MOR22870807: (Unit 13) Final Evaluation

Unit 13 - Final Evaluation

Today is the final day of my Unit 13 Final Major Project! Although it has not been easy, I'm so proud of the progress I've made and all the difference tasks I have gotten to try. My plan developed greatly throughout the weeks from a rough idea into a clear final result where I not only built upon my existing learnt skills but I got to experiment and try new ideas too. The main aspect of my project was to write, record, mix and master four songs within the duration of the final project so I could then release them digitally. Alongside this, I also wanted to be able to explore my role in the music industry deeper by trying my hands at something I have no previous experience in, promoting. I decided the easiest way to tie these two goals together was by organising my own gig where my band could also play the whole EP I've created live. Of course, since since the main event is a gig, I also set the extra challenge of creating merchandise to sell at the venue, specifically t-shirts, cassettes and stickers to ensure I would continuously have my hands full before the deadline.

So what went well? Due to all the different parts to my project, many of the results and progress of different aspects went amazing! Firstly, I want to mention is how much my initial research helped. Even regarding topics I considered myself well-versed on, I found even a simple video refresher was a great help to perfect my work and expand my knowledge. I found I particularly put my research about stage presence and mixing into action and I feel like every mixing video I watch, I learn yet another important feature of Logic! I think often we avoid doing research as it can be seen as boring but this project has come to help me understand just how important it is, especially in the beginning stage. Secondly, I really enjoyed the aspects of collaboration I got to feature in my project. As well as getting to work hard and connect further with my band, I also enjoyed communicating with my sister on the sticker designs and utilising her art abilities. In terms of collaboration, I also loved the opportunity to try promotion as I got to have valuable communication with venue owners as well as staff and my audience. One very important and prevalent feature of my project was problem solving. As I've mentioned before, problems will always manage to sneak in no matter how well you think you've planned so it's more a matter of putting quick solutions to them in action. I encountered various problems throughout which I had to quickly solve in order to not fall behind such as problems with the t-shirt stencils. The original stencils I purchased after much research ended up being way too thin and non-reusable (after I just spent an entire evening cutting out the design perfectly). I knew I had no time to waste and further researched suitable replacements. That same night I ended up ordering a custom cut thicker stencil which was perfect for the job when it arrived. Overall, I'm aware I encountered a lot of problems but I'm quite proud of how I managed to keep my cool throughout and think rationally despite my tendency to panic. Furthermore, something that I knew would go well was my planning and continuously adapting it throughout. In the beginning I created a clear timetable to give myself structure and clear goals to hit each week. Of course, due to various factors, there were times where not everything went to plan and I fell slightly behind. In my weekly updates I kept track of what I accomplished so I could be aware of what needed to be adapted and completed the next week. The reason I'm so proud of my effort here is because motivation and staying on track has always been quite a struggle for me but with this clear plan that I kept an eye on, I managed to put my best efforts into the project. Finally, the last great aspect I want to mention is the gig itself! I had been nervous throughout about performing with a new band as Glass Star was all I had known and we had not had the chance for much rehearsal... Luckily, despite a couple of mess ups on the night, I found the performance to go rather smoothly. I am well aware it wasn't perfect but it was our first gig and I'm so proud of my band for getting up there and giving it a go regardless of the short time we had together beforehand. I think it was made a lot easier by knowing that everyone in the audience was a friend, not there to judge us, but support us in our showcase of talent. I can't wait for the next gig with the band and to see how we'll improve!

What didn't go so well? Whilst I like to keep a positive mindset and focus on celebrating the successes, I am aware that there were many aspects that didn't quite go perfectly to plan which frustrated and stressed me out. To begin, for two weeks before the easter break I become horrifically ill due to a severe tooth infection. I was in the middle of our first band rehearsal when I realised it hurt to sing. As it progressed quickly, all I seemed to do was take medicine and sleep, which meant I begin to fall behind on work. Even worse, I had to be absent that week when I had decided to book studio time for drum recording. In order to combat this, I decided to complete most of my research posts that I had planned throughout the project so I could truly focus on the practical stuff once I got back. I was extremely lucky that my tutors and fellow bandmates were so understanding and by completing most of my written work, it ensured I could focus on the EP and gig once my better health returned. Another issue that effected my work was my bandmates exams. Unfortunately, half of my band had multiple exams in the time of my project so I'm very grateful they even agreed to help out and perform at the gig but I noticed we were really struggling in rehearsal and therefore anxious about the gig. While I panicked for awhile, I ended up realising that it wasn't the end of the world if he didn't get to practice for hours and hours, I just wanted to enjoy getting up on the stage and performing with my friends. So ultimately I didn't really "solve" this problem, we certainly messed up on the day but it didn't matter to me as I simply ended up enjoying the experience I got to have with my friends. However, another problem I faced was a result of my own procrastination. I was so focused on completing my EP and preparing for the gig that I more or less forgot about my cassette tapes until the last minute. I was of course panicked as I had planned to sell them at the gig but I eventually decided that in order to not rush my mixing, I would create the tapes for my project, not to sell at the gig. I only ended up making five cassettes but I'm really glad I made the choice to take my time instead of rushing in whilst maintaining the homemade look I desired. Building off of that issue, I also struggled with mixing. This is something I have had difficulty with since I started college and although I definitely understand more now, I still find myself getting frustrated. I really struggled with mixing, especially this time around as I had never mixed any genre outside of Glass Star before and all my research didn't seem to help that much. I tried to take my time mixing and listen to each instrument but I still found it incredibly difficult. I think this is something I want to keep working at over the summer and I'm extremely grateful my time in college has given me a solid foundation to figure out Logic in my own time. Which is something I never would've been capable of using had I not spent my time here at Llwyn Y Bryn.

What have I learnt from this experience? To be quite honest, I think I've learnt and improved upon way too many skills to mention! From trying something completely new and out of my comfort zone like promoting to utilising what I've learnt about performance in college, I think this project has helped supply me with so many skills to use inside and out of the music industry. I'd like to mention some specific areas that I'm grateful for starting with collaboration. When I began my project I wanted to try everything solo and be completely in charge but I quickly learnt how important it is to have support and a second opinion. I can't express how grateful I am that my bandmates have helped me out so much over the last couple of weeks from George and Morgan recording for me to Maisie creating the gig poster. I don't have just my bandmates to thank but also everyone who supported and guided me at the bunkhouse as well as the bands who offered to play the night alongside me despite their busy schedules. I've definitely realised just how important it is to build friendships and connections in the music scene to ensure enjoyment and success. I've also learnt that it's so vital to monitor your progress to ensure you're constantly reflecting and improving your work. That's why my weekly updates where reflections into my progress, because I quickly realised that my biggest critic has to be myself as only I know exactly what I want from my goal and again, only I can push myself to achieve it. As well as constantly improving and bettering yourself, this final project also made me realise how hard music is. It's not just writing a song you like and performing it, it's countless drafts of lyrics, multiple takes recording, organising a gig, practicing and melting your band's sound together. I think until you're in the position, many people underestimate how difficult it is to be an artist. I'm so grateful I've gotten to experience these few weeks as a full time musician and gained the insight I needed into doing music professionally.

In conclusion, I feel I absorbed so much information during this project but constantly setting myself challenging goals and I'm so happy I've had the chance to individually create music and learn who I'd like to be as an artist. I am by no means saying this project ended up perfect, in fact, it's far from it but I learnt to be proud of what I've accomplished regardless. I set myself a very ambitious task for my final major project and I'm so pleased I accomplished and learnt so much! If I could take part in this unit again I would definitely try to complete the easier parts like merchandise earlier on so it's out of my worries and I can focus on my mixes. I can confidently say I'm learnt so much about music performance, production and myself during these two years and I'm so thankful for the continued support my tutors and friends have shown me. Going from knowing absolutely nothing about Logic or being in a band to now putting on actual gigs in local venues and gaining more confidence is a change I never thought I was capable of. I can't wait to see what's next for my band flatcat and how we can grow as a band alongside each other whilst blossoming within our individual selves too. Although this chapter of my life is coming to an end, I'm unbelievably thankful for the time I've spent in Llwyn Y Bryn and I will carry with me all the knowledge and friendships I've gained in order to support myself in whatever I do in or out of music.

Final Songs