PROJECT DIARY
Week 1: 24.02.25
Outline of recording/rehearsal session:
This week I worked on the context of my project, I went wrote down what my project was, being well-being in the industry and how I am linking that to my performance with vocal warmups and performance preparations. I also explained why I had chosen this for my project as well as why these themes stuck out to me personally. I then moved on to discuss Billie Eilish and her song TV from her EP “Guitar songs” explaining how Billie conveyed her emotions into the song to represent how she felt over the unfortunate events in America, I found an interview of Billie explaining this which I will use as secondary research. During my singing lesson I sang TV by Billie Eilish, which is quite simple to sing for me, however me and Claire (singing teacher) discussed how I can change it to make it more challenging for me and how I can make it a more powerful performance as it is a moving meaningful song, that I should be able to properly convey if doing this for a final performance.
Problems and issues that appeared:
Solutions:
Some things happened throughout the week involving other band members which put me in a dilemma on how to handle situations further on throughout the project.
I discussed the situation with Liam and Lucy and spoke about my options on how to move forward and to put what is best for myself first.
I have fell behind schedule due to working on my context outline and swot analysis instead of my research.
I will be working on my research at home as well as during lesson time to make up for where I have fell behind on schedule.
I am yet to decide properly which songs I will be doing which could cause me to fall behind a further amount.
I plan to find a handful of options to do, figure out which ones particularly show off my personal strengths and go from there.
Reflection:
I have learnt from these sessions that not everything goes exactly to plan and that I just must handle the issues as they come and think of the mature solution which will help me achieve the best outcome possible for my project.
Targets for next week:
For next week I would like to complete my swot analysis and my context outline, I will do this by concentrating, working from home as well as in lesson to produce the best work I can.
I will also be making sure I have begun my research on my first artist, I will be doing this by giving myself the target of finding five pieces of secondary research about the specific artist.
Week 2: 03.03.24
Outline of recording/rehearsal session:
This week I met my targets of completing my SWOT analysis and context outline, I finished it before it was due in, this was so I would have enough time to receive feedback and then alter it for improvement, which I did. I also achieved my target of finding five resources about Billie Eilish being open about her mental health struggles, I went for interviews rather than websites as, interview articles like Rolling Stone are more reliable and detailed as celebrities frequently work with them. This week I also picked my band members; which are in the class below of people who were kind enough to help, this is due to situations in my class which resulted in me needing to put my work first over anything else. I have created a playlist of song ideas for us to do, I also discussed songs with everyone in the band just to see what they would potentially want to do, we decided on ‘Only Angel’ by Harry Styles as the first song that we will be doing. During my singing lesson I shown Claire the song Only Angel, as I have a cold I could not sing as much so we discussed what I could do with the song as it is a male vocal so quite easy for me, we want to change it o it consists of more belts as well as riffs. We would also like to prioritise keeping my natural singing tone in songs, rather than changing it to suit the song.
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Problems and issues that appeared:
Solutions:
I have been ill this week, so I have not been able to sing barely. I have also avoided singing during the week as I do not want to further damage my voice.
I have been resting my voice and staying hydrated to look after my voice as much as possible. I also listened over Only Angel singing it in head voice so I would not damage my voice when doing the song.
I am yet to catch up on my timetable, I am nearly where I should be research wise but not in the practical aspect.
I know what I need to do to catch up and have created myself a timetable for out of college hours, so I know what I need to do to catch up.
The year ones helping in my band have different lessons to me therefore I only get one practical session with them a week, therefore I need to use my spare time usefully.
During my practical session alone this week I listened over Only Angel by Harry Styles whilst singing that in head voice. Lucas is also in my band as well as class so he can help me when the rest of the band are not in.
Reflection:
I am currently behind on my timetable, so I need to follow my out of college hours timetable to help me when catching up. I know when I begin my song this week I will nearly be caught up with the practical side of my work. I have learnt from this week's sessions that I only have one session a week with my band to rehearse rather than two, so I need to use that second session only usefully and properly assess how the first session has gone for me and in the band.
Targets for next week:
My target this week is to make a start on my essay or at least have a guide for myself on how I am going to set it out.
I would also like to at least complete half of ‘Only Angel’ by Harry Styles with the band.
Week 3: 10.03.25
Outline of recording/rehearsal session:
This week I continued my research on Billie Eilish finding more websites as well as reading articles in further detail about her and her experiences in the industry. I did not meet my first target of making a start on my essay this was due to me focussing more on my research work. However, I did meet my target of working on the song ‘Only Angel’ by Harry Styles with the new band, this rehearsal session went very well, we completed the whole song in less than an hour, I have picked my next song which is ‘It won’t always be like this’ by Inhaler. This week on Tuesday we were in the studio instead of our regular lesson in a computer classroom, I took this session time to create a playlist of potential songs I would like to do for future performances. As I am have been ill I have not been singing as much and did not want to so I did not give my throat further damage, so I sang some of the songs I had on my playlist to see where my voice was currently at and maintained hydrated to avoid worsening my voice. On Wednesday during my singing lessons, we worked on several warmups/ techniques to lower my larynx, such as scales from high to low creating different sounds when doing so. I also sang I miss you, I’m sorry by Gracie Abrams, I struggled when it came to the chorus and felt myself squeezing in some parts of it, so Claire told me to do scatting instead of singing the lyrics which I did a handful of times and then I tried it with the actual lyrics and it worked really well and that tension from squeezing in my throat was no longer there.
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Problems and issues that appeared:
Solutions:
Our version of Only Angel did not properly match the original.
We listened over the song, discussed parts that we could improve on and done so, an example of this would be the last lyric of the second verse cuts instrumentally and is just singing so we done that.
I did not have much of a voice when singing due to being ill on Tuesdays session.
I kept myself well hydrated, done some different warmup techniques and did not push my voice when singing to see where my voice was at.
I did not manage to start my introduction on my essay like I would have liked to.
I did research instead which will help me with my essay task in the long run, so even though I am behind on my targets I have not wasted valuable time.
Reflection:
I have learnt that I should prioritise my essay work as that is something of which I am doing independently and have full control over, whereas on the practical side for me personally it is easier for me as I am choosing which songs we are doing and I know I have the time slot of my singing lesson to rehearse.
Targets for next week:
Start the introduction of my essay as I had previously planned to do last week.
Continue to practice ‘Only Angel’ by Harry Styles and to start working on ‘It won’t always be like this’ by Inhaler.
Week 4: 17.03.25
Outline of recording/rehearsal session:
This week I started my research work; I completed my introduction of my essay as well as the first paragraph being about Billie Eilish. I look over all my resources, rewatching the videos as well as reading articles, I find articles from Rolling Stone the most helpful, so they are what I tend to go for when looking for resources as I believe they are the most reliable and words do not get manipulated and changed by the media. I also retrieved my primary research I done this by creating a google forms creating questions regarding how they feel before a performance, I will be putting the answers into my essay. During my singing lesson this week I continued working on building my belt back up, I continued working on “I miss you, I’m sorry” by Gracie Abrams. Claire told me to put my hand on my stomach and inhale then exhale to find where I have tension and how I can more the tension to my stomach rather than my shoulders and throat. We done different sounds in scales to see what sound I produced would be the most comfortable and cause the least amount of tension in my throat. During Tuesday's session I watched the first episode of Robbie Williams Netflix docuseries “Robbie Williams” where he watches back videos when he was suffering with addiction going in and out of rehab and how he got to where he was. Having something like a docuseries as my resource is extremely important and useful as I can get the most reliable information as well as seeing unseen footage from his past. On Wednesday's practical session we did not start “It won’t always be like this” by Inhaler as I had hoped we would have done, however we continued to rehearse “Only Angel” by Harry Styles which went well for us, and we are consistently improving.
https://youtube.com/shorts/eiY4Td7YSt0?feature=share
Problems and issues that appeared:
Solutions:
Lucas was working will his other band during the practical session, so we were down a member.
Zoe helped instead and she was a very good addition to the band, mine and her voice goes nicely together so it sounded good in the song.
I still have not completely got my voice back after being ill.
I worked on tactics in my singing lesson that helped me move the additional tension in my throat to my stomach making it more comfortable.
I have not analysed my primary research results yet.
I will make time outside of college to analyse my results and compare different people's answers.
Reflection:
My reflection for this week is to continue working outside of college to catch up with my timetable and to concentrate as much as possible and if people or situations in class are distracting me then to wear my headphones whilst working as I know I will get things done doing so, or go into another room to work. I will also be continuing working on my songs outside of college and doing the vocal warmups Claire taught me to do.
Targets for next week:
Next week I would like to make a start to “It won’t always be like this” by Inhaler.
I would also like to of made a start to my third paragraph in my essay.
Week 5: 24.03.25
Outline of recording/rehearsal session:
This week I met my goals of making a start to my third paragraph, which is about Robbie Williams, to help with my research throughout the week I have been watching episodes of his docuseries on Netflix noting down important things I could use in my essay. I have nearly completed my paragraph, and I am ready to move on to my next one with the possibly of adding more information to each paragraph if needs be. Me and the band also started working on “It won’t always be like this” by Inhaler however, Maddy who is playing lead guitar was not in, so it created a slight setback, but we got up to the second chorus before the instrumental section starts/ bridge. In my singing lesson this week we are still working on building my belt back up, lowering my larynx as a warmup seems to be what works best for me, we are also working on moving the tension I carry when singing to my stomach, Claire has told me to practice singing lying on my back, making sure I exhale at the right time.
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Problems and issues that appeared:
Solutions:
A problem faced was the lead guitarist was not in for the practical session.
We were still productive and completed up to the second chorus of the song, which went well.
We were unsure on the timing of the song when it changes during the pre-chorus to the chorus.
We listened over the song several times to make sure of what it was, and it was easily solved.
I am yet to analyse my primary research which I had hoped to do throughout this week.
I am going to give myself a time slot of when to do this next week, so it is out of the way and ready to put into my essay.
Reflection:
I am still behind on my original timetable however, it is not affecting me, and I am still getting enough work complete weekly, completing a paragraph per week whilst also complete extra research.
Targets for next week:
I would like to complete more of my annotated bibliography and continue getting more resources.
I would also like to finish off “It won’t always be like this” by Inhaler next week.
Week 6: 31.03.25
Outline of recording/rehearsal session:
This week I continued working on the Inhaler song called It won’t always be like this during Wednesdays session which went well, and we finished the song it just needs polishing over. In my singing lesson I done scales to lower my larynx, this works best for me to prepare my voice which we had recently discovered. When it came to my research work, I had been watching Rocketman about Elton John for my research, noting down what effects drugs and alcohol had on him and what effect it had on everyone around him. During Wednesday's research session I uploaded everything for my website that was needed to be, I also have prepared the pages for my future work to be uploaded to. I was absent on Friday, leaving me to slightly fall behind but not to cause any effect to my work.
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Problems and issues that appeared:
Solutions:
I was absent on Friday's session.
I can catch up with my work as I am not that far behind and catching up is easily done.
We have not started the third of fourth song.
I have picked both songs which we will be doing now so if we rehearse them outside of college we will quickly be up to date.
I am not where I would like to be in my research task.
I know I can catch up outside of college when giving myself a set time to do so.
Reflection:
This week I have learnt that communication and confidence is key for me when being productive. I cannot be indecisive when it comes to picking songs or trying to please others with what songs that others want to do.
Targets for next week:
To make a start at my third song.
To of nearly completed my paragraph on Elton John.
Week 7: 21.04.25
Outline of recording/rehearsal session:
On Tuesday I caught up on my work from the Friday I was absent, doing the week previous of my project diary. On Wednesday during our research session, I read over my resources on Elton John and completed my paragraph about him which was more than my expectation in goals of which I set for myself. During the practical session I did not meet the target of starting my third song. However, after being off for two weeks we needed to go over the two songs we had already completed which went very well for us. In my singing lesson we discussed how my voice has been as I have been ill several times for those past few weeks/months effecting my voice, so I have been building my belt back up. I told Claire that I have been acting like I throw the words when singing at parts that cause tension in my voice to extend the words, and it works very well for me. I also do scales to warm up before I sing no matter what now which is a habit I was hoping to pick up. I say the word four when doing my scales and start higher and gradually get to the lowest note I can as this is what works best for me.
https://youtu.be/nbJgAWc5lSM?si=MYi0ls-XdAeekW_9
https://youtu.be/RoBmaHlziw0?si=n3jQNMLnTYHjk7mw
Problems and issues that appeared:
Solutions:
Only Angel did not sound right when we first went over it.
We listened over it and decided that Maddy should do the intro guitar section of the song as it sounds fuller.
I was behind on my work from before half-term
I caught up on the first day back and am now up to where I need to be.
Reflection:
I have learnt it is important to go over songs when there has been a large period between practising them and assess fully what needs improvement to get the best results possible.
Targets for next week:
Complete my next paragraph in my essay on preparing for a performance technique.
Start my next song.
Week 8: 28.04.25
Outline of recording/rehearsal session:
During Monday’s session I gathered all my primary research resources, to create my analysis paragraph for my essay, then on Tuesday’s session I wrote a draft of my paragraph and put it into my essay on Wednesday’s session. On Wednesday I had a very productive day I had my singing lesson where I went over my song with Claire doing our usual warmups, I couldn't go over “It won’t always be like this” by Inhaler during my lesson as it did not have a backing track for me to work with. On Wednesday I also created a PowerPoint of why I chose each song I am performing as well as information about each song, this is so I can link each song to my project. During the practical session we worked on Hypersonic Missiles by Sam Fender we completed the entire song, however Oscar who plays bass had to leave the session earlier somewhat effecting our progress, yet we still managed to complete the song by the end of the session. We then went over both other songs which were still up to standard and just need perfecting over.
Singing lesson- Singing lesson 1.m4a
Practical session- Hypersonic missiles.m4a
It won’t always be like this.m4a
Problems and issues that appeared:
Solutions:
I am currently ill which is somewhat affecting my voice.
I can still sing I just know to maintain hydrated and properly warmup before singing.
Oscar had to leave the practical session earlier.
We continued working on the song and completed it.
There is no backing track for “it won't always be like this” by Inhaler so I couldn’t rehearse it during my singing lesson.
I shown Claire a video of me singing the song with the band instead to receive any advice, I also rehearsed with the band after my singing lesson as well.
Reflection:
From this week I have learnt that I need to prioritise myself and looking after my voice, as I have frequently been ill, so I need to look after myself instead of pushing through it and doing more damage than good to my voice.
Targets for next week:
Have a running order setlist for the gig, so I can let Kacey know how long we will take.
To complete my next paragraph for my essay about preparing for the gig and what warmups I will do to prepare.
Week 9: 05.05.25
Outline of recording/rehearsal session:
On Tuesday I finished off my research on each song I am doing for the gig writing details regarding the song and why I chosen them. I also found of what Billie Eilish, Robbie Williams and Elton John do to prepare for their performances, what they do to prepare appearance wise as well as vocally. On Wednesday’s session I had my singing lesson where we went over my full complete setlist for the gig as I am still not well, so we didn’t want to over challenge my voice. During our research session I collected my notes on what the artists do to prepare for gigs and wrote my paragraph in my essay for that. Then in our practical session we just went over our setlist as well as picking a band name.
Problems and issues that appeared:
Solutions:
Josh had to leave earlier which cut our practical session shorter.
Our set is complete, so we only had to go over the songs a few times and used the session time the best we could.
I am still not well, and this is affecting my voice.
Claire has given me more advice of, warming my voice up at the start of the day, getting plenty of sleep and drinking plenty of water.
Reflection:
This week I have learnt that we are all working well together as a band and that I have made the right decision when it came to working with the year ones instead of people in my class and finally putting myself first as it has all paid off. I have also learnt that I will need to get plenty of rest to feel better and be my best self for the gig.
Targets for next week:
Have all my work complete and at its best standard.
Perform at the gig and be myself on stage.