Lawrence & Mike performance lessons by James https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2 James Forshaw en-us 2017-01-20 10:26:56 UTC 2025-12-07 11:38:23 UTC hello@padlet.com Mike's Lesson itsjamesforshaw https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/148883278 2017-01-23 21:51:29 UTC https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/148883278 Lawrence's Lesson itsjamesforshaw https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/148883370 2017-01-23 21:52:01 UTC https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/148883370 Lesson 1 itsjamesforshaw https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/148883620 Today was our first lesson with Michael Wayne. When we first entered the room we were told we could choose bands to work in. As well as this we were also briefed on what the main task was this term. We were given a sheet of a range of songs which we had to pick two of to learn and perform. However, this was not the only task. We also had to pick a song of our own choice and learn and perform that. This meant that we had to learn three songs and make sure they were at an amazing standard by the end of term. These pieces also needed to have solo's in them so it was time to get to work. In my group there was myself (vocals,) and Leah Kelly (piano.) We chose to work together as we have done previous performances and tasks together and work really well. We chose to focus on our own choice of song which was Ariana Grande - Into You. Although, we decided to change it up and do it in our own arrangement so that it was not exactly the same. These are the lyrics:

[Verse 1:]
I'm so into you, I can barely breathe
And all I wanna do is to fall in deep
But close ain't close enough 'til we cross the line, hey yeah
So name a game to play, and I'll roll a dice, hey

[Pre-chorus:]
Oh, baby, look what you started
The temperature's rising in here
Is this gonna happen?
Been waiting and waiting for you to make a move
(woo, oh, oh, oh)
Before I make a move
(woo, oh, oh, oh)

[Chorus:]
So, baby, come light me up, and maybe I'll let you on it
A little bit dangerous, but, baby, that's how I want it
A little less conversation and a little more "touch my body"
'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you
Got everyone watchin' us, so, baby, let's keep it secret
A little bit scandalous, but, baby, don't let them see it
A little less conversation and a little more "touch my body"
'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you, oh yeah

[Verse 2:]
This could take some time, hey
I made too many mistakes
Better get this right, right, baby

[Pre-chorus:]
Oh, baby, look what you started
The temperature's rising in here
Is this gonna happen?
Been waiting and waiting for you to make a move
(woo, oh, oh, oh)
Before I make a move
(woo, oh, oh, oh)

[Chorus:]
So, baby, come light me up, and maybe I'll let you on it
A little bit dangerous, but, baby, that's how I want it
A little less conversation and a little more "touch my body"
'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you
Got everyone watchin' us, so, baby, let's keep it secret
A little bit scandalous, but, baby, don't let them see it
A little less conversation and a little more "touch my body"
'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you

[Bridge:]
Tell me what you came here for?
'Cause I can't, I can't wait no more
I'm on the edge with no control
And I need, I need you to know,
You to know, oh

[Chorus:]
So, baby, come light me up, and maybe I'll let you on it
A little bit dangerous, but, baby, that's how I want it
A little less conversation and a little more "touch my body"
'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you
Got everyone watchin' us, so, baby, let's keep it secret
A little bit scandalous, but, baby, don't let them see it
A little less conversation and a little more "touch my body"
'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you

[Outro:]
So come light me up, so come light me up my, baby
A little dangerous, a little dangerous my, baby
A little less conversation and a little more "touch my body"
'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you

As we only had two hours we only worked through verse 1 and the first chorus. We changed the key slightly to sort my voice and slowed the piece down completely. By the end of the lesson the piece actually sounded really good. However, we both knew we had lots to work on so we made sure we set ourselves targets. These were for me to learn all the lyrics and make sure the our arrangements sounded right. Overall I would say our practice lesson was around a 7/10 and I think we did manage to get through majority of what we had planned to do. So yes overall, very good.
]]> 2017-01-23 21:53:23 UTC https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/148883620 Lesson 1 itsjamesforshaw https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/148884266 Today was my first lesson with Lawrence Stewart. When I first entered the room I was briefed on what I would be doing this term. He then put me into a group and assigned us a room. As I had missed the first original lesson. The group which when I was put in it was made up of five of us included myself (vocals,) Isha (guitar and vocals,) Patrick (Piano,) Molly (vocals,) and finally Deborah (vocals.) The main task was to create an original song based on 50's music. Deborah had began to write the first verse. This is verse 1:

First time I ever saw your face,
I saw the sun rising in your eyes,
And the moon, the and the stars,
The things that you gave,
And that, that's helpless guys

Tell me why, ain't nothin but a heartache,
Tell me why, ain't nothn but a mistake,
Tell me why, I never wanna hear you say,
I want it, I really want it that way

The first time ever I saw your face, 
I thought the sun had rose,
In your eyes and the moon and stars to begin,
That you gave to the dark and the helless skies,
From here to the ocean and more,
That's the dream

Tell me why, ain't nothin but a heartache,
Tell me why, ain't nothn but a mistake,
Tell me why, I never wanna hear you say,
I want it, I really want it that way

We knew we had another lesson to work on the piece so as a group we decided to work on the melody and arrangement. Patrick and Isha worked out what chords to use and we decided on two bars of intro before Deborah came in with the first verse. After this was done we decided that I would go away and finish writing the lyrics. As well as this we also allocated vocal parts and I was doing chorus 1 and verse 2. By the end of the lesson we were at a good point however, we knew we had lots to work on so by next lesson hopefully everything will be perfect and we can record our piece.]]> 2017-01-23 21:57:10 UTC https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/148884266 Lesson 2 itsjamesforshaw https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/148889425 This was my second lesson with Lawrence Stewart. We were allowed to work with whoever we wanted to so myself (vocals,) and Leah Kelly (piano,) worked together on a piece in room 3. Please be aware that Lawrence did record this performance but has not put it onto his YouTube. After also checking Moodle I cannot find the video. However, he definitely has it. The song we chose to do was Shawn Mendes - Mercy. Me and Leah had already spoken about doing this out of college as it was one of our favourite songs at the moment. We listened to the song throughout and then broke it down into sections. Learning chords and lyrics as we went along. As we had been listening to the song a lot it didn't take too long to get into the swing of things. These are the lyrics: 

 You've got a hold of me
Don't even know your power
I stand a hundred feet
But I fall when I'm around you

Show me an open door
Then you go and slam it on me
I can't take anymore
I'm saying baby

Please have mercy on me
Take it easy on my heart
Even though you don't mean to hurt me
You keep tearing me apart
Would you please have mercy, mercy on my heart
Would you please have mercy, mercy on my heart

I'd drive through the night
Just to be near you, baby
Heart old and testified
Tell me that I'm not crazy

I'm not asking for a lot
Just that you're honest with me
My pride is all I got
I'm saying baby

Please have mercy on me
Take it easy on my heart
Even though you don't mean to hurt me
You keep tearing me apart
Would you please have mercy on me
I'm a puppet on your string
And even though you got good intentions
I need you to set me free
Would you please have mercy, mercy on my heart
Would you please have mercy, mercy on my heart

Consuming all the air inside my lungs
Ripping all the skin from off my bones
I'm prepared to sacrifice my life
I would gladly do it twice
Consuming all the air inside my lungs
Ripping all the skin from off my bones
I'm prepared to sacrifice my life
I would gladly do it twice

Please have mercy on me
Take it easy on my heart
Even though you don't mean to hurt me
You keep tearing me apart
Would you please have mercy on me
I'm a puppet on your string
And even though you got good intentions
I need you to set me free

I'm begging you for mercy, mercy
Begging you, begging you, please, baby
I'm begging you for mercy, mercy
Ooh, I'm begging you, I'm begging you

Overall, I feel this practice session went really well. We got the whole piece completed and managed to record it too which went really well. As we worked so well as a team I think that's the reason it went so smoothly. I would rate this session a 9/10 as I feel with more time we could of made the song a little bit more diverse. When you watch the video you will see that with maybe a change of chords in certain parts it could of been even better.
]]> 2017-01-23 22:28:04 UTC https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/148889425 Lesson 2 itsjamesforshaw https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/173972475 This was our second lesson with Michael Wayne. When we arrived there was no brief as we already knew what we were doing and the task was to carry on with that and if possible complete it. Leah had created a backing track to Ariana Grande - Into You previously out of college, so I used that and made my solo cover at home. Please find the video attached above. As this piece was completed we moved onto our second song. This was a group performance which concluded of myself (vocals,) and Leah Kelly (Piano.) The song we chose to do was The Police - Every Breath You Take. At first we listened to the whole song all the way through to get a feel of how it sounds. We wanted to change it up by doing the bridge acapella. We never want our pieces to be direct copies. Leah began to learn the chords whilst I looked through the lyrics and learnt them verse by verse. These are the lyrics:

Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I'll be watching you

Every single day
Every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
I'll be watching you

Oh can't you see
You belong to me
My poor heart aches
With every step you take

Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I'll be watching you

Since you've gone I been lost without a trace
I dream at night I can only see your face
I look around but it's you I can't replace
I feel so cold and I long for your embrace
I keep crying baby, baby, please

Oh can't you see
You belong to me
My poor heart aches
With every step you take

Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I'll be watching you

Every move you make
Every step you take
I'll be watching you
I'll be watching you 

(Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take)
I'll be watching you
(Every single day, every word you say, every game you play, every night you stay)
I'll be watching you
(Every move you make, every vow you break, every smile you fake, every claim you stake)
I'll be watching you
(Every single day, every word you say, every game you play, every night you stay)
I'll be watching you
(Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take)
I'll be watching you
(Every single day, every word you say, every game you play, every night you stay)
I'll be watching you

By the end of the session me and Leah had almost completed our ensemble cover. We decided to record our piece which you can find above. However, Leah slightly messed up which made us realise that she needed to work on the chords so that when it came to our final performance it would all be perfect. I had learnt all the lyrics by the end of the session so I pretty much knew what I needed to do. As a group we decided that in the next lesson we would spend a bit of time at the beginning just finishing off the piece making sure it is 100% complete. Overall I would say our practice lesson was a 9/10 as it was almost perfect. There was only a slight slip up from Leah but that was it.
]]> 2017-05-26 11:59:57 UTC https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/173972475 Ariana Grande - Into You itsjamesforshaw https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/173973600 2017-05-26 12:10:52 UTC https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/173973600 The Police - Every Breath You Take itsjamesforshaw https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/173974772 2017-05-26 12:19:55 UTC https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/173974772 James Bay - Move Together itsjamesforshaw https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/173978023 2017-05-26 12:47:04 UTC https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/173978023 Lesson 3 itsjamesforshaw https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/173978309 This was the third lesson with Michael Wayne. There was a quick brief at the start just to remind us of the task and what had to be done. I knew that all I had to do was work on my final solo piece. Although it was a solo piece Leah Kelly (piano,) helped me lay out the piece so i could change it up slightly and rehearse it  in the college lesson provided. My aim was to record it that night at home which I ended up doing. Someone I knew out of college put a backing track together for me of them playing the piece on guitar. As I already knew what I had to do, I learnt the lyrics out of college time, which are:

Home now, end of the night
And it's colder to turn on your side
And I know you are up in two hours
But we didn't get tonight, we don't have tomorrow
So don't ruin now

How we gonna move together?
Just come closer
If we don't move together
Come closer
How we gonna breathe?
How we gonna be together?
Just keeping the peace between the sheets

And I creep in and everything's loud
And I'm sorry, I've woken you now
And we'll argue, the tiniest thing
But we didn't get tonight, don't have tomorrow
So I'm done whispering, done whispering

How we gonna move together?
Just come closer
If we don't move together
Just come closer
How we gonna breathe?
How we gonna be together?
Just keeping the peace between the sheets

So maybe don't give me cold, cold shoulder
Before you go, turn around and let me hold you
And let me say in the dark of the morning
Just one more thing

How we gonna move together?
Come closer
If we don't move together
Come closer
How we gonna breathe?
How we gonna be together?
Just keeping the peace
Just keeping the peace
Just keeping the peace between the sheets

Overall I was really happy with how this practice session went as everything I wanted to get done was completed. Leah was a massive help by working through the lay out of the track with me. Personally I would rate this session a 10/10 as we worked so well together and as soon as I got home I recorded the video which when listening back sounds really good.
]]> 2017-05-26 12:48:33 UTC https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/173978309 The First Time itsjamesforshaw https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/173979406 2017-05-26 12:53:20 UTC https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/173979406 Lesson 3 itsjamesforshaw https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/173987682 This was my third lesson with Lawrence Stewart. I had one final recording to complete which was a solo piece. The song I chose to do was Amy Winehouse - Just Friends. I picked this piece as I really like the meaning behind the song as well as the soul and blues vibes it has. Although it is a solo piece Leah Kelly (Piano,) helped me with rehearsing the song throughout the practice session. Once the lesson was over I went home and recorded the track on video which you can find above. These are the lyrics:

When will we get
The time to be
Just friends?

It's never safe for us
Not even in the evening
'Cause I've been drinking
Not in the morning
When your shit works
It's always dangerous
When everybody's sleeping
And I've been thinking
Can we be alone?
Can we be alone?

When will we get
The time to be
Just friends?
When will we get
The time to be
Just friends?

And, no, I'm not ashamed
But the guilt will kill you
If she don't first
I'll never love you like her
Thought we need to find a time
To just do this shit together
'Fore it gets worse
I want to touch you
But that just hurts

When will we get
The time to be
Just, just friends?
When will we get
The time to be
Just friends, just friends?

When will we get
The time to be
Just friends, just friends?
When will we get
The time to be
Just friends, just friends?

Just friends

Please find the video attached above. Overall, I would give this session a 7/10 as after I watched the recording back I feel that although we worked well throughout rehearsal, my vocals are not the strongest in the recording so there is clearly some work that can be done there.
]]> 2017-05-26 13:43:14 UTC https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/173987682 Amy Winehouse - Just Friends itsjamesforshaw https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/174006418 2017-05-26 15:28:07 UTC https://padlet.com/itsjamesforshaw/gjhb86h5akt2/wish/174006418