RSL 230: Live Music Performance Exam ‘18
Exam Brief 2017-2018 (A&R Audience)
Performance Brief 2017-2018:
You are booked to play a showcase for local label A&Rs. You have been asked to provide a 10-15 minute performance appropriate to the event.
Your work must be suitable for the audience. If you work as a group each candidate in the group must be able to show their contribution. Each candidate will be assessed individually.
General Instructions:
You must attempt all tasks in order to pass. Use the assessment and grading criteria to make sure you have completed everything.
Talk to your teacher about anything you’re not certain of.
You can work independently or in groups, but all work must be your own.
Once you have completed your work you must sign the candidate declaration sheet your teacher will give to you to declare all your work is your own.
You may use the internet to support your research, but all work must be written in your own words. Include the website address of any information that you used in your research.
Time and Word limits:
Your written work should not exceed 2,000 words in total.
If you upload practice recordings/videos of yourself these should not exceed 12 minutes total in length.
The final live recorded performance should last 10-15 minutes, and should not go beyond 15 minutes.
You can only spend 30 hours on this assessment; this is divided into:
10 hours preparation time (you can work independently away from class)
20 hours controlled conditions, where you are supervised by your teacher in the classroom.
Task 1: Planning - 6 hours
(This is about how you will plan your contribution to the event in the brief. Answer the following questions. Make sure you write in full sentences, and aim for three sentences per answer where suitable.)
1.1/1.2/1.3 My statement of personal aims, production plan
My candidate number: (Mr Flowers will put this here). My centre number: (Mr Flowers will put this here).
My name is Toby Jacobs. The instrument I will be playing for this performance are the drums. The brief requires me to play 10-15 minutes of music to a group of A&Rs, this means that I will need to impress them in order to have opportunities for a career in music.
Personal Aims
- Progress my drumming skills and variety by becoming more deliberate in what I play and not let myself go on autopilot.
- Learn how to work in a band and develop my timing by working with other people.
- Learn to commit and be motivated to drumming consistently so I can improve each time I play.
1.1a) Through my performance, I want to achieve the following personal goals:
I want to develop my timing skills by playing in a band, it is useful for me to be in a band because it is good practice for when i'm older if I decide to have a career in music or even just play gigs once I finish school. Being in a band in music practitioners gives me an opportunity to show commitment and teamwork skills whilst developing my collaboration skills to make sure I am working with the band. I wanted to be in a group in music practitioners because I know it will force me to work hard and progress my drumming skills to keep up with the rest of the group. This is helpful for me because I can be unmotivated to break out of bad habits in drumming and I used to tend to stick to the same beat or fills for a while as I'd get comfortable and get into a rut in which I cannot escape from. As a musician I want to be deliberate and varied with my playing, I know that I can achieve this if I put the work in and practice most days by following my timetable.
I want to develop my timing skills by playing in a band, it is useful for me to be in a band because it is good practice for when i'm older if I decide to have a career in music or even just play gigs once I finish school. Being in a band in music practitioners gives me an opportunity to show commitment and teamwork skills whilst developing my collaboration skills to make sure I am working with the band. I wanted to be in a group in music practitioners because I know it will force me to work hard and progress my drumming skills to keep up with the rest of the group. This is helpful for me because I can be unmotivated to break out of bad habits in drumming and I used to tend to stick to the same beat or fills for a while as I'd get comfortable and get into a rut in which I cannot escape from. As a musician I want to be deliberate and varied with my playing, I know that I can achieve this if I put the work in and practice most days by following my timetable.
1.1b) To help achieve the above goals, I think I have the following skills that I can use:
I have been playing the drums since a young age and have taken it seriously ever since, this means I can focus on more advanced techniques as I have the basics nailed down. This means I can aim for the higher grades and play more advanced songs that suit my guitarist. This makes it easier for us to have a good dynamic of working because we are clear in how we can learn. We practice our songs solo at home and then work on timing and playing together in practical lessons.
I have been playing the drums since a young age and have taken it seriously ever since, this means I can focus on more advanced techniques as I have the basics nailed down. This means I can aim for the higher grades and play more advanced songs that suit my guitarist. This makes it easier for us to have a good dynamic of working because we are clear in how we can learn. We practice our songs solo at home and then work on timing and playing together in practical lessons.
1.1c) I will know if I have achieved my goals at the end of the assessment because:
I will know I have achieved this by using a questionnaire that I will provide to the audience to gage their opinion, this audience includes my peers and teachers. I will talk to my peers and teachers and see how they think we did and what I could do to achieve my aims. Personally, I can listen to a recording or video from the event and decide if I have achieved my aims and I will be able to be critical of my performance and I will be able to give myself constructive points of improvement that I will action on.
1.1d) How will I meet the expectations of the audience:
The audience will expect to be entertained but most importantly impressed by my drumming, I will fulfil their expectations by putting on a strong performance to showcase my playing and variety of skills that I have in drumming; a strong performance to the audience means that I will meet their expectations by playing songs that challenge me whilst impressing the A&R audience to make my performance memorable and stand out from the others as the best. I will act professional and confident in my performance to show varied and technical ability.
The audience will expect to be entertained but most importantly impressed by my drumming, I will fulfil their expectations by putting on a strong performance to showcase my playing and variety of skills that I have in drumming; a strong performance to the audience means that I will meet their expectations by playing songs that challenge me whilst impressing the A&R audience to make my performance memorable and stand out from the others as the best. I will act professional and confident in my performance to show varied and technical ability.
1.1e) I will perform music in the following style/styles.
1.1f) My personal musical image:
As this A&R event is taking place at school I will need to wear my school uniform and will not be able to change my clothes for the performance. However if this was a gig outside of school I would dress similar to Pete Doherty as seen below. He can be seen wearing Fred Perry below. The Libertines are a English rock band formed in the late 90s but released music in the early 00s and can be recognised by Pete Doherty's unique style, a combination of suits and casual wear always displayed in his disheveled, gritty manor; an artistic embodiment of The Libertines music and ethos. This fits my style of music as I am playing rock songs and it is also appropriate for my audience because The Libertines are a signed band and clearly knew what they were doing when they were performing in front of A&Rs.
As this A&R event is taking place at school I will need to wear my school uniform and will not be able to change my clothes for the performance. However if this was a gig outside of school I would dress similar to Pete Doherty as seen below. He can be seen wearing Fred Perry below. The Libertines are a English rock band formed in the late 90s but released music in the early 00s and can be recognised by Pete Doherty's unique style, a combination of suits and casual wear always displayed in his disheveled, gritty manor; an artistic embodiment of The Libertines music and ethos. This fits my style of music as I am playing rock songs and it is also appropriate for my audience because The Libertines are a signed band and clearly knew what they were doing when they were performing in front of A&Rs.
1.2a) My ideas for the performance are play songs that will challenge me. I intend to learn these songs. I will do it by practicing according to my timetable.
I intend to play 10-15 minutes of music that will be able to show my talent to the audience of A&Rs. I will be doing practice every day for at least 30 mins and learn parts of songs, new fills, and anything I have found difficult in the lessons. I can use my metronome to practice my timing without being in a band.
I intend to play 10-15 minutes of music that will be able to show my talent to the audience of A&Rs. I will be doing practice every day for at least 30 mins and learn parts of songs, new fills, and anything I have found difficult in the lessons. I can use my metronome to practice my timing without being in a band.
MON
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TUE
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WED
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THU
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FRI
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SAT
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SUN
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Music PA
1 Hour
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Drumming along to backing tracks
20 - 30 mins |
Warm up
10 Mins
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Warm up
5 Mins
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Lesson
20 Mins
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Warm up
5 Mins
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Metronome or Notation
20 mins |
Drum fills 10 Mins
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Drum fills
10 Mins
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Drumming along to backing tracks
20-30 mins |
Drum fills
10 Mins
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Drum beats
10 Mins
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Drum beats
10 Mins
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Drum beats
10 Mins
|
1.1g and 1.3a) The set list I will perform as my given repertoire will contain the following songs:
1. Song 1: Sublime - What I Got - Estimated length of song: (2.50). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MHmICfAMiE
2. Song 2: Sublime - Santeria - Estimated length of song: (3.06). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqJeN1ZBEqw
3. Song 3: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Scar Tissue - Estimated length of song: (3.33). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNNPoTmGM7U
4. Song 4: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californiacation - Estimated length of song: (5.22). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qerfUVH59Ps
1. Song 1: Sublime - What I Got - Estimated length of song: (2.50). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MHmICfAMiE
2. Song 2: Sublime - Santeria - Estimated length of song: (3.06). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqJeN1ZBEqw
3. Song 3: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Scar Tissue - Estimated length of song: (3.33). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNNPoTmGM7U
4. Song 4: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californiacation - Estimated length of song: (5.22). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qerfUVH59Ps
The total estimated length of my set list will therefore be 15 minutes. I have chosen to play these songs in this order because it starts light hearted and up beat. What I Got by Sublime is an introduction for what to expect in my performance, its filled with off beat bass drums and ghost notes. This progresses into Sublime's Santeria that is faster paced and has more energy, which allows me to demonstrate sixteenth note off beat, I think this has the capability to impress the A&Rs. My next song, Scar Tissue, is slower than the previous song but is a more traditional pop-rock song because of the fact that it has a familiar structure to other Red Hot Chili Peppers' songs. I finish with Red Hot Chili Peppers' Californication, the most popular and well known song on my set list. I have chosen this song last to leave a good, long lasting impression on the A&Rs. It is a song full of nostalgia for anyone who was around in the 90s, it is steady but complicated and gives me a chance to showcase my timing with all of its five minutes. All my songs are suitable for demonstrating my drumming skills because they all allow me to play along, use fills and display my techniques.
1.3b) I will need to involve the following people in my performance.
I will need to involve my drum teacher as he is teaching me how to play songs and my technique, he especially helps me with my drumming ethic including practicing and working. I will need stage engineers to make sure the amps and other equipment is working properly to ensure I will sound as good as I can. I will need my teacher to evaluate my work and help me improve my written and practical work to get my work to the best of my ability. Lastly I will need the audience also to evaluate my work but also appreciate and witness it.
I will need to involve my drum teacher as he is teaching me how to play songs and my technique, he especially helps me with my drumming ethic including practicing and working. I will need stage engineers to make sure the amps and other equipment is working properly to ensure I will sound as good as I can. I will need my teacher to evaluate my work and help me improve my written and practical work to get my work to the best of my ability. Lastly I will need the audience also to evaluate my work but also appreciate and witness it.
1.3c) I will need the following resources and equipment...
I will need to use the school's drum kits because it isn't a viable option for me to take mine to school, it would also be quite extreme to lug a drum kit around to school. I find it more difficult for me to play on the schools as the majority of the time I have to move things so I am able to play on it properly but I have accepted I will be using it for this course. It is time consuming rearranging a drum kit every time we practice but I have become speedy over the past year of the course so it is more efficient than playing on a kit that doesn't suit my playing. It often is in need of tuning which I will need to do before my dress rehearsal and real performance. I will need to use the schools stage and speakers because it is where I will be performing. My stage requirements include the drum kit and speakers but also a computer for the music instrumentals. I will also need space on the stage to play which there is plenty of already. I will need to bring my drum sticks in as I use 7As but the schools are mostly cheap 5As.
1.4) When performing live, I will need to consider the following health and safety issues:
1. Use earplugs
Not using earplugs is very risky when exposed to loud music above 85 decibels, the longer the exposure is; the greater chance of impacting your hearing and having a premature onset of hearing loss. Protecting your ears with earplugs or headphones when playing instruments is crucial to remaining in the safe decibel limit of 85. If you are listening to loud music at a venue and there is not access to the aforementioned equipment, regular 10 minute intervals will be suffice to protect ears from unnecessary damage as it gives your ears a break and a recovery time.
2. Turn down the music
Don't listen to earphones or headphones at high volumes and never let it drown out background noise. If the music is uncomfortable for you to listen to, or you can’t hear external sounds when you’ve got your headphones on, then it's too loud. It's also too loud if the person next to you can hear the music from your headphones. On iPhones there is a feature where you can set a limit to the volume at the safe decibels, this is useful if the temptation to listen to loud music is overpowering on standard devices.
3. Use earplugs when you’re listening to live music
They can reduce average sound levels by between 15 and 35 decibels. They’re widely available at many live music venues and shouldn’t spoil your enjoyment of the music.
4. Tuck cables away
Make sure cables are away or off the floor to prevent people tripping over them and injuring themselves. If it is inevitable that there will be cables on the floor it is advisable to invest in high visibility tape to cover cables or tape to the floor or to use wireless amps, to prevent potential trip hazards.
4. Tuck cables away
Make sure cables are away or off the floor to prevent people tripping over them and injuring themselves. If it is inevitable that there will be cables on the floor it is advisable to invest in high visibility tape to cover cables or tape to the floor or to use wireless amps, to prevent potential trip hazards.
Sources: http://www.noisehelp.com/noise-dose.html, https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/hearing-problems/Pages/tips-to-protect-hearing.aspx?utm_campaign=Oticon+USA%252C+Inc.&utm_source=google%252B&utm_content=&utm_medium=social, http://www.noisehelp.com/ipod-hearing-loss.html
1.3d) I will need to spend 20 hours at school preparing, performing and evaluating the event. How will I spend my time?
I have been using backing tracks to song and using headphones whilst practicing on my drum kit, this helps my timing and playing along to something without having to work with anyone else. It also is good fun and an easy way to get better at new things I am learning. I am able to make mistakes and try new things when I practice with headphones. I try to repeat everything I experiment with so I can play a bigger variety of fills and beats. I play almost everyday for half an hour at least and with my consistent playing I am always ready to play. I find that if I do not play for a week I get a bit clunky and slow which tends to put me in a rut where I lose my motivation. This makes it difficult for me to enjoy drumming and is the main reason why I practice a lot. In school drumming lessons I learn new things that I can practice at home. Such as new fills or ways to put the bass drum by using a + e method and reading music which is a skill I only recently acquired.
I have been using backing tracks to song and using headphones whilst practicing on my drum kit, this helps my timing and playing along to something without having to work with anyone else. It also is good fun and an easy way to get better at new things I am learning. I am able to make mistakes and try new things when I practice with headphones. I try to repeat everything I experiment with so I can play a bigger variety of fills and beats. I play almost everyday for half an hour at least and with my consistent playing I am always ready to play. I find that if I do not play for a week I get a bit clunky and slow which tends to put me in a rut where I lose my motivation. This makes it difficult for me to enjoy drumming and is the main reason why I practice a lot. In school drumming lessons I learn new things that I can practice at home. Such as new fills or ways to put the bass drum by using a + e method and reading music which is a skill I only recently acquired.
1.3e I will rehearse on the following dates and I will work on the following at each rehearsal:
Week 19 Monday 15/01/18 & Tuesday 15/01/18 (2 hours):
Plan: I will spend 20 minutes at first to listen to the songs and understand what I will play. I will work on my timing playing along to backing tracks with a metronome. I will play to, Californication (96 BPM), Scar Tissue (89 BPM) and Dani California (96 BPM).
What went well: I managed to play without the drums on the song and I am ready to try without a metronome.
What needs work: I need to work on remembering fills and changes in the beat, I could use notation to help or just listen to these songs on the way to school and on the way back till I can play them off by heart.
Week 20 Monday 22/01/18 & Tuesday 23/01/18 (2 hours):
Plan: I will spend 20 minutes at first again to give myself a reminder of the previous Red Hot Chili Peppers' songs. I will then jump onto the drums and play along with a metronome for the first time round with each song but then the second time I play each song I will try without.
What went well: I am able to play without the metronome as I haven't rushed myself into it. I can play along and keep timing.
What needs work: I need to work on placement of fills and changes in the beat which can come with time because I have other important things to learn such as new songs or general drumming.
Week 21 Monday 29/01/18 & Tuesday 30/01/18 (2 hours):
Plan: I will play along to the real songs to memorise the fills and changes and think about when I am changing or doing fills. This is so I can make these choices deliberately and not go on auto-pilot.
What went well: I was able to play along with each song and make the correct changes in the beat and place fills in appropriately.
What needs work: I know that I will have to play these songs for a while before I learn them and it will also help me to write notation or find some on the internet to print out. I can also listen to the songs and learn that way.
Week 22 Monday 05/02/18 & Tuesday 06/02/18 (2 hours):
Plan: I will print out notation for each song and make sure that I can at least play to the bare bones of the real song without adding my flare and fills. I will use notation to help me along the drumless backing track. (https://playournotes.com/en/sheet-music/californication/113/notes-for-drum-kit, https://www.scribd.com/doc/240507002/Red-Hot-Chili-Peppers-Scar-Tissue-drum-sheet-music, https://www.sheetmusicdirect.com/se/ID_No/174842/Product.aspx)
What went well: I was able to play to these songs after practice but I know more time is required. it is beneficial that I am working on a few things at once because I am able to take a rest from one when it gets too tedious and pick up something else to fill my time with.
What needs work: I need to practice these songs more to perfect them. Then I will add some more fills and a variation of beats and bass drum techniques to each song so I can showcase and demonstrate my ability to A&R.
Week 24 Monday 26/02/18 & Tuesday 27/02/18 (2 hours):
Plan: I have moved onto a Sublime song, 'What I Got' this song was difficult at first only due to its swing bass drum pattern which is slightly delayed compared to the beat. I have written notation for this and I will be practicing using it with the real song at first. I am going to have a go at playing 'What I Got' to the drumless backing track afterwards too.
What went well: I am closer each time to getting it and I think after getting used to playing swing I will be able to.
What needs work: The bass drum sounds a little bit clunky as I am resisting hesitations to play on the wrong note. I need to be able to seperate the speed of my bass drum from the speed of my hi hats. After I am able to do this I will be able to play the beat well. I will add my own fills in to the song before playing it.
Week 25 Monday 05/03/18 & Tuesday 06/03/18 (2 hours):
Plan: I am going to try to play the sixteenth beat to Sublime 'Santeria' which uses the same swing bass pattern but sixteenth note. This is played with one hand but I have a feeling that I will struggle with that so I will attempt with both hands.
What went well: I was able to play along to the real song.
What went well: I was able to play along to the real song.
What needs work: I could attempt to play without using both of my sticks for the hi hat. Then I will play along to the drumless track.
Week 25 Thursday 08/03/18 Dress Rehearsal Performance (2 hours):
Plan: I am going to play according to my set list and I will practice my set list quickly before I play if I have time.
What went well: I need to communicate more effectively with the stage crew to make sure I can hear my song whilst I am playing, this is a problem for me as I am a loud drummer and can struggle to hear the song behind my drums. To correct this I will talk to stage crew and have a sound check prior to my performance.
What needs work: Playing along to backing tracks oppose to live musicians.
Week 26 Monday 12/03/18 & Tuesday 13/03/18 (2 hours):
Plan: I am going to try to learn the beat for Valerie, by Amy Winehouse as I have seen a informative and insightful video on youtube teaching the beat along with the notation. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzIPQ7m_hdM)
What went well: I was able to play a beat similar first which is just the plain 4 to the floor with a off beat bass drum.
What needs work: I need to work according to the notation.
Week 26 Wednesday 14/03/18 Final Live Performance (2 hours):
Plan: I will play according to my set list and make the improvements that have been suggested due to the mistakes I had made previously in the dress rehearsal.
What went well: I could hear the backing tracks better which improved my sound and pulse in the songs. This went well because I arranged a sound check with the stage crew and I tweaked the volume of the amp to the side of me.
What needs work:See evaluation below.
Week 27 Evaluation Time (2 hours):
See evaluation below.
Task 2: My Performance
(Mr Flowers will upload a recording of your final performance here).
Dress Rehearsal:
https://youtu.be/jTGGmNgTvB0
Dress Rehearsal:
https://youtu.be/jTGGmNgTvB0
Task 3: Evaluation of my performance
Strengths Reflection:
1. What went well during the performance? Think about the performance as a whole:
The technicality of my playing went well, along with my energy and communication with the audience. I felt that I had shown off my drumming skills by using a variety of fills, beats and also played at a moderately fast tempo. This is crucial for the brief as I need to impress the A&R audience.
Improvement Reflection:
2. What could have been done better if you were to perform again?
Whilst I was generally pleased with my performance, there were a few things that I would like to improve:
Whilst I was generally pleased with my performance, there were a few things that I would like to improve:
Improvement #1: Wider Variety of Artists
Strategy: How could you make that improvement?:
If I could have had more time I would have play Valerie or Rehab by Amy Winehouse. This would demonstrate my ability in other genres, for example jazz. I did display ska and pop rock with the two artists I used, but I believe that more could have been achieved with a third artist from a different genre.
If I could have had more time I would have play Valerie or Rehab by Amy Winehouse. This would demonstrate my ability in other genres, for example jazz. I did display ska and pop rock with the two artists I used, but I believe that more could have been achieved with a third artist from a different genre.
Improvement #2: Wider Variety of Drum Beats
Strategy: How could you make that improvement?:
If I used Valerie or Rehab by Amy Winehouse I could have used a variation on 4x4. For example, an intricate bass pattern for Valerie or a variation with a different snare pattern for Rehab. Although I am able to perform both of these variations now; I was not confident in these for my final performance.
If I used Valerie or Rehab by Amy Winehouse I could have used a variation on 4x4. For example, an intricate bass pattern for Valerie or a variation with a different snare pattern for Rehab. Although I am able to perform both of these variations now; I was not confident in these for my final performance.
Improvement #3: Pulse/Timing
Strategy: How could you make that improvement?:
My pulse within songs tends to be good at home where I feel more comfortable, this is because I play my drums at home every day. Due to this, I become extremely nervous on stage or performing in front of others. This is why the dress rehearsal was very useful for me, not only did it allow me to practice my songs but also to practice with other people watching. I could have improved my pulse by playing more relaxed and with less tension in my body. Next time I perform with an audience I will remove the tension from my drumming. I will do this by having a short practice before to increase my confidence and decrease my nervousness.
My pulse within songs tends to be good at home where I feel more comfortable, this is because I play my drums at home every day. Due to this, I become extremely nervous on stage or performing in front of others. This is why the dress rehearsal was very useful for me, not only did it allow me to practice my songs but also to practice with other people watching. I could have improved my pulse by playing more relaxed and with less tension in my body. Next time I perform with an audience I will remove the tension from my drumming. I will do this by having a short practice before to increase my confidence and decrease my nervousness.
Feedback from others:
3. What was the feedback your received from your teacher, other group members and members of the audience?
- Very strong drumming technique, a very advanced player.
- Showed a huge amount of energy during the performance.
- Great use of eye contact with the audience. Clearly enjoyed the performance.
- Work on feeling the pulse of each piece - not easy when playing with backing tracks, but drum lighter to find the pulse again before getting louder.
4. 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?
I didn't realise that I lost the beat during my dress rehearsal, but I have now it has been pointed out. This feedback helped me achieve better in my final performance and also helped me in my evaluation. With this feedback I was able to see my performance from a different subjective viewpoint which allows me to criticise my own work in a new light.
I didn't realise that I lost the beat during my dress rehearsal, but I have now it has been pointed out. This feedback helped me achieve better in my final performance and also helped me in my evaluation. With this feedback I was able to see my performance from a different subjective viewpoint which allows me to criticise my own work in a new light.
Conclusion:
5. Write a brief summary/conclusion of your performance:
Overall I was happy with my performance as I had written an effective plan that allowed me to meet my personal goals. Especially my use of drum fills that show off some advance drumming techniques and variations that I had been working on. This was evident in my peer feedback and my own evaluation of my performance. I will now work on my improvement strategies to make myself an even better musician.
Overall I was happy with my performance as I had written an effective plan that allowed me to meet my personal goals. Especially my use of drum fills that show off some advance drumming techniques and variations that I had been working on. This was evident in my peer feedback and my own evaluation of my performance. I will now work on my improvement strategies to make myself an even better musician.
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