Review and evaluate skills A Word Document expressing my music abilities before my BTEC Music course

Violin Before I started by BTEC Music course, I was able to play the violin, I was taught the violin from years 3 6 in primary school by a music teacher, I was taught how to read violin sheet music and how to have confidence and stage presents when performing, I was given a Violin music booklet, named Fiddle Time Joggers, from which I learnt a range of different pieces of music, Me and the other students learning the violin, would have a strong willingness to try things out, as we would pick up the rhythm and timing and the accuracy of the pitch very quickly in our music sessions, when I was aged 8 11. In those 3 years that I was regularly learning the violin I performed at 2 string day events, located in Hatfield, in front of an adult audience, from which we were told we performed accuracy and confidence. I also performed at concerts at my primary school, Watchlytes, in front of the whole school. From which we I learnt great musical interaction with my other performers and learnt a great deal about improvisation, whenever something happened during our performances that meant it didnt go according to plan, and thats where I learnt the important of tuning your instrument before a performance from! As I learnt the accuracy of pitch of your instrument, is a key factor to a good performance.

Singing Before my BTEC Music course, I was always able to sing, I had just never sung in front of anyone one, except my mum and very few friends. I believe that I had great projection in my performances and great focus on the accuracy of the pitch that I was singing. I also have a great range in my vocal abilities and great breath control whilst performing. Although I do need to work on having a good stage presence when performing, as I havent perform in front of many people before. Also, before my BTEC Music course, I was auditioned for Monks Walks chamber choir, which is where vocal performers with a high capability are invented to join. I was invited in year 7, after my first audition, which is where I learnt communication in performance with other musicians, as there is musicians there aged ranged from 11 16 with different abilities. I also learnt awareness and appreciation of different genres and aged music, as the music that we would be rehearsing would not be

modern, and sometimes in a different language. I performed in front of an adult audience with the chamber choir and instrumental choir, and learnt how to have stage presence in a large group. I also learnt projection and the awareness and appreciation of music when I performed at the Royal Albert Hall, in 2010, for Sing It Up. I was 11 years old.

Piano / keyboard Before I started my BTEC Music course, in January 2012, after recovering from an operation, I started self teaching myself piano, simply by using Synthesia piano tutorial videos on YouTube. On a tiny 12 key keyboard, I started teaching myself control and confidence on the keyboard, learning and paying attention to the musical sensitivity of the keyboard. I learnt that rehearsal discipline and patience is key to learning more of an instrument and that the more range you can reach on the keyboard at once, the better and more fluid the piece will sound. I also learnt that the willingness to try things out and having open-mindedness is key to perfecting the accuracy of the pitch, rhythm and timing. Fluid and smooth musical interaction and focusing is important to ensure that a piece of music has accurate interpretation and reproduction of the style of music when performing. I also started re writing piano notes music in alphabetical form, as I couldnt and still cant read music. This would help with my musical interaction and confidence during performance. I have many examples of songs that I have re wrote, e.g. Someone Like You by Adele and will hopefully find a way of attaching them to this document.

Song Writing Before my BTEC Music course, I have been writing vocal music since I was in year 5, aged 9. Mainly focusing on the genre Pop. I wrote songs intended for a teenage audience, with a simple melody and reoccurring bass beat. The songs would feature various lyrics about multiple circumstances, and have meanings entailing multiple messages.

Warm up exercises Before singing starts with my music teacher, my teacher and I do various warm up exercises, which involves pronouncing each vowel and different pitches, which helps my vocal range and pronunciation in my singing.

SMART Targets I would like to be able to work with my group and learn the song Happy by Pharrell vocally and on the piano by the end of 6 weeks in preparation for learning aim B. By the end of my BTEC Music course, I would like to be able to play at least 8 song on the piano with fluent playing of the melody and chords, and recorded myself singing at least 4 times by the end of this course.