Unit 5: Introducing Music Performance - Learning aim B

Task 1: Rehearse the pieces that you have chosen for your audition.

During rehearsals you should demonstrate appropriate personal management skills, such as time management, concentration and focus, self-discipline and sensitivity towards others. You should also use musical performance skills in all rehearsals to ensure that the pieces are fully prepared for performance to an audience.

Task 2: Perform the pieces you have rehearsed to an audience. Each performance will also be recorded.

Through your performances you will need to show that you have used the technical and interpretive skills you developed during your study for this unit.

Your performance should also clearly show the particular stylistic qualities of the type of music being performed.

Session 1
I have been practicing Skyfall at home on my keyboard and the main thing that I need to practice is when the chorus switches to the verse and the change from the verse to the chorus. My lesson with Mr. Gower is tomorrow at 12:40. With this song it has expression and use of dynamics because the speed of the verses and the chorus are different because the speed of the verse is a lot faster than the chorus and i need to get used to this through more practice.

Session 2
When I have been practising this week I have mainly been working on slowing down the music and then gradually speeding up but making sure there are no mistakes.

Session 3
I have been working on building up the music to make it more dramatic with dynamics and then changing the tempo a bit and adding pauses to make it more interesting. I have listened to recordings to see what other people do and when it is done with a singer they take their time to make it sound more interesting. At the end I will make it gradually get quieter to fade out. I will record this at the start of next week.


Session 4
I have started to learn shine by Years & Years on piano i have learnt the intro and the verses (I have played it a little bit before but not for a long time).

Session 5
Years and years is going fine im learning to do a bass note with my left hand.

Session 6
Years and years is much faster than the Skyfall so I worked on playing the tune smoothly this week and it is much quicker and works well.

Session 7
I worked on playing Years and years all the way through. I am trying to keep the speed the same all the way through and make sure the rhythm of the left hand and the right hand fits together. This is the same problem I had with Skyfall at the start but I sorted that so think I can sort this out.

Session 8
I am playing Shine all the way through just checking little bits this week and then will be ready to record it in front of people next week.

Session 9
Recording Shine.

Recordings of performances:


This is my final skyfall recording and this shows my improvements because I played confidently with two hands. I have also been able to put emphasis on my recording to give it different effect, at the start i would play calmly and build it up slowly changing pace gradually.

This is my final Years and Years recording and I have improved because this is a fast piece and I play it with two hands in time. I can play the odd chord and if I had more time I would have played chords through the whole thing.