My Final Evaluation

Evaluation

At the start of this project, I had the intention to play music in front of 3 different crowds: a younger, teenage crowd, an adult crowd and an elderly crowd. I wanted to see how each of them react to a gig, how they may connect to the music being played and the style of music they want to hear.

I had the intention to create 3 different original songs to play in each gig that tailor towards the audience but I unfortunately couldn't get the time to do so. However, I feel I didn't really need to play any original songs with how the project ended up unfolding, especially with my final conclusions for each gig, creating originals for this project felt unnecessary by the end.

I chose to do this project for my fmp as I want to better myself as a drummer performance-wise and the best way to do that is get experience in playing many different styles of genres. Furthermore, I would like to study music performance and production in University and follow the path of being a full-time session musician live and recorded which I believe playing many different styles of music in different types of venues really helps me get the experience to do.

I presented this project in blogger as it felt like the most efficient way to go about it. I am able to use this website to separate different sections (i.e. my research, rehearsal diaries and analysis). Blogger felt more efficient than Wix as I can make each gig its own post so it is a lot more clear to the reader what I am talking about and where, it also keeps a timeline from the start of my project to the end of my project. This was a completely gig based project so the main thing I will be talking about are my gigs, then during those evaluations I have the ability to also tie in my problem solving, planning, research and practical skills which is something I feel like I would have more trouble in on any other website like Wix.

I think the thing I did best in during this project was my preparation for each gig: how I went about organising an appropriate time for each gig, leading a band during rehearsals and immediately coming up with solutions for any problems that may have come up leading to each gig. As a result of all of this, I have been able to approach this gig feeling less stressed and to have plenty of time on my hands to balance my practical side of this project with my theory and research side of it.

Something I could have done better was to get more experience and upskilling in the technical and recording side of music as my research had shown me there was a lot more to do if I wanted to be a session musician than to just have the ability to perform; session musicians also record which I feel I haven't spent enough time on during this project and that may have been where creating songs for this project could have come in handy.

The best example of my research during this gig were my interviews as they gave me a clear answer on what a crowd would like to see in a gig which gives me a lot more of a chance to prepare and tailor for the audience (this is why The Polar Bear was my favorite of the 3 gigs, I had interviewed prior which gave me a chance on what to expect from the crowd). I think another crucial bit of research was when I looked into the life of a session musician, how it is a lot more than what I had previously imagined it to be. Not only does this bit of research allow me to evaluate further on how I could have done better, but it also gives me a push in the right direction. I believe I am on the right track regardless.

The biggest change and development in this project was how the initial ideas of the performances had changed. At the start of this project, I had the intention to do everything with Slate and to make this project similar to a tour. My idea throughout ended up changing as I wanted to experience playing with different people to feel more like a session musician playing in front of different crowd and with different people. This felt a lot more right to me than doing everything with Slate as it did end up giving me experience in different collaborative scenarios and feels a lot more appropriate with my ambition of being a session musician.

A problem I had to solve during this project was during preparation of my older-focused gig. At first I was to play it with Slate but I didn't like Declan's idea for a set and he didn't seem interested in doing my ideas. It also didn't feel right for a whole band to play at what was intended to be a retirement home where the most you will see is a duet. I then went with a friend who seemed happier to play at a care home and had much more appropriate ideas for songs to play than Slate, and agreed with some of my song choices as well. However, she is in the middle of her exams and wanted to focus on them and do the gig at a later date which I couldn't do. The best way I approached this problem was to call on another friend who had mentioned to me she had several songs in her back pocket that matched the vibe I was looking for. She also brought up the idea to play at a folk club instead of a retirement home as it will give me a better answer to play in front of a crowd who are more passionate about music than those in care.

This project was a success to me as I had managed to successfully play in all 3 gigs I had the intention to play in. Along side this, I had been able to build up a strong library of research and got answers with how to approach a gig at different venues in front of different crowds due to that research which therefore has given me a push in the right direction to my final ambition of being a session musician. Finally, I had been able to quickly and efficiently solve any problems that came up during this project which resulted in a clear and calm mindset approaching it. 

This project has helped me improve in several ways: the ability to lead a band, event management skills, practical skills as a drummer and problem solving skills.