Throughout the duration of this course, I have learned many things. Some of those things have become personal strengths and others, weaknesses.
My strengths include:
Live performance is a main focus of the course and I class this as a strength because since the start of last year I have improved greatly at my singing and playing as well as my stage presence. Therefore I feel as though this skill is important to use during the final project to assist other people with their performances by giving them tips that I used to improve myself.
Collaboration is also something I have come to be very good at. I have learned that I work well with people both during the performance and in other situations like when managing a group. Linking to this is my ability to manage an event. I would say that after this year’s first project I have developed the ability to organise a group of people and create a successful product which will be useful during my final project because I aim to create content that showcases the work I do with my group.
Problem-solving in terms of preparing for things and coming up with valid solutions. This is something that is helpful in all aspects of the course as it requires organisation and assists in all situations. This is certainly a skill I will need to draw on a lot because of the current global situation. It is likely that I will need to adapt my ideas constantly to keep up with safety measures.
My weaknesses include:
Musical arrangement and theoretical knowledge. Although many of last year’s projects required us to write our own original music, I feel as though I still struggle to do this to a good standard and therefore feel like I need to focus less on this during the final project because I am not confident in that area. In addition, even though my theory is at an okay standard I feel as though it is something that I could improve on.
Promotion would be a very good skill to improve for this project because it helps not only to reach people but also to build a brand. This is key when you are an aspiring artist and I want to assist the band as much as is possible.
Using technology in a musical environment is also something I struggle with because although I feel that I excel in a live sound set up, I am not as good at mixing tracks or even recording in a studio. I find these situations rather stressful and tend to shy away from getting involved with them.
In conclusion, I think that I need to do a project focused on management based on what I assess as strengths and weaknesses. I aim to collaborate with a band to create an EP or showcase of their music. This will most likely be based online as a stream or listening party. I think doing this will allow me to fully explore my managing ability and potential to assist musicians in improving themselves and having their voices heard.