203 Composing Music Solo

Brief:

Your school is hosting a showcase for parents and governors. You have been asked to compose a 15 minute soundtrack appropriate to the opening of the event.

Our event at Monk’s Walk School

You must design your programme around the audience – state which community organisations would be invited to your event and explain how your programme relates to the types of people that would be in these organisations.

TASK 1 Planning

My statement of personal aims:

Through my contribution to the event I would like to achieve the following goals: 

I would like to complete my composed pieces and further develop my understanding for both being a composer and the music industry. I specifically would like to improve my knowledge of chord progressions and melodies, as I have always found harmony difficult to understand.

My skills:
I am really good with the iPads in particular, as I find it easy to remember all the different functions and what they can achieve. I'm also very familiar with the genre of music I'm working with, making it all the more easier to structure my songs in a way that sounds professional to the audience. I feel that technology and iOS Garageband will really benefit and complement my skills.

I think that I have the following skills which I will use to help me achieve these goals:
-Being able to understand technology and learn quickly 
-naturally being imaginative and able to create nice compositions
-being able to pick out bits of another song and use its structure to my advantage
-being fast at completing a project (I can be very focussed).

How I will know if you have achieved my goals and the brief:

I'd Know when I have achieved my goal of fifthteen minutes as I often time the songs to make sure they add up to the required time and also I will have been given a pass grade by the examiner when I have achieved the maximum of fifth teen minutes. I will also received peer and teacher feedback in regards to my music being suitable to the target audience for parents and governors (and also potentially pupils).

Audience expectations:

To meet the expectations of the audience I will first need to plan and research popular songs. I will analyse the current charts to see what music is current, and also what are pupils with parents and governors (a slightly older generation).

To begin the composing process I will need to plan composition structures, and use my analysis notes to make sure my compositions sound appealing to the audience and use a similar structure to existing songs.

Plan of my contribution to the performance

The requirements of the brief and how I will meet them:

I will make each song roughly the same length to add up to the time needed to pass, to do this I'd need to research my studied genre and time my pieces to be sure that they match up. For 15 minutes, each song will need to last around 4 minutes.

What I intend to do?:

I intend to make my songs sound good for the audience and to give them good background music when they are waiting for the event to begin. I would like to keep my compositions quite minimal so that will not distract people.

How I will do it:

Keep developing my songs until they are complete to a good standard and have positive peer feedback. I will work on my compositions one at a time and listen to existing tracks as a reference or quality. I would like my compositions to have a good structure to the music. 

Who I will need to involve:

• My music teacher Mr Flowers
• My instrumental teacher
• My friends for feedback

The resources I will need:
I will need the red iPad and headphone when composing. I will then need a computer to export my compositions onto a CD to provide the stage crew with a way of playing my songs.

What time is needed for each song/ activity:
Around 3 to 4 minutes long for the composed pieces and i need a few hours to research what would be the best structure for the piece as well as experimenting with the sounds and completing them

The health and safety issues for composition writing sessions and the performance of them:

Sound levels will need to be suitable - anything too loud will damage hearing. I will need to keep drinks away from electronic equipment and make sure there are no trip hazards when the iPad is plugged in, or when using headphones. People could get tripped on and the equipment and could get damaged by the impact.

My set list:

Composition 1 6:47
Composition 2 2:55
Composition 3 6:05
Composition 4 3:08

Total length of compositions:…….
Between 15-20 minutes. If my compositions are over 15 minutes I will fade my last composition done to meet to brief.

Composition Writing Schedule

Composition Session 1: 20th March CONTROLLED ASSESSMENT TIME

I've  been testing the different sounds I could use, such as a melody riff and bass line. I've really enjoyed using the electric piano Garageband instrument and displaying only the notes of the scale that I need.

Composition Session 2: 21st March AM CONTROLLED ASSESSMENT TIME

I've been using the pentatonic scale key display in Garageband to write some melodies. I managed to create 4 different melodies that I would like to use in different compositions.

Composition Session 3: 21th PM March CONTROLLED ASSESSMENT TIME

I chose to focus on composition 1 and developed a drum beat and melody and used come background samples to match the electronic genre. I cut up loops and repeated parts to develop a structure for my pieces.

Composition Session 4: 27^th March (Controlled Assessment Time)

I have been trying to include a bass to my first composition and developed my composition 1 to about 6 minutes. I have also added a second drum beat to composition 1. 

*EASTER HOLIDAYS* - NO LESSONS FOR 3 WEEKS

Composition Session 5: 24^th April (Controlled Assessment Time)

I began to develop one of my melodies into composition 2. I felt more confident and so didn't use any loops. I wanted to have an ABA structure so I developed a change in the middle of the song and then went back to the original idea. I liked to format of this song.

Composition Session 6 – AFTER SCHOOL: 2^nd May (Controlled Assessment Time)

I've completed the song 1 and 2 by repeating parts and extending the structure. I started to work on composition 3. I wanted to focus on texture for this piece and so work on lots of layers with simple melodic parts. I chose to use the ABA structure again like in composition 2 as I liked now this developed.

Composition Session 7 - DRESS REHEARSAL: 3^rd May (Controlled Assessment Time) 2-3 Hours

I felt like I was running out of time, so quickly developed one of my melodies to make composition 4. I cut up a recording that I made on electric piano and repeated this. To thin out the texture I didn't loop it repeatedly, I left silence in spaces to let it breathe.

Composition Session 8: 8^th May (Controlled Assessment Time)

I mixed all 4 compositions by changing the volume levels and adjusting the panning slightly. I extended two of my compositions to make sure I met the minimum requirement of 15 minutes.

Composition Session 9 – LIVE PERFORMANCE: 10^th May (Controlled Assessment Time)

Before the performance I listened to all my compositions and bounced them down to audio files ready to be burnt to a CD to be played at the event. I listened to them on the big speakers to make sure they were suitable for the audience. I was very happy with how they sounded and so did not need to make any edits.

TASK 2 – THE FINISHED PORTFOLIO OF COMPOSITIONS

UPLOADED LINKS OF COMPOSITIONS:

Access all the screenshots and MP3s in one folder here:

Download Compositions and Screenshots

Composition 1:

PLAY/DOWNLOAD:

Listen to Song 1 by clicking here.

https://monkswalkhertssch-my.sharepoint.com/personal/anflowe_monkswalk_herts_sch_uk/_layouts/15/guestaccess.aspx?docid=08f5d054c52a445a599f24e174edb2773&authkey=AWHspUAnJRtcZ9IEF1JBeoE

Screenshot:

Composition 2:

PLAY/DOWNLOAD:

Listen to Song 2 by clicking here.

https://monkswalkhertssch-my.sharepoint.com/personal/anflowe_monkswalk_herts_sch_uk/_layouts/15/guestaccess.aspx?docid=0e1f830a870814e178c127f3dc0dff47b&authkey=AcUTBZlkVapLsgFK46ps_so

Screenshot:

Composition 3:

PLAY/DOWNLOAD:

Listen to Song 3 by clicking here.

https://monkswalkhertssch-my.sharepoint.com/personal/anflowe_monkswalk_herts_sch_uk/_layouts/15/guestaccess.aspx?docid=04b8497dfee9b4e3c9077d308ba3dcebd&authkey=AaYGx6dpRscYc8LxSD-sVqs

Screenshot:

Composition 4:

PLAY/DOWNLOAD:

Listen to Song 4 by clicking here.

https://monkswalkhertssch-my.sharepoint.com/personal/anflowe_monkswalk_herts_sch_uk/_layouts/15/guestaccess.aspx?docid=0c286d8ebfb984e858b690c9985c8c5f9&authkey=Ad8_36kwsMy-XRqjb6DhiVE

Screenshot:

TASK 3 Evaluation – RECOMMENDED TIME TO SPEND ON THIS – 2 HOURS. 

After the event, you need to think about what went well and what you could improve on in your future work. Answer the following:

Strengths Reflection:

1. What went well when you were composing?

Learning now to use Garageband to create a total of 15 minutes - this seemed like a long time, but found this got easier the more i wrote.
Planning my compositions went well.
Learning how to make a composition structure went well.

2. What did you do well for each specific composition? Make specific references to parts of your compositions, e.g. drums, bassline, melody writing, structure, chord progression etc.

Composition 1: Using a combination of loops and original composition. I liked using the loops to create a more professional electronic feel.

Composition 2: I really liked the rhythm tracks that I made (all three) and I think these really kept a good beat.

Composition 3: The structure of this piece (see screenshot).

Composition 4: Texture of my elements and making use of a thin texture. Using builds to keep the audience interested.

Improvement Reflection:

3. What could have been done better if you were to compose these songs again or for making more compositions in the future? Think about specific parts of each composition (e.g. structure, melody, instrumentation, chord progressions, drums).

I would have liked to have used different key signatures in my music to make it sound more interesting. For this I would need to learn about chord progressions and basic harmony.

4. Define your areas of development (e.g. what skills do you need to improve to make you a better composer?)
Skill 1: Learn how to change keys using garageband and how to make better use of harmony.

Skill 2: Use more complex structures in my compositions - not just ABA.

Skill 3: Make better use of other instruments. Learn how to write for orchestral instruments.

5. Now write what you need to improve in your compositions and write a strategy of what you will do to make that improvement (e.g. write more suitable melodies that fit your chosen chords. Then you should write how you could learn to write more suitable melodies, what you would need to do, and what effect it would have on your compositions).

Improvement #1: Change keys in my songs.

Strategy: How could you make that improvement?:

Learn about harmony, modulation and how to change key in Garageband.

Improvement #2: Create extended structures in my compositions.

Strategy: How could you make that improvement?:

Learn about how songs are structured in electronic and analyse existing songs.

Improvement #3: Use other instruments.

Strategy: How could you make that improvement?:

Download additional sound packs in garageband so that I could use other instruments, and not just the basic ones.

Feedback from others:

6. What was the feedback your received from your teacher, other group members and members of the audience?

• Very good use of texture in your compositions,
• Good basic use of chords and melody.
• Solid use of quantisation to keep everything in time.
• Use key changes to make your compositions better developed and to keep audience interest.

7. How did this feedback help with your evaluation of the performance? e.g. what did they notice and comment on that you didn’t realise/know/think about?

This made me happy and made me feel like I have achieved my goals. I wanted my melodies and chords to be more linked and to fit better. I worked hard on this, and so now I am glad that other people think I have achieved this. I agree that I need to learn how to change keys in music, and that is one of my identified improvements.

Conclusion:

8. Write a brief summary/conclusion of your compositions and how they were suitable for the event brief (a concert at an awards ceremony for local community organisations).

They where suitable for an audience and overall they where around the recommended time slot though i could have done better on the sound and beat of the songs as some where off beat and disorganised, the best out of the songs was the second song i've done which combined with sounds from another song i'd listened to and good timed beats sounded great.

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