Introduction: –
Throughout my first week of attending Bradford college I was introduced to the world of Live performance, separated into groups I was assigned with the song ‘Use somebody – Kings of a Leon’ a song I’m not familiar with, therefore had to learn. Being assigned into groups it was difficult at first. I have trouble performing in front of people I haven’t met before and found it awkward trying to shake off my anxiety. However, the group proved to be very welcoming, the people involved being positive and encouraging. Throughout the week we were taken into different rooms in which I learned I performed better in places with more space, and cramped rooms made it harder for me to perform and added to my anxiety. The IT room I came in for most of the week when I first arrived proved to be the most optimal room for me personally. With the freedom to move, I felt less claustrophobic. The room also had better acoustics, which I found was a nice touch, and it added to my confidence when I rehearsed in that room.
Evaluation: –
Throughout the week my group displayed our strengths and weaknesses, as some of my group’s members weren’t playing instruments they originally wanted, some members in our group were left to learn a new instrument, which proved to be quite successful. The group’s chemistry was displayed throughout the week, everyone encouraged each other, gave each other pointers and advice, and taught each other new techniques. The group was patient, and easy to get along with, this improved our performance as we started to get better, we started to trust in each other’s abilities more. In terms to my own performance, the song selected was a part of my childhood, so I was overall okay with the song choice, Adaption was key; I knew that entering the course. Learning the song again was nice, as with learning how instruments play together, and seeing how others learn new instruments. My performance to myself was adequate, not the best performance, but I am proud of my courage, and overcoming my anxiety, I found performing for people outside my group nerve-wracking, and it was difficult to stop my adrenaline as it made me shake and a little decomposed. This was evident to myself as I sang, my voice at the start sounding unconfident, not fully understanding when my verse started and relying on someone else’s signal. As a performer, I should learn to be more independent, as a lead singer, leading a group comes with independence and confidence, something I need to build. Along the shaking off my insecurities and getting over my anxiety, I lacked in stage presence, my anxiety making me unable to move and made me stiff, I was aware of this, so I look at the audience trying to shake off my feeling of awkwardness. I always had trouble with my breathing, with singing, I should learn to control my breathing, this will help me to control my notes, harmonies, and timing. I also let my anxiety get the better of me, my thoughts cloud my judgement, and I constantly think I’m going to fail, linking with my confidence, I should practice in front of those round me more, and practice more at home, and learn to love myself as a singer. With the type of performer I aspire to become, I want to be able to dance on stage and interact more with an audience, I want to be able to incorporate all types of media into my career. So, I’m going to start looking into dance performance classes to improve my confidence and stage presence. I also can’t read sheet music, and during rehearsals I couldn’t read the sheets provided, So I’m going to get help from my dad, a guitar player and a singer, (like father like daughter) He’s going to teach me to read sheet music and play the guitar, something I’m very excited for. I was able to perform the music very well, however, the song choice is not what I feel suits me, with being a Soprano, I feel the song doesn’t display my full potential.
Tutor Feedback: –
In terms of receiving feedback, my tutor told me that during my performances I needed to work on my timing, which I agree on, during my performance, It was hard to know when my verses started or ended, along with the transition from the chorus to the bridge, I found this difficult at first, but I eventually got the hang of it. In terms of other criticisms, I also was told to learn the lyrics, and not just read off of paper which I also agree on, If I want to be a performer and lead performance with other members, I need to be confident in myself and know the lyrics and empower the rest of my band mates. Not knowing my parts made me less confident, and I blanked out on some of my lines, forgetting them and it would sometimes confuse the group.
Peer/Student Feedback: –
The tutors organised the audience to give feedback on our performance and the criticisms we got as a group are;
// Strong Vocals (Positive) – I had strong good vocals in the performance
// The music washed out the singer during the performance (Criticism) – The instruments, the drums, made it so you couldn’t hear the vocals at the bridge.
// The music was out of tune at times, the guitar was out of tune only a little, but it was easily to pick up at parts
// The group showed hesitance, throughout the performance, especially when approaching the bridge, everyone was waiting for an indication to carry on, and in a performance, it shows that you’re not confident in your abilities.
Individual strengths and areas for improvement: –
I should work on controlling my voice and working on my vibrato and technique, and work on my breathing, also getting rid of my anxiety and building confidence. I should work on my stage presence and communication, socialising with more people and not being afraid to step out of my comfort zone. As for positives, I’m able to adapt and adjust myself to situations quickly, and I’m able to push through my anxiety if I put my mind to something, I’m able to sing pretty well, controlling my tone and being able to pick up lyrics and harmonies with others pretty easily. I’m able to lead a group and perform on stages.
Targets for next week/Practice: –
I should start learning the second song, and start practicing my vocals more, along with timing, control and breathing techniques. The next song I’m learning is by the Artist Radiohead, An artist I’ve never heard of, so once again, I’ll have to learn another song, and this time, I should practice more at home and try to listen to the song a lot more. And work on building my confidence in front of my group. I should also try to get more comfortable in smaller rooms, and work on my claustrophobia. And I should socialise with others more so I feel more comfortable around them, the group could work on the sound and building more chemistry for the music to work together so it doesn’t make any one instrument hard to hear.
Overall, I think our performance wasn’t perfect, but it was good for a first attempt, and I think everyone did get given the situations and what we were able to perform, and I look forward to more performances in the future.