Hi Everyone,
A reminder that all video recordings of the Can’t help fallin in Love Project are due by this Friday 3rd of April.
Please upload them via Google Classroom. The next step will take a while as we have to organise all the videos into one file..
We are all looking forward to watching them all..
Regards
Ms Singleton
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Here is a recording of a project that we have been working on with Matilda (6), Sarah (7), Laura (8) & Kate (?). It is our version of The Lava Song which comes form the 2015 Pixar movie ‘Lava’.
Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and a very relaxing holiday!
Read MoreThe benefits of recording your work can have a real impact on your overall growth as a performer/songwriter.
Here are some of the advantages:
You face the fear of how ‘good’ you sound and learn to ‘get over yourself’ by re-listening to your song over and over.
2. You begin listening to the sections of the song that need improvement - like phrasing, instrumentation,
technique, etc.
3. It gives you the chance to develop parts of the song that may be too repetitive in an effort to create some
variation.
4. It gives you the opportunity to LEARN, rather than expecting to have the perfect song or performance
straight away.
5. And it gives you the chance to GROW as a performer/songwriter.
Over time, having a series of recordings of your work, will give you the benefit of seeing your own development. This on- going practice of reflection and feedback can build your confidence, which is a great motivator to keep going in your pursuit of a good musical habit.
Read MoreWhat are some of the thoughts you have when you are in the process of developing musical ideas?
Do you question each idea you have and discard it away?
Do you hold on tight to your ideas and are afraid that you won’t have any ‘good’ ideas at all?
You can look at songwriting in two ways. Firstly, the glass half approach where you believe that you will run out of great ideas so you will never write anything good. Or you can view it by the second approach , which is believing that there is always an abundance of ideas swimming in your subconscious waiting for you to tap into.
Believing that there are ample opportunities for you to compose is always around you. It could be for your parents, friends, children…weddings, parties…for yourself..
There is also, always an abundance of time. It could be for only 5 mins at a time. 5 minutes is better than no minutes, and there is always 5 minutes waiting for you if you choose to take the time.
Everything you need is already here, if you look for it, opportunities are waiting to be taken.
So change your thinking. Next time you doubt that your contribution to the world is useless, believe that your ideas are a wonderful contribution to those around you.
Read MoreWe have huge expectations of ourselves. To be able to write that song and for it to be perfect. To perform without being nervous….And when we don’t meet our own criteria…when we feel nervous, when we feel uncomfortable…we react…we shut down and start criticising our inability to meet our own expectations.
To grow and learn as a songwriter/ performer, dealing with all those unrealistic expectations is a step towards understanding our limitations. By accepting these limitations, it points us towards areas we can work on. Writing a song or performing in front of others can feel like we are putting ourselves on the line..
By taking small steps we can be gentle with ourselves and learn to:
accept that it’s ok to make mistakes
be humble enough to know when we don’t know what we are doing
accept the uncomfortable feelings we have when we put our work out there
to look at all the small steps we have already made
to ask for help when we need it
To keep going and not give up and understand that all these difficulties are part of the learning. That is when we are growing and know that at anytime we can always start again.
Why deny ourselves the joy of making music.
Read MoreSongwriting is a vehicle we can use to give us excitement, freedom of expression, connection with others and growth. In fact it can tap into our 6 core needs of:
Certainty
Uncertainty
Significance
Connection
Contribution
Growth
For everyone this is different, but I will give you an example…
Certainty - planning small steps of the process, so every time you write a song you know there is a planning process, development process and recording process.
Uncertainty - lots of experimentation with chords and melodies to come up with your song.
Significance - when you finish a song it reflects part of who you are giving you a sense of identity and achievement.
Connection - through your music and lyrics you share common emotions and experiences that help you connect with others.
Contribution - where you can share your music with others which gives enjoyment to others.
Growth - dealing with perfectionism, rejection. A new learning process such as recording, writing lyrics etc..
If you were to rate each of your 6 needs for songwriting out of 10, which one do you feel needs the most attention?
The next question then is what can you do to improve in that area? That will give you the next step to work towards.
Read MoreHere is a recording of a composition done by one of our Year 11 students.
She is essentially a piano player and has added violin and drums to her composition.
Her piece is influenced by the music of Luv Letter - DJ Okawari, a Japanese composer.
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Midi stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. This is where you can create some really good instrument sounds through software such as GarageBand and Logic. What makes it even better is that you can manipulate notes, change durations and alter the sounds once you have recorded them. This gives a songwriter so much more scope in manipulating sounds and creating really good backings for their songs.
I’ve created a quick introduction video in how to use midi. (My apologies for some of the background noise, my husband decided to start washing up half way through….not that I’m complaining…)
Nothing can really top a recording of a live performance, however, Midi can be used in the creation of some really beautiful and professional backing tracks.
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