ASSIGNMENT ( skills and jobs )

 ASSIGNMENT - summing up skills gained in the first term 

TASK 1

A1: performing as an ensemble 

During the last term I have gained and developed on a lot of skills especially those involved with working with others . Our first ensemble piece we had to perform was the 50's day gig we developed our communication skills and responsibility of our performance .We all had different ideas for the piece we wanted to do ;we respected peoples decisions and opinions and decided on a song that we all agreed on also , we booked rehearsal rooms to rehearse out of lessons and created group chats to communicate .We developed our non verbal communication on stage ,too ,for example our awareness of those around us on stage was vital ,particularly for the drummer ,as we had to acknowledge whether everyone was ready or not to begin the performance. Another skill I during my time performing as ensemble this year is self management, when working in a band you have to be responsible for yourself and your own needs for the band to work , I learnt to bring my own lyrics and communicate the equipment I personally needed so the band wouldn't have to conflicted by me forgetting or not having something . 

A2- creating musical material 

I have learnt quite a lot about making musical material from our classes this term , during our classes we look at analysing songs via their musical components we looked at the different components individually ; these included dynamics, melody , lyrical content, instrumentation, key signature , harmony , rhythm and beat another musical component would be texture where we looked at different types such as polyphonic, monophonic and homophonic . We have been working on our A2 pieces which involves creating a piece of original music combing 2 genres ; we looked at different genres broadening our understanding of the differences between them for example the 12 and 8 bar blues and how folk music's lyrical content may be more people based and traditional. 

A3- USING MUSICAL STYLES

We have been working with different music genres and styles to create our own original pieces of music we have learnt about different genres such as blues , jazz ,rock , punk, indie and more . We have looked at individual songs and have analysed them through knowledge of theory . We looked at basic theory like 3 notes in a chord and dipped into more advanced stuff too.

B4-studio recording 

I have learned a lot about studio recording this year , i enhanced my skills with recording a live band by learning how to make it sound better for example we plugged a bass into a DI box which eliminated the unwanted noise that was coming through before developing . We also looked at mic placement to amps and how that effected the sound so my skills in mic placement and also creativity with mic placement have increased , as it allowed me to be experimental with where I placed the mic. Furthermore we learned about mixers and we practised our skills in mixing a live band. 

B5-CREATING MUSICAL MATERIAL THORUGH PRODUCTION 

This term we have been looking at different DAW's on how to produce music . We increased our skills in equalising , compression bussing and more .Looking at terms like ratio, threshold and makeup gain ;we watched a video on all these different things as homework set by our teacher and then put these skills to practise on LOGIC.

B6- MUSIC  TECH AND LIVE EVENTS 

We have had many opportunities this term to perform live events these have built our skills in self management , teamwork and confidence . During the Clarks gig we also improved our communication and promotion skills as we gave out leaflets to promote an upcoming concert . We have gained a lot of knowledge on music technology for example skills on in knowing what microphone is best for what and how and why DI boxes are used ,increasing our skills in live sound .

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TASK TWO 

There are many job roles in the music industry and over the course of this term we have learnt and developed in many skills to equip us with the ability to go into these careers. One of our first assignments was our 50s day gig we were put into bands and had to figure out a song that we'd want to play this process developed my team work skills as we all had to listen to one another and come to a unified decision on a song we were all happy with ;this took a while but by respecting everyone's opinions we came to a decision. This is a vital skill to have for job roles such as a session musician as they are constantly working with different people , due to their typical short term type contracts, so its good to be able to have teamwork skills to work with them productively.

 I booked us practise rooms ,taking self initiative ,and created a group chat for where we could talk about the gig outside lesson time ;working in a band increased my skills in responsibility over one,  and also gained me skills in responsibility within one too as i realised i had to have good self management so as that your not letting the band down in anyway ; everyone had to be responsible to learn their part and remember their own equipment -there was no stage hand type person to do it for you . These self management skills are good for self employed jobs for example creating  your own record label , like Geoff Travis who started Rough Trade who's self management skills were vital for things like the way he presented his label who they signed , employing workers etc 

We have also been enlightened on the importance of originality in the music industry , gaining us skills in confidence and charisma. These skills have been taught to us by learning things about stage presence when we performed in front of the class , and also our classes in the development of the music looking at people like David Bowie and Amy Winehouse who were had their own unique sound and vibe; this was a  very important factor on their road to fame. This idea was highlighted by the arrival of MTV which meant audiences didn't just listen to artists but would also get to see how they displayed themselves on stage ,so performers would feel they should be aware about how they would act and look  on stage ; this is extremely relevant in todays developing society as media and technology has became a more wider platform to express yourself on and learning skills like self presentation and charisma can be incredible important for a vast array of jobs specifically people in the performance sector but also the marketing sector working to promote others ,as they would have to be aware of what's enticing the public eye.

We have also learnt a lot of hard skills such as stage set up and how to mic up things like amps and instruments and how this can create a different sound also we have learnt how to record  live sound . These are great skills to have for job roles in the recording sector  and in working in live music entertainment because the skills i have gained have allowed me to edit and enhance live sound to an efficient standard for the future atrists i might work with and have enhanced my creative side to recording live sound as well to look for different sounds. Furthermore, we have been looking at logic  and gaining skills in the music production sector , i have gained skills in things like compression and equalising of audio which is good for future careers in music producing 

In term 2&3 i would really like to develop my skills working with DAW's to create more complex and higher quality tracks and to ,hopefully create an original piece of music that i can be proud of . I would also like to gain more knowledge on recording live sound , i would like to enhanace my skills in equalising and mixing to create balanced and high quality sounds . I will set targets to spend more time on DAW's to increase my skills in music creation and also to spend more time in the recording studios to gain a deeper insight on how to record love sound and bring it to its best standard

I believe the skills I have learnt will propel me forward into my aspired job of a singer songwriter ;the skills I have learnt are essential for a successful career in the performance sector learning how to be self managed the teamwork skills I required working as an ensemble will allow me to work more efficiently in bands in the future and will increase my people skills which are a necessity as a performer to promote yourself in a positive way as reputation is important so people will want to hire you . Due to to the issues in the music industry such as issues with how an artist may be perceived  , history of exploitation of artists not being paid correctly by mangers or being stuck in contract deals you cant get out of its good to be taught these skills such as self management and confidence to be able to speak up for yourself and to not be dependent on other people be fully in control of your sound on stage as I am now more able to control the way my vocals sound on stage by understanding whether it needs more mid etc . And also to take initiative over my choices about things like contracts .