| Isobel McEvoy |
| To develop my technical proficiency on guitar and gain professional experience through performing in an acoustic duo and a band setting. |
| Section 1: Context (approx. 300 words) |
| My aim for this project is for me to be able to execute 2 separate performances in 2 different settings. I aim to create a setlist and book a paid gig of a 2X45 minute set to enable me to start making money through playing music. On the side of this, I also aim to play 6 songs in a band setting which will be purely to help develop my guitar skills, learning about tones and equipment as well as digging deeper into music theory. From the beginning of the year I have gained a lot more in depth information and skills about the professionalism in the music industry, including doing work placements and looking into music therapy by playing jazz at a dementia care home which really improved my guitar skills by a loot, as well as learning more about how the music industry works. I also gained skills in research and analysis when I wrote an essay. In the first project I also gained and expanded my skills on guitar when I played more lead parts in the bad which I wasn’t used to or comfortable with so really helped me gain more confidence on guitar. I really enjoyed each of these projects however I have decided I really enjoy performing and so have decided to work in an acoustic duo and a band setting so that I get to perform more and gain more technical skills on guitar as well as learning more about the music industry and start making money through playing music. This also means venues I play at get more revenue and I get more people listening to me play, so when I eventually go onto creating music in the future, I will already have a fanbase. |
| Section 2: Research (approx. 50 words) |
| For research I will be primarily going to people I know in the music industry to help me fill in my knowledge of how to get a gig, how to promote myself and what type of promotion works best. I will also be using websites and YouTube videos to research about equipment, guitar/music theory, bands and tones of my guitar. |
| Section 3: Problem solving (approx. 100 words) |
| Most of the problems that will occur during this project will be due to lack of time keeping and falling behind on work. To prevent this from happening I will stick to a strict but realistic weekly timetable to encourage myself to keep up to work. Other problems that may occur could be from lack of knowledge, if this is the case I will take a step back and do the research I need to enable myself to move on. There might end up being problems I couldn’t expect at all and in these situations I will identify the problem and what went wrong and tackle the problem with a suitable solution. |
| Section 4: Planning and production (approx. 50 words) |
| I will create a weekly timetable that splits my project up into 3 different sections, giving myself a day and a half for each section (band rehearsals, acoustic duo rehearsals, research and evaluation). This will allow me to have a focus on each day of the week so that I don’t get overwhelmed with all of the work. |
| Section 5: Practical skills (approx. 100 words) |
| My practical skills for this project will mostly performance based skills (rhythm and lead guitar skills, stage presence and confidence) as well as promotional skills, graphic design skills, communicational skills, time management skills and marketing skills. The resources I will need for this project will be a rehearsal space, acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar, Mac/laptop, photoshop, and access to social platforms (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook). I have gathered lots of performance skills in the first project where we learnt funk songs for the college showcase as well as when we did Jazz in the second project where I really developed on my guitar skills, learning trickier 6th,7th and 9th chords. I have also developed some skills in graphic design when working on band logos and poster design in both level 3 and level 3 extended. |
| Section 6: Evaluation and reflection (approx. 100 words) |
| I will be doing weekly written evaluations on a Friday afternoon of all the rehearsal videos I take that week. I will also be posting videos of band and acoustic duo rehearsals onto TikTok and include feedback from the videos into my evaluation so that I can progress. The written analysis of my videos will include strengths of myself, the band and the duo, weaknesses of myself, the band and the duo, and what I will do next to progress. I will also be doing a written evaluation at the end of my project where I will explore all the areas of what went well or wrong as well as what has changed from the beginning of the project to the end. I will also be doing a written evaluation of the bands final performance as well as one for the duo (if we play before the end of the project, if not, I will do a written evaluation of our final setlist and the latest run through we have done). |
| Section 7: Presentation (approx. 100 words) |
| I will be presenting all of my work and documenting it on digital space using videos and photos of rehearsals and promotional content which will all have a written up evaluation to show my development through the project. I will be posting content onto Instagram and TikTok to reach out to people who enjoy going to see live music and listening to live music. I will be posting photo shoot photos onto Instagram and poster and promotional content which will all go onto my digital space with a write up of feedback from peers. I will upload a video of my final performance onto digital space with an evaluation of how successful it was. |
| Proposed Research Sources and Bibliography (Harvard Format) |
| How to get gigs (2020) How to get gigs as a band or musician: 8 steps to success, How To Get Gigs. Available at: https://www.lastminutemusicians.com/how_to_get_gigs/ (Accessed: 07 March 2024). Octavas (2020) What are the costs for hiring an acoustic duo?, Octavas. Available at: https://www.octavas.co.uk/news/costs-for-hiring-an-acoustic-duo/ (Accessed: 07 March 2024). Hoskyns, B. (2007) Radiohead | Members, Albums, & Facts, Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Radiohead. Eldridge, V. (no date) Foo Figthers – a Brief History, dtc-wsuv.org. Available at: https://dtc-wsuv.org/veldridge18/sequential/. Gill, C. (2018) The secrets behind Jonny Greenwood’s guitar tone on Radiohead’s my iron lung, guitarworld. Available at: https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/the-secrets-behind-jonny-greenwoods-guitar-tone-on-radioheads-my-iron-lung (Accessed: 06 May 2024). |
Action plan
Week | Date Week Beginning | Activity / What you are intending to do – including independent study | Resources / What you will need to do it – including access to workshops |
| 1 | 26/2 | Complete proposal form, rehearse with Faye to start getting 6 songs perfected. | Mac, rehearsal space, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, capo, plectrum, leads, amp, pedals |
| 2 | 4/3 | Start rehearsing with band, learn all the band songs to a basic standard, rehearse with Faye, perform 6 songs for a college performance with Faye, research about how to get a gig and promotional techniques, look up open mic nights near me. Focus on one song with the band to get perfect. Evaluate videos taken. | Mac, rehearsal space, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, capo, plectrum, leads, amp, pedals |
| 3 | 11/3 | Start leaning little wing on bass, rehearse with band, rehearse with Faye and learn 6 more songs with her, research the bands and what equipment they use as well as how to get the tones they use in there songs. Focus on one song with the band to get perfect. Rehearse Little Wing with Clarke/ drummer. Evaluate videos taken. Evaluate videos taken. Start working on artwork with Faye. | Mac, rehearsal space, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, capo, plectrum, leads, amp, pedals |
| 4 | 18/3 | Rehearse with the band and faye, learn 6 more songs for the acoustic duo, research music theory and guitar techniques that Im using/ might use in the future. Focus on one song with the band to get perfect. Rehearse Little Wing with Clarke/ drummer. Evaluate videos taken. | Mac, rehearsal space, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, capo, plectrum, leads, amp, pedals |
| 5 | 8/4 | Learn the last 4 songs for the acoustic duo and rehearse the full set, rehearse the set with the band. Focus on one song with the band to get perfect. Rehearse Little Wing with Clarke/ drummer. Evaluate videos taken. | Mac, rehearsal space, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, capo, plectrum, leads, amp, pedals |
| 6 | 15/4 | Rehearse with the band, rehearse setlist with Faye, do an open mic night (depending on when they fall). Rehearse Little Wing with Clarke/ drummer. Focus on one song with the band to get perfect. Evaluate videos taken. | Mac, rehearsal space, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, capo, plectrum, leads, amp, pedals |
| 7 | 22/4 | Rehearse with the band, rehearse full set with Faye. Rehearse Little Wing with Clarke/ drummer. Focus on one song with the band to get perfect. Evaluate videos taken. | Mac, rehearsal space, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, capo, plectrum, leads, amp, pedals |
| 8 | 29/4 | Mock performance with the band and Faye, evaluate the mock performances, work on anything needed to make the actual performance better. | Mac, rehearsal space, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, capo, plectrum, leads, amp, pedals |
| 9 | 6/5 | Main performance, evaluate the performance, evaluate the project. | Mac, rehearsal space, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, capo, plectrum, leads, amp, pedals |