Final Evaluation
The reflective model I will be using to evaluate is the Boud Reflective Cycle:
viva voce
research
The successes of my research were based upon the fact that I incorporated the important and necessary information of my project and therefore this meant that my project was concise. I wanted to focus on the important parts, such as recording techniques and the correct microphone for the correct use. This meant that I could use the research that I had developed to support me through the project and creation of the EP. In the future I will ensure to continue to focus on the main sections of my project to help me develop my knowledge of how to create a successful EP. Another successful aspect of my research I used inspiration for successful artists which influenced the sound of my music and the way that I composed. As I looked into various artists which I like listening to, I thought that I would select certain aspects, such as drum patterns, to influence my work. This guided me through the project as it helped me to keep focus on the type of music I was trying to create and the ambient sounds which intertwined throughout each song to connect the whole EP together. I believe that this was successful due to the research being able to link directly to my work to influence the sound and instrumentation. In the future I will continue to listen to new artists to create new developments and new flows of inspiration within my work.
An improvement that I could have made within my research is to also focus on the future of the pop music industry and research into depth the movement of music. This would have then helped me to get one step ahead within the music industry and to create something refreshing for the listener. As always, every piece of music is unique, however I could have looked at how to expand and develop my thought process within music and looked at how different instrumentation affects an audience of people. Another improvement for research is that I could have looked further into recording techniques and how going into a professional recording studio could develop the sound of the recording and development of my music. Especially if I was to also collaborate with professionals to help me record and produce an EP. This would have ensured that I created a professional sounding EP. For the future I could look into recording in recording studios to further expand my development of my music and recognition.
promotion
The successes within my promotion were the fact that I created various videos that presented the promotion of the EP. I believe that my promotion was successful in many ways due to creating unique and original images that I took myself and then edited to fit the composition and design that I had a vision for. I wanted it to be a certain style that fitted the genre and template of my music but also represented my artistic image. I used the same pastel colour scheme throughout to make the whole promotional aspect a whole piece of artwork. The promotional videos that I created were influenced by other artists that I like to listen to and also like the visuals of, such as Troye Sivan. Another success for my promotion was the fact that I created my own promotion for my EP. This meant that I could chose exactly what I wanted as I also shot images for my own promotion, this meant that I could create the exact vision that I wanted for the EP. This also meant that I could edit the way that I wanted, to create the desired effect. However this could also be a disadvantage as it might not look as professional compared to getting a professional media creator to create artwork for my promotion.
An improvement that I could have made towards my promotion is including more videos and photos on my social media. I could have done this by taking more photos of the process of recording or even high quality images to place on my social media to create interest in my music and brand. I believe that if I did this I would have gained more interaction with my EP and I would have more listens for my tracks. In the future I could improve this by creating a promotional strategy by having all my images and videos ready and a set schedule of uploading so I would know exactly what to post and when. This would then improve the reach to a new audience for my music.
songwriting
I believe that my songwriting was successful in many ways, I think this is due to the fact that I began songwriting before the project started. This meant that I had enough to produce the actual EP and not worry about writers block or getting songs written in time for the production of the EP. For the future I will ensure that I write my songs beforehand again, as this was extremely successful and it meant that I was fully prepared to record. It also meant that I could focus on creating my vision for my EP and the promotional aspects too. Another success of my songwriting was the fact that I believe that I chose the best songs possible to include in my EP. I believe that I chose the songs I did because they best suited each other and they represent who I am today. I think this meant that my EP was more successful due to the fact that I had thought a lot about the type of material I wanted to include in my EP to show my best abilities and sounds that I wanted to portray. The final outcome was better than I expected as the EP was something I was extremely proud of, I do believe that I chose the right project to do as I think that this best suited my skills and abilities from projects prior to this. It also meant that I could enjoy the process as I chose something I was passionate about.
An improvement for my songwriting would be the fact that I could improve my technical ability to improve the way I write songs in the future. I also think that I could add a variety of instrumentation within my songwriting and possibly learn a new instrument in the future to add more depth and variety into my songwriting.
release
My EP was released successfully in some ways due to being released on many platforms such as: Bandcamp, Spotify, ITunes and Deezer. I chose to distribute to as many places as possible through the distribution company Spinnup. After doing research on the variety of distribution companies, I wanted to chose the best deal for the amount of money that I would be spending, due to my budget being limited I decided that I would use Spinnup for distribution. I believe that this made the release successful to some extent due to being able to reach as many people as possible as it would be available to stream and download. I also released it alongside my own website. In the future I believe I would use Spinnup again, however I would prepare my time better and upload my tracks sooner so they would be distributed at the time that I wanted them to be distributed. This is due to having an issue with distribution as when I went to release my music they kept sending it back due to the song titles not fitting their requirements. This meant that it took longer than expected to be able to release my music. Overall this meant that I had to release my EP on Bandcamp first and then on the other platforms.
An improvement that could have been made for my release could be to ensure that I am prepared and have my tracks ready sooner. Due to the time span for this project being limited it meant that I didn’t have much time to upload my tracks in plenty of time to the release. This therefore caused a delayed release. In the future I will ensure that my tracks are uploaded in time before the release to ensure that this doesn’t occur again. Another improvement for my release could be to do more research on how to get my name out into the music industry.
organisation/planning
I believe that overall my organisation within my project was successful due to keeping up to date with my practice diary and checking back on my schedule to make sure that I was always on track. This meant that I could ensure that everything I was doing was important to my project and to ensure that I was using my time wisely within the weeks we had to complete this project. I believe that I chose the right amount of time to produce each song as I completed my songs in time with my schedule. This meant that I would be easily prepared for the release of my EP. To also ensure that I was also on track I completed my weekly evaluations. These were helpful as I could see exactly what I have completed and how I can continue to improve my project in the next week to ensure that I stay on schedule. For the future I will ensure to complete a detailed schedule, which would also include the promotional material that I would be releasing. This would then ensure that I keep exactly on track.
An improvement that I could have made is that I could have ensured that I had completed my weekly evaluations every week. This is because, I sometimes forgot to complete them every week and would then complete them every two weeks. This meant that I sometimes forgot what I had completed in the past couple of weeks and it also meant that I had more work to do week by week as the amount of work I had to complete would keep building up. In the future I will ensure to complete my weekly work to evenly spread out the work load that I have to complete, this will then let me enjoy the process more as it would be my only focus.
overall
Overall I think that my EP was successful. This is because I believe that I stayed organised and managed my time appropriately. I also believe that it was successful due to completed a set of music which I am proud to have produced and presented. It was the first time where I had produced my songwriting properly and I enjoyed the whole process of it. Even though in some ways time was limited, I managed to produce the artwork and music together whilst also preparing for a Final Performance for my EP Launch. In many ways my process could be improved as I could have ensured that I was more prepared for the release. However I think that I created a professional sounding compilation of music which I enjoyed writing and listening to. I also believe that this shows the best aspects of the type of music I produce and it also presents who I am as artist.