Live performance : A main goal of mine for this year is to start playing gigs (paid or unpaid) I am aiming to get my foot in the door.

Releasing content : As much as a long shot as it is, I also aim to release some type of content this year on platforms such as Spotify and YouTube.

Meeting deadlines: Last term showed me how easy it is to let deadlines get away from you and just how easy it is to let them build and build. I have made myself a SMART target to help myself stay on top of handing in work before their due date.

Recording work: Using voice memos and recording our sessions in Brighton Electric then immediately uploading those videos to where they need to go will stop me from trying to find certain videos and clips down the line. Last term I was rushing to try and put videos together and struggled to find videos from week two during week six.

Two different tracks with varying genres, one live studio version and one DAW track.

We also started SMART steps towards starting the new term and mine went over handing in coursework on time.

We also started putting together a pie chart for different potential income revenues.

First, we started improvising what jazz styles we all knew into the song. I went with a light touch constantly riding the ride cymbal with light tom fills to transition into certain sections.

Some of the musicians in this rehearsal weren't very productive as jazz can be quite a challenging genre however I think that is more of a reason to try and come up with a creative and pristine cover of a pop track.

I thought well constructed guitar parts would add this flavourful melody on top of a light touch of quiet and delicate vocals.

Our performance was a classic jazz lounge style of Dua Lipa's 'Don't Start Now' so dynamics and volume control was crucially important, especially from me, the drummer.

As there weren't any huge time signature changes or many flashy stage moments with big fills and solos, communication was still key but it felt like a seamless performance with a well rounded ending.

[ADD LIVE VIDEO PERFORMANCE.]

We also went over a Practice routine template which I was a huge fan of and will be labelled 'Personal Practice Routine.'

This will be the blueprint I follow for my technical practice and coursework this term to help me meet my SMART goals of staying on top of deadlines and submissions.

My chosen live track is Breezeblocks by Alt-j. This is a perfect example of modern techno-rock and a huge diversion from an Aretha Franklin track.

• Live performances

• Streaming royalties

• Merch sales

• Record deals

• Album sales

• Multiple platinum and gold certifications

• Music video views

• Licensing deals

• Extensive touring

Jay uses electrifying performances to en-capture the bands audience and have them keep coming back. I have always had a passion for creating memorable shows through my playing and connecting with my audience

The more I build my career and through performances and social media branching, the bigger my following will grow which will lead to streaming royalties. This crucially links to an innovative music video. They are a great way to allow listeners to see what story you are telling as an artist, it shows the artist is willing to put in the extra effort to make the best performance they can for their audience.

These are two brilliant contrasting tracks as 'Breezeblocks' is robotic and rigid whilst 'Chain of Fools' is organic and easily flows.

As I am using a cover version of 'Chain of Fools' for my DAW, we have given each instrument its own section to be heard and stand out. This links to my main goal of making my DAW sound as crisp and clean as I can. I will ensure every instrument shares the limelight but also that every aspect of the track compliments each other.

• Chain has been recorded and mixed

• Logs are in progress

• Coursework is more tidy

• Live track recording has been booked and confirmed

The vocals in the original are very in the forefront however in we've made them sit back while the 'cash moments' are primarily done by the instruments.

• Sticking to a good schedule can help with maintaining a routine to follow to get tasks done.

• Eating healthy and enough throughout the day to ensure you have enough energy to accomplish your tasks well.

• Keeping your work/study space tidy can also be key to avoiding procrastination.

I have evidence of the DAW works in progress through my diary logs also, along with the input of the musicians who played the track with me and how it affected the final outcome.

My live summative track has changed from Breezeblocks by Alt-J to 'Built by Nations' by Greta Van Fleet. I made this decision because, through the rehearsal stages of both tracks leading up to the summative, I saw that 'Built by Nations' showed more of my technical range than Breezeblocks did.

Our rehearsal for the track is under Summative track rehearsal.

Being almost a total stranger to using Logic, I can say with confidence, I hit another one of my SMART targets which was to become more familiar with and be able to use Logic confidently on a project. All these SMART targets were aimed towards helping me stay on track but more importantly tp help me progress and develop my skills as an artist.

To start, my live performance was going to be a live cover of Breezeblocks by alt-j however this was changed when I started rehearsing Built by nations and uncovered that it showed more of my range of skill and dynamic then Breezeblocks would have. I was the percussion part of our live performance, keeping the time and controlling the dynamics. I was also the percussion part for my DAW track, which I feel is one of the best positions to be in while changing the style or genre of a song. Whilst recording our stems at the Venue, I was able to control the dynamics with my volume and use of thrashing cymbals and open high-hat.

Whilst both tracks are high energy, both have guitar solos and a strong driving back beat- there are huge aspects of each track that make them stand out individually. Such as, the guitar tones on my DAW have been toned down to match the style we were aiming for and then whilst in production I was able to add a pedal that added the 'wooshing' sound heard on the track which helped deliver the psychedelic style we wanted. I was also able to do a lot of work to the vocals that drove home the psychedelic feeling I was aiming for. For example, duplicating, compressing then running the duplicated stem through a track with a chorus effect and reverb plate allowed me to add a sense of richness and almost this enveloping sound that takes over but compliments and blends well with the rest of the band. I chopped up and cropped a second take of vocals and placed them on top of certain lines through out the track to give it more of a fulfilled sound when listening to it. Without this the vocals risked sounding dry and washed out by the rest of the track.

This is in contrast to our live performance as the vocals are quite dry with no reverb or chorus support. The track, Built by nations did require some healthy reverb or wet echo, however granted we did not have these effects on the vocals for our performance, it did not take away from our energy, musicality or ability to deliver a passionate performance.

From a drummers perspective, the funk drummer feel of our cover of Chain of fools is a huge difference to the style used in Built by nations. Built by nations was much more rigid and constructed whereas Chain of fools is much more smooth flowing and has a more 'go with the groove' feel. There are moments in both tracks where there are intervals for a drum fill or guitar fill/solo but I reinstate again, the style played during these intervals are vastly different to compliment the genre of the track.

In the same way that both tracks have a guitar riff to open the songs, they contrast each other by one being very muddled and dirty sounding and the other sounding crisp, clean and rigid.

I can say with confidence I am now no longer a stranger to Logic and can navigate the platform far better then I could at the start of the term. Through working on my DAW I have learnt how to use logic to a certain level, how to record different instruments and how to manage their stems, how to mix different stems together for a project and most importantly I can/have successfully put together my own version/cover of a song.

After booking our first rehearsal for Built by nations, we quickly realised this was not going to be such a straight forward track. With odd time signature build ups and complicated fills, we knew we would have to get as many rehearsals in as we could. We made sure to try and arrange at least one small pond session once a week in the lead up to our assessment. As a personal reflection, I do not think we arranged enough rehearsal sessions, I believe we could have benefitted from a few more practices, therefore moving forward, I will ensure I am arranging as many band rehearsals as possible when leading to our performance. This is a good habit to get into as well for future projects with bands when trying to book a room.