's an electric guitar as it has more power and bass to it i guess? The song doesn't mean a lot to me but it's the type of song I'd listen to if i was having a bad day and wanted to cheer myself up, or if i was on a long boring bus drive.

BPM - 80/85, the song doesn't really change its tempo and stays the same basically the whole way through.

^ Singing was never really invented but gained popularity around the 50,000-12,000 years ago and started by people mimicking sounds and developing physical vocal abilities.

Who made Singing popular?

^ No one really made singing popular as it gained popularity in different places at different times, but the rise of music was due to radios and broadcasts, which ended up creating fandom surrounding Micheal Jackson, Madonna and Rudy value in the early 20th century.

Genres and styles it is used in?

^ Singing is used in most genres of music as the vocals are one of the key things you need within a song, however many songs don't have vocals in but depending on the person voice can depend on the type of genre it turns out to be.

Famous singers.

^ Some of the most popular and well known singers are Elvis Presley, Elton John, Ariana Grande, Stevie Wonder and Bey-once. Those are some of the very well known singers that are known world wide.

Videos of people or groups singing?

1. https://open.spotify.com/track/25AtvmC59O7YhigsrxOme6?si=e601af33db694cb8

2. https://open.spotify.com/track/3rXCnvL6xP83VsYUg4rm7e?si=370026223f4e465f

3. https://open.spotify.com/track/5sT9L8WpqE9Ux1LpNyHGWi?si=59f3d61df59841f9

Why do i find singing interesting?

I find singing interesting as many i enjoy how different certain songs sound and when their voices are put together they can create a beautiful harmony depending on the tone and depth of the persons voice. I also enjoy how a person's voice can change the type of vibe to the song depending on how they say certain words how the tone and the amount of bass in a person's voice.

Beforehand i didn't know the song very well so i listened to it while being at home and learnt the section of the song i had to sing.

Recording studios - when being in a recording studio there can be many safety hazards such as too many wires being around a you could fall and seriously hurt yourself or damage equipment. Another hazard could be the amount of power and electricity going into one or more outlet as it could overheat and potentially lead to damage the environment, equipment or the people in the room etc. The last hazard people should look out for leaving things on the floor, its more of a hazard when handling equipment, as if they were to leave it on the floor someone could stand on it and break it.

Music festivals - While being at a music festival there are a few hazards you should look out for, due to the fact that there are no seats, everyone is packed together and its a very easy lace for someone to assault someone or to be squashed meaning that you could stop breathing or get seriously injured. Another one would be due to the heat depending on what time and season you go but if potentially were to attend one in summer you could potentially overheat due to how hot and how close everyone is, it could make you to pass out

Health and safety is a very important thing within the music industry as many malfunctions or problems could occur during performances and practice sessions. Even little things could happen, for example plugging certain things in without turning it down before hand, that could happen at any time or any place and could also ruin a persons experience at a venue. Health and safety can link into many different things such as a performer's health, the venue and equipment, all things could cause problems within the music industry. This is why many performers make sure that everything is prepared beforehand and make sure that there are no safety hazards.

A music producer is a creative and technical professional who guides the entire process of producing a musical recording. They basically improve the outcome of the song and performance by improving certain things within the song and instruct them to add certain beats or extra tracks to make the song sound better.

Examples of what a producer's roles and responsibilities are?

A music producer oversees an artist's recording project, from shaping the musical vision and selecting material to managing budgets and schedules, and coaching artists in the studio to achieve their desired sound.

CASE STUDY: Pharrell Williams

Who is he?

^ Pharrell Williams is an american singer,songwriter, rapper and a record producer who has been producing music since 1992/1994. Hes enjoyed music since he was young, when he was in 7th grade he went to band camp and while at that band camp Pharrell played drums with Chad Hugo who played Saxophone along with him.They attended Princess Anne High school where they were in the school's band with a few of their other classmates.

Who have they produced with & worked with?

^ Pharrell has produced for many well known singers and rappers such as Brittney Spears, Snoop Dog, SZA, Jay-Z, Kanye West, N.E.R.D, Beyonce and many more well known artists. He first gained popularity by collaborating with the neptunes but got more attention from collaborating with N.E.R.D and Rihanna. Hes also worked with Katy Perry, Calvin Harris Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z.

He also produced majority of the songs within all of the despicable me movies which was a big push for him within his career as he most listened to song is one of the ones he produced for the second movie, it goes by then title 'Just a cloud away'.

What skills do they have?

^ Pharrell Williams is a talented and diverse producer, songwriter and singer, hes one of the biggest artists out there due to his techniques. He also has his own unique intro or staple which he adds to the start of his song, it's always 4 beats at the start of the song.

Links to collaborations.

1. https://open.spotify.com/track/4PpuH4mxL0rD35mOWaLoKS?si=5e290346c48f4f48

2. https://open.spotify.com/track/7FrJV8tydWEv1Mxu2mIQrm?si=e8098e9e23984cad

3. https://open.spotify.com/track/0iFOG4Ki9aDmJUYUFHQlPG?si=8b631d04be114ee7

4. https://open.spotify.com/track/5bcTCxgc7xVfSaMV3RuVke?si=641b481aeca54480

5. https://open.spotify.com/track/0n4bITAu0Y0nigrz3MFJMb?si=5c98dbc763ce4e24

   
   

Links to his own songs.

1. https://open.spotify.com/track/60nZcImufyMA1MKQY3dcCH?si=fa391188aa164b60

2. https://open.spotify.com/track/4UPQiDmYScn2C6S2C2WATY?si=51303d4fb6e645c1

3. https://open.spotify.com/track/07oO1U722crtVcavi6frX6?si=4d8f118cfd9d4a2a

4. https://open.spotify.com/track/1HeETsi0IXepX1xtJoE89A?si=7a8e21d099c34b36

5. https://open.spotify.com/track/5m6F6glTwHhsolaKD0gGu0?si=2c55500dc350492a

A person or a group of people who perform in front of a live audience, such as at a school, funeral, weddings, busking and many more places. All of these places are considered live performances so whoever performs there is a music performer. This could include singers, instrumentalists or support performers like the people who work at tiny desk, meaning all types of musicians who perform are music performers.

What are the roles and responsibilities as a music performer?

1.Perform music for live audiences

2. Audition for positions in different places

3. Practice playing instruments or singing to improve.

4. Rehearse to prepare for performances.

5. Find locations for performances.

6. Travel to performance venues all around the world.

7. Promote their/your careers by maintaining a website, social media presence, doing photo shoots and interviews.

What are the characteristics and skills required to be a music performer?

1. Confidence - performing in front of a live audience & having a good stage presence.

2. Flexibility - needing to take on a variety of roles and performances.

3. Stamina - making sure you're getting a good amount of sleep and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

4. Teamwork - being able to work with different types of bands who use different instruments and singers.

Performing arts refers to any art form that involves performing in front of an audience. In contrast to visual arts which use static mediums like painting, performing, arts, involve movement , sound, and storytelling and this can come many different forms such as dance, music, poetry and many others. Performing arts is a wide range of things that can all link into one another, for example a simple image may need to have a photographer, choreographer, hair & makeup artist and other things but it means that its normally a group of people.

Sound & lighting technician

Lighting engineering - designs lighting effects and mood, operates lighting boards during performances, ensures safety and technical accuracy.

Lighting design - lighting shows the theme of electricity using bright lights to represent a backstory/message to the audience, this is a very important job as a lot of musicals and music videos include light directors within the videos etc.

Sound engineering - managing microphones and making sure that everyone is on cue and that the volume of the mics is normal and not turned up to high not too low, they also ensure that the sounds or background music isn't too loud as it could overtake the people performing.

Sound design - this can create and set a mood just like a lighting designer does but could have a different impact like a loud bang to scare the audience, or an airy sound in the background to give the audience anticipation.

Qualifications & skills - Technical Knowledge

To be within this sort of industry you'll need to have a good amount of knowledge on the technical side of music as they'll need to be working with computers constantly and working with lights as well.

Quick thinking

Due to the fact that there might be problems within a performance they'll need to quickly improvise and change and make certain things work, or there could be some sort of technical problem.

Repairs

Linking back to quick thinking they would also need to be able to repair certain equipment as things could happen before a show etc.

Teamwork

Being in the music industry you'll need to constantly work with other people so you have to have good communication skills and being able to work with others well.

^ At the start we were asked to perform a cover song and to focus on other things when performing like our stage presence, staying in time and other things.

What did you hope to achieve and do you think you achieved it?

^ When I first started I didn't sing very loud or project my voice but after getting comfortable with the people in my band and my course I think I've improved a lot. Before my voice used to shake when I would sing due to how scared I would be but its really improved within these 8 weeks. At the beginning I also wanted to make or have a good connection with my band and i have achieved that as the people within my band all get along with me and when we perform its like it kinda comes naturally like I'm able on a good level of comfortable with them, that's also a big thing within music like if you don't have a good connection with your band then it can also effect your performance.

What went well?

^ In this performance , We all stayed in time which is a big improvement as I kept on starting way too early or late, but after prating the song and singing at home, I've managed to get the timing right. We also changed a few things that we were meant to do like harmonising the chorus but we didn't end up doing that and I think it sounded better when we just sung our own parts.

What could you improve?

^ One thing I could improve on is my confidence as I may have like started singing better since the start and felt more confident, I still need to improve as I know I can sing better but I think I just need a bit more practice.

What would you do differently?

^ Something i would've done differently would be keeping the same type of pitch throughout the song as i kept on changing the pitch when it got to ' give me a reason to love you'.

What have you learnt?

^ Throughout being in this course I've learnt the importance of teamwork as when being in a band you'll need to constantly be working with them,figuring out what the members need to work on and how well you go together when performing because of that I've learnt to explain my feelings and opinions with the people in my band. I have also learnt about sheet music, when being in Abi's lessons she taught her the types of music notes and the meaning of certain words used in the music industry. Before coming here i had no clue what any of them meant but now i can pick out certain things when looking at sheet music. The last thing I've learnt is the different types of jobs i can get out of doing music.

How does your project support your future progression?

^ Due to this project it will help me get a better understanding of what being in a band is like and what to expect if i were to pursue music in the future.