Semester 2

Well it's the start of a new semester and already I have many challenges to look forward to on top of all the additional projects I am taking on with other students. Although I am going to be constantly busy I am really looking forward to it all beginning and know that this level of involvement in different musical projects can only benefit my development.
There was no band practice this week as 3 of our members were otherwise engaged with external commitments so we have arranged to practice at other times to suit the needs of all. We have been progressing well which gives us the advantage of changing our practice routine however we must be aware that we can become too comfortable and ultimately affect our final performance.
A fresh start in my first study lessons as I look to choose some more songs to help my development and eventually be assessed on our final performances. Already I have started 2 songs of contrasting nature and hope that these type of performances will contribute towards the evidence in my portfolio.
The research class has been replaced by a composition class which will eventually see each student compose their own 3 minute song and score this to enable fellow students perform at the end of the year. I think that this is a very good idea as it is always good to see or hear another perspective with regards to your own creativity to ensure improvement.
There is little change to my timetable on a Thursday which sees music theory being replaced with music history, a subject with a lot less boundaries and varied opinions. This module will be assessed over 2 essays after studying the philosophies of musicologists and philosophers like Franco Fabbri and Theodore Adorno.
Our session skills class has moved into the studio as we look at production techniques and advance on to recording the material we have covered throughout our session work. I am excited by the prospect of the class as it brings forward the final performance and will help me develop and improve my abilities beyond the rehearsal room and also give me some quality evidence to include in my portfolio.
I am currently planning the full content and layout of my portfolio alongside considering the design and structure of the presentation I must give when being interviewed for the role of a lead or understudy in a West End show. I am more confident in the second half of the year that I have enough evidence and persuasion to prove myself as competent and interesting in either of these roles.
A new has been attached to my college week as I now have an articulation class on a Friday afternoon which is part of the conditional access to the degree program. This class seems to call on analysis and theory skills although I imagine I will find out more detail in the coming weeks. Best pay attention in the early stages!
All has been going well with Fuzzy Buck and daniel dundee as I make further steps to build the foundations of my own record label, publishing company and digital media studio. It has been very difficult keeping myself motivated as my ideas can be a huge financial strain on my personal life, however I know that the final outcome will prove beneficial in the later stages of my music career.
I shall sign off now and bid you all well.
Til 'moro brings us near,
Daniel

What A Week!

 This week saw the end of Semester 1 at college and it was quite a week in terms of final assessments, exams and presentations. I also managed to enjoy quite a bit of rehearsals and study both in college and with my own personal projects, which are growing all the time, much to my delight.
On Wednesday morning I managed to have a practice with the college band and we progressed very well with two cover songs and the beginnings of an original composition. We are a glam band and are performing our set to represent the best of British and American glam rock. We have chosen Twisted Sister and Kiss as the American representation and already we sound quite tight as a band when performing these songs. Our original composition is in a similar light and soon we will move on to other choices. This will give me a great opportunity to showcase my skills as a musical actor as glam is quite extravagant and requires a lot of quality stagecraft to represent correctly. I have had my feedback and grade for the Beatles band performances of last semester and was very pleased and motivated by the comments made on my performance and stagecraft. This will be further evidence as I attempt to prove myself as a capable musical theatre performer.
I am also beginning to develop my original composition and have been playing with various ideas but have yet to settle on something and build on it. There is a lot of variety in the instrumentation we are to compose for so many genres are open to be included, on a professional note I should find a theme and begin the detailed construction before it gets too late and I am rushed into producing poor quality.
Having passed all my music theory tests I have no stress of re-sits which should hold me in good stead for progressing well next semester.
We are now beginning to start working in the studio in session skills and hopefully soon we will be recording some of the tracks we have revised and I am told this is to be filmed which will contribute towards the evidence I need for my portfolio. I am beginning to see a lot more opportunities for providing this evidence and my confidence is growing all the time with respect to being a lead or understudy in a west end show.
I have been quite happy with my progress throughout semester one and see no reason why I shouldn't continue this trend into semester two and finish the year on a high. I have had positive feedback from all of my tutors so far and I know that the work I have done on the weaknesses I identified in my action plan has went a long way to improving my development.
We had another Fuzzy Buck meeting this week where we found out our guitarist is no longer available to play with the band, which was troubling to hear so far on in the project. After some discussion I have decided to take on the role as the other guitarist alongside lead vocals. This now leaves me with the task of developing a different kind of stagecraft with the band as I now have a guitar to manage. Bring it on!
Next week is the official start of semester two and I will return with news of what the future holds.
Until then,
I am.

I Use To Love The Beatles!

Back to college after the drastic and highly dramatised weather conditions which have begun to annoy me as it has only highlighted the weaknesses I see in society everyday. I am not sure if this is part of the ageing condition but people just seem weaker in many different ways. Physically we are easily challenged even though we are meant to be evolving mammals that are adapting and improving in our environment. Mentally we are easily held back by the slightest hint of change or discomfort despite the abundance of information we are handed on a silver plate everyday. Spiritually we are slipping far from existence and will soon have little to leave behind other than the 1's and 0's we obsess over as we struggle to maintain control within order. This may sound negative, however these are only observations and I remain as positive as ever.
OK, on with the business in hand. As you can tell from the title my life has recently been plagued with an abundance of information on the popular pop/rock group The Beatles. I myself have been scheduled in next week to present my information, and although I do not think it is particularly boring, I do feel sorry for the students. I decided to do my presentation on Apple Corps Ltd and have almost assembled all the media and information I need for my PowerPoint presentation although I do think that with my knowledge of The Beatles I really should have done better, although I'll find out next week.
I received my feedback regarding my action plan for the graded unit and am so far very pleased with my own efforts and the comments received. I have found this project in particular more satisfying and believe that due to me having clear goals from the start I have put myself in a stronger position with my portfolio going into semester 2.
Another meeting with Fuzzy Buck this week as I broke the news to the guys that I had deleted all the recordings by mistake, however their response was positive and within 4 hours we had re-recorded most of our material and as such will not feel such a loss. Thank you brothers buck!
This week has been the first week of my Phantom of the Opera research and I have found this show a lot easier to study as it is not as fast moving as the others and contains less characters. Throughout my first study I have been given guidance as to the type of songs I should be attempting to develop myself as a west end singer, and in this show I have already identified a few songs that I believe I could perform to a good enough standard myself.
I will also be spending some time revising the songs chosen for my first study as I am to be assessed and filmed next week performing Lost by Michael Buble and Beyond The Sea by Bobby Darin. I am looking forward to this assessment and will revise confidently, hoping to give an impressive performance and show what I am capable of.
Next week brings an end to semester 1 where I will find out if I have passed my presentation project, band performance and first study performance, as well as sitting the final music theory assessment of the year.
I will leave you all as I have much to do to remain as me.
Love,
Daniel

Snow Blindness

Not a great deal happening in the whole of the U.K. this week, never mind college or my world.
I did show a committed attitude however and made my way through the snow to hopefully enjoy my first day back at college since the Christmas holidays, only to find that I was among a small minority.
I did manage to find out that I have been assigned to the Glam Rock band and again have been paired with the majority of Eat Dr. Ape who all seem highly excited regarding this project. I must admit that I am not as excited about the prospect however see this as an opportunity to prove my professionalism and loyalty by giving it as much as I can. We managed to pick out a couple of songs which gives me something to work on in the meantime.
No other classes were on this day so it was sit around and play around before the college closed at midday.
I am in the last week of my Chicago research and have found that now I am a little more experienced at researching west end shows that I should revisit the research I have completed so far and see if I can possibly improve it's content with use of this new found experience and knowledge. Next week I will be moving on to Phantom of the Opera which I see as more of a traditional musical and one that most people would identify with in terms of general knowledge.
I have also re-commenced Fuzzy Buck meetings and we have discussed our future intentions and will now be working on a single release and hopefully an EP to follow. We have been very pleased with the quality of recordings we have achieved so far and see no real reason for wasting money on local recording sessions that will not provide us with anything better than we already have.
I have also been invited to perform a half hour acoustic set as Daniel Dundee at Tonic in Dundee on February 14th, good job I'm single, which I'm looking forward to as I have not played solo in my home town for over a year. I have already planned my set list and will practice ongoing to make sure I am fully satisfied with the overall sound before bringing it to the public.
I hope to use my experiences performing as Daniel Dundee and also as the front man of Fuzzy Buck to show my ability to get into character and also to deliver a high standard of vocal performance while doing so. Both these acts demand differences within performance and mannerism and I see these as perfect examples of how I research a role and try to deliver to the best of my abilities.
College was closed Thursday as the tutors are simply not paid enough and can't afford snow tyres!
I will say bye for this week as I need to go and plan next week or I will have nothing to tell you all.
Ciao per aura,
Daniel.

A New Decade, A New Hope.

Happy New Year to all and all the best for 2010.
I anticipate a great year ahead for myself both academically and personally. I have spent many weeks now planning the future for my personal projects and am also looking forward to returning to college and completing semester 1 and starting the next.
I continue with my west end show research and am now in the second week of researching Chicago. I find that this musical itself is a lot more contemporary and accessible by the general public due to the upbeat and familiar sounds throughout. Again I see great variances in costume and production compared to the previous shows I have researched and am beginning to notice that a lot of the aspects I am looking at vary greatly depending on story and concept. I have found however a general likeness in lead character within each production. The lead character in each show seems to offer a similar shape to each show and when you understand how each story fits round the main character then I find that I can better understand the role. I believe that when I look back on this year, this research will provide a great foundation to enable me to develop myself as a west end singer.
I have had a week off from solo and band production as everyone seems to be busy so I have spent my time reflecting upon my achievements so far. Since joining Oxfam in early 2008 I have went on to involve myself in many musical projects as well as managing my study time and keep myself financially afloat in this hectic world. I think that you need to do this from time to time to help motivate yourself and confirm the alignment of the direction you are hoping to head in, overall I am quite pleased but do realise that the hardest work is yet to come.
I will sign off here and wish you all the best for 2010, let us hope that it doesn't all end in 2012.
Daniel.