The Heat Is On!

Back to my routine of blogging on a Friday and with just over 6 weeks of college remaining the title is not far wrong as the heat is on!!!
Again I started off the week with composing sessions with the new band and as we work on our 5 songs in turn I am hearing a vast difference in how they are layered and structured in comparison to the previous band. I think the venture into the new has brought about motivation for all the band members and this should see us through until we are ready to perform this material live.
On Tuesday I spent the day tying up loose ends from college assignments and also planning out my last 6 weeks of college work. I have looked at all the deadlines I have and also the size of each task and have drawn up an action plan to best suite my routine and also the demands of my tutors. I have already managed to complete certain smaller assignments and now have more free time for the projects that require more of my attention.
The first day back at college started with band practice and although we were missing our drummer we did well to jam over 3 covers we have chosen and also start work on our original composition leaving just 2 more tracks to be worked on before the live performance which apparently has been scheduled for the 19th May 2010.
My first study went well despite my absence and I now have all the songs I need for final assessment as well as starting work on the Grade 8 piece I must perform in an audition for degree entry next year. I think this new batch of songs will be more impressive as evidence in my portfolio as they have more relevance to musical theatre.
Composition class was cancelled which left me waiting around for 5 hours for Rocky rehearsals to start in the evening. I made the most of this time by completing 3 reports on recording sessions for my session skills class. Rocky rehearsal felt really long as we were running through Act 2 without scripts which required a lot of prompting and re-starting of scenes. I did feel quite tired afterward but felt better rehearsed as we go into the last 2 weeks before show night.
The next day I was recording vocals in a recording session for session skills and after waiting a while on the brass section completing their parts it was my turn to record. I had one take to find my volume levels and stance and then done another take to ensure better quality. This is the 3rd session I have been involved in and feel that I now communicate with the sound engineers better which contributes towards a more successful session.
In DAW/ICT a worked across my various outcomes for assessment and am now confident that in the next 2 weeks I will be finished all the work for the class again giving me more time for other projects. I have 2 small reports to complete regarding the research and design involved in making my own website. This is a trivial task for me as I have been working on these things within my own record label and have quite a bit of experience in this area.
For the articulation assessment I have decided to chose "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" as performed by Elton John and have now set about scoring this piece by ear as well as transcribing the piece and also offering my own created graphical representation. I have been more concerned about this assessment than any other and have deliberately freed up some extra time for me to cope with the demands.
All in all a very productive week back at college and with half of my final assessments done I am confident I can push on in the remaining weeks and finish off any remaining projects with quality and hopefully increase my chances of getting that "A" grade
Until next week,
I'm still Daniel.