Episode XXI - Step up to the Hip Hop

Week 21 - 17.02.10, 18.02.10 and 19.02.10

College

As i entered into the practise rooms for my weekly practise with my hip hop band, i noticed that there was 3 drummers, 2 singers, 2 guitarists and a keys player in the room. I thought to myself that this was enough and i went to see Andrew. I talked to him about the situation and suggested that we split the group into two bands. At first, he did not agree with the idea, but after much reasoning from myself, he came around to the idea. I then said that he should come into the room with us and help us sort this out. This was the most awkward i have been in a long time. The most response that we got from band members was ''i dont care'' or ''whatever''. Very helpful. After much silence, i decided to take charge and split the group into two. I took Greensmith and Alison with me as i thought we could pull off the hip hop band on our own. The others were more than happy to leave hip hop and start a new genre. I think that i handled the situation calmly and confidently. Ive spent weeks as MC Keating, working out new songs and learning raps, i wasn't about to let that all go to waste. As an instrumental instructor, i wil be faced with many situations like this, where i need to keep a cool head and create solutions that make everyone involved happier.

First up on Thursday was Graded Unit. We were all to take part in mock interviews and apply for our desired positions. I watched each interview intently, watching for all of the 'do's' and 'don't s'. Athough it may have seemed like i wasnt paying attention (writing that daryl has a beard like Sean Bean and Jamie Mann resembles James McAvoy), i did take alot from spectating:

1. Never play with a pen during the interview, its very annoying!

2. Keep a straight posture, lean in to show interest.

3. Speak clearly and confidently, try not to sound sarcastic or 'ramble on' to much

4. Keeping it light hearted can work in your favour, makes you memorable.

5. Come well prepared, do some research and have answers in your head prior to the interview.

6. Look professional, first impressions count!

7. Turn your weakness's into strengths!

Assessing others is an essential skill for an instrumental instructor. To receive feedback from a teacher of how you did is a valuable learning technique. I unfortunately did not get my interview this week, but i look forward to mine next week!

Outside of College

This week has been quite busy outside of college. I have been working on my original material all week, which has been such a good feeling. I know that being in a band doesn't seem relevant in becoming an instrumental instructor, but i feel that if im excited and happy playing in a band, it will keep up my interest and attention to the guitar. New Delusion had a practice on Saturday which went really really well!

In regards to my Rock School, my first day will be on the first week of the Easter Break. I am really looking forward to starting this up again. I have been told that one or two of the children already play and instrument, and are really excited about me coming up! I have managed to aquire a drum kit from a friend which completes my instrument back line for the project. I have also secured a gig date for them in the assembly hall on a Friday, which will be in front of all of the years of primary school!

Episode XX - Return of the Delusion

Week 20 - 10.02.10 - 11.02.10

College

This week in college was cut short due to me falling ill. This meant that i missed all of Thursday's lectures which is annoying for me as i was looking forward to learning some good interview techniques and taking part in some studio work. Wednesday was an in service day which meant i did not lose any class time. Being ill, i could not do much as i was in bed all day. This made me realise the massive impact being il can have on your education and yourself. If i were a Instrumental Instructor and i fell ill, i would need to find a replacement or the pupil would lose a week of valuable learning, which i have this week. Being ill is not something you can control, but looking after myself properly can reduce the effects.

Despite this, i came in on Friday, as i really really want to do the degree next year. I feel 100% attendance will aid me on this. The class was a lot more focused this time round, with more focus on music rather than our depressing futures! We learned how to analyse a song using multiple versions of the same song. We looked at timing, tempo, feel, stylistic techniques and so on. Although not an integral technique in becoming an Instrumental Instructor, song analysis will aid me in my music knowledge as a whole and allow me to create better compositions for myself.

Outside of college

On Saturday, i had my first meeting with a new potential drummer! His name is Angus and he owns his own rehearsal studios in Edinburgh! The place is fantastic and has an impressive backline! We all got set up for the jam and i had to teach and show Angus a collection of our material. I felt i taught him clearly and concisely, as he was able to pick up the pieces with no problem at all. The jam went really well and i have high hope for the band. I have been waiting for this to happen for some time, and im really happy about the prospect of getting back into the stage again. Hopefully, this is a start of a New Delusion!

Episode XIX - 3 DRUMMERS, POSSIBLY A FORTH...SOMEONE HAVING A LAUGH?

Week 19 - 3.2.10 - 4.2.10

College

My college week got off to a bad start as i was told by one of my colleagues that Wednesday was an in service day, when in fact it was not. Although i place much trust in this particular colleague, i must make a mental note to find out this information for myself before assuming the outcome. So my Wednesday consisted of working an extra day at my work. Although not musically driven, this decision allowed my to gain more money to fund my musical career.

Thursday began with the last of the Beatles presentations. Both were very informative. Next week we will be focusing on interview techniques which i welcome greatly. We then had Music History where we focused on a musicology dissertation on assessing genre. We had to do half an hour of reading which was quite straining for me personally, as i had to get up at 6 to catch my bus in the morning. I have to solve this by managing my time better and going to sleep earlier the night before. An good Instrumental Instructor needs to have a good grasp of time management and obviously, needs to be alert and awake during a lesson! In session skills, we were given a very long talk on music production which i did find quite interesting. Digital Audio focussed on honing our skills on Cubase.

Friday came as a big surprise to all of us, and opened many of our eyes. Out of our class of 42, only 25 will get into the degree! This has made me more determined than ever to produce high quality work and pass all of my exams! Everyone in that room has something very unique about them, and i cant see how the college will split the group. All i can do is produce my work to the best of my ability and hope for a place next year! To add to this blow, Pete also explained to us that their is little to no work for both session musicians or instrumental instructors! He then went on to tell us about job opportunities in Morrison's and as a primary school teacher. Not to be disrespectful to Pete, how can we be inspired as students if we keep getting beaten down like that! Lecturers should be there to inspire us, not constantly beat us down. After the class, i felt so deflated and re-considered my plans for next year. There was alot of talk of moving courses and colleges from those i talked to...

I put so much time and effort into these blogs, countless hours on my presentations and months working out songs and how to perform them. Sometimes it just seems like its all a joke you know? With the new dilemma of having 3 DRUMMERS IN ONE BAND is silly. Just because one band couldn't get along, we all have to suffer for it. I dont think that is fair on the rest of us. We have a set and songs learnt, now we need to incorporate another drummer? Having two drummers in a hip hop band was hard enough! I get that as a musician, you have to take what you get and make the best of it, but this is ridiculous.

---END OF RANT---

Despite all of this, nothing will get resolved about it so i must plough on. I will still work to the best of my ability and work with what i'm given. In lighter news, i received a B for my last performance which was good!

I hope that next weeks blog proves to be more productive.

Episode XVIII - The Beatles and the Philosopher's Rolling Stone

Week 18 - 27.1.10 - 28.1.10

College

The beginning of Semester 2! The semester kicked off with a band practise with my hip hop rap band! The band is doing really well as everyone is getting on well. As we have two guitarists in the band, i have opted to be a vocalist and a bassist for that band. This shows my versatility as a musician which is essential for a instrumental instructor. As Pete Honeyman said, ''You never know what you will be teaching''. As bass is in the guitar 'family' i can play it to a reasonable level. I have been playing about with my vocals for some time now. I am getting more and more comfertable with my voice. As i knew the entire rap of Eminem's 'Lose Yourself', i was chosen to perform it. I did this with much confidence and secured my place on the song! Rapping is so much fun and quite a different from my beloved rock genre im so accustomed to! After much research prior to the practice, Greensmith and I suggested doing a N.E.R.D song. This went down well and we practiced ''Lapdance''. This song has an awesome riff, and a female vocal which Alison was well up for! Both songs are sounding great!

In First Study, Kevin went over what was required of me this semester. We are to compose a completely original piece, showcasing stylistic techniques and structure. I am looking forward to the challenge!

In composition class, we were split into groups and given the simple task of created a melody then changing the tempo, key etc to create an almost 'cannon' of melodies. It was not simple! Everyone put forward melody ideas, but we were connecting. I attempted to put ideas forward, but could not control the focus of my colleagues. This is an area in which i need to work on, if i am going to control potential pupils of all ages.

On Thursday, it was my turn to do my presentation! ''The Beatles and the Philosopher's Rolling Stone''. I had been looking forward to this for some time! I did mine in the style of a film, with mock trailers and other movie related ideas. During the trailers, i handed out popcorn to all those who were watching. I felt the presentation went well and i felt confident that i had conveyed my point. I chose to take a more light hearted approch to my presentation this time round. After watching presentation after presentation, i noticed that while the talks were relevant and interesting, i wasnt taking in any information.I feel this is due to the way they were delivered. I am a big believer in performance and presenting ideas well. Although there was not as much content as i would have liked in my own, people were listening to what i was saying in the hope that something funny might happen. People will remember something more if its presented differently. In no way am i saying that mine was better than everyone elses. I just feel that some of the presentations were a bit hard to focus on. I am definatly going to incorperate this into how i teach my own pupils. Im sorry if i sound like a egotistical twat!

Thursday also saw the induction of Music History. I am quite glad that this class is back, as it will allow room for some much need academic content to the course. I actually like writing and researching essays! This lesson was dedicated to outlining the course and providing us with potential research websites. Knowing music history is not essential to an instrumental instructor, but will be useful in musical discussions with pupils and for my own personal research.

Outside of college

This week, i began to plan out my lessons for my Rock School. For my first lesson, i intend to get the kids into a circle and discuss music and what they would like to play. This will both get the kids excited about the project and let me know about their musical directions. When i know what kinda of bands that they like i can they study them and teach them material that they would actually like to play. After this, i will give them all an opportunity to play each instrument in the band. Last year, there were too many people to fit into one band, so i gave the others roles such as stage designer, video director, costume designers and dancers. As i only have roughly an hour a lesson, i dont expect to get this all done in one lesson. This will most likely run over 2 lessons, with the second lesson dedicated to instrument playing. I have found out today that i am not allowed to film the teaching of the kids, as some of the parents do not want there kids filmed. This will hinder my evidence and am now looking at written evidence for my Rock School.

Episode XVII - Better ''Quinn'' up my Blogs!

Week 17 - 20.1.10 - 21.1.10

After being told in class that blog entries are lacking content, and checking out other blogs, i am now going to attempt a new approch to writing these entries.

College

This week saw a return to normal college life, which i was actually really happy about! It was the end of Semester one, which meant we had to tie up all of our loose ends. Although it was the end of the semester, we were put into bands for semester two. I was put into the 'Hip Hop/Rap band' which is where i wanted to be! I am in a band with people i have not worked with before, with the exception of John Greensmith. This will allow me not only to meet new people, but i can work on my communication skills and not fall into the comfort of playing with friends. Although making friends in a band is a good thing, with not knowing most of the members, i will be more focused on the task at hand. I love rap music and i hope i can be an asset to this band.

In First Study, i recorded both of my original compositions of ''I'm a loser' and 'Back in the USSR'. Both went down well and showed off my creativity as a guitarist. 'I'm a loser' had a very classical feel utilising 6th and 10th to portray this. With 'Back in the USSR', i used a slow blues feel. Dominant 7th chords, double stops and the blues scale conveyed this perfectly. I find first study very valuable to me as a potential instrumental instructor, as the more knowledge that i gain of this instrument, the more i can teach!

On Thursday, i watched my colleagues give their power point presentations. As they were talking, i was observing both what they were saying and the slides that they created. This allowed me to help me with my own presentation and improve my evaluation skills. Evaluating my colleagues is a good way of preparing myself in evaluating my potential pupils. Honing these skills early would be most beneficial to my career. Thursday also saw the final music theory exam! I had not done enough revision and went in feeling very under prepared! Despite this, the exam went ok and i feel confident for a pass. I need to improve my music theory skills post class, as this would help my instrumental instructor lessons to be more informative and musically correct. When i become a teacher i hope to teach both tab music and musical notation as i feel both are vital to a growing guitarist.

Outside of College

New Delusion, my band outside of college, is doing very well on line! The myspace website has had 1608 plays and 8646 profile views in only 5 weeks! Its such a shame though that a drummer has not come forward in light of this.

My Rock School has been set up and i am just finalising all of the details to get this project under way. Before i can begin work on this, the children need to sign up for the project and have their parents approval. I have been told that this can take time, so i will utilise this time by creating all of my lesson plans for the project. The first plan will be included in my next blog.