Term 3- Lesson 2

Wednesday 22nd April 2015

Last week we didn't have an exact plan, therefore created one this week.

Our plan:

Over the next couple of weeks we have decided to work on the songs but ensuring we break them apart and focus on 1 section every time. This will stop the excitement and enable us to pay equal attention and confirm its up to performance standard.

For next week we are going to break down the song ‘Dear future husband’ by Meghan Trainor. We are going to print the lyrics and then split the sections into harmonies, solo ad choral singing etc. When in a room with a microphone we are going to practice ‘Lady Marmalade’ and ensure we have the performance quality throughout and ensure we comfortable singing with a microphone. If we have time at the end we will sing through dear future husband also. As a back up or additional song we also going to bring the lyrics to ‘Crazy in love’ by Beyoncé, this will save time if any of the songs go wrong.

The last week we are going to polish up our songs and get the performance quality up to standard. We are going to make sure everyone is on the same page and we are ready to perform the following the week. We will look at where we going to stand and how we may move.

(We have also exchanged numbers and emails so we can inform anyone who is absent the work we have done or going to do.)

The rehearsal 

This week I could see a huge change, we were much more prepared in terms of we knew what song we were going to practice. I myself brought in lyrics so when rehearsing we could break down the lyrics into sections and focus on them individually. We started off highlighting parts, so who was going to sing what, where the harmonies were coming in etc. This was useful because we could see visually what we were doing instead going of the top of your mind.

Once we divided the parts to each other we then worked from the first section, making sure everyone was comfortable with their parts in the song. Once it got to the ensemble part/chorus we then listen to the track and after sang it a cappella. This was so we could work out the harmonies. A fellow singer and me are doing the melody and also ad-libs at the end of some phrases. This gives us a chance to show of our voice. The ad-libs change on each chorus so it doesn’t get boring and therefore should keep the audience engaged. We got through the whole song, however it’s not polished and as individuals we need to work on our solo sections for next week. I myself noticed a couple of parts that I needed to learn.

The positive aspects of this week were we was much more organised, we took time to plan the song rather than just go straight ahead and sing it like we did the previous week and also we got through the whole song from the beginning to end. Which now leaves time to clean the edges and learn the lyrics. We also picked a song to work on for next week that will save time. It gives us a chance to listen it and be familiar with it.

Things to improve would be keeping track on time and using it wisely, although we made huge progress this week I feel like we could’ve done more, such as used the microphone to hear ourselves. We also need to look at to harmonies to make them more interesting. We could maybe split the harmonies more so we each take on a different part on.

I personally feel like I put a lot of effort into todays rehearsal, I cam prepared with lyrics and an attitude to get something finished. Something I can improve on is trying different harmonies and not sticking with the melody.

Overall this rehearsal went really well, we got a lot accomplished. I know what I’m doing in terms of what I have to learn and bring for the next lesson. This includes learning my solo parts, the lyrics and harmonies. However one thing I noticed that makes this process difficult it not having everyone here. When a member of our group is not here it’s hard to divide the parts. Nonetheless we have a group chat on our phones so we can share what we have done.

We have a new plan which we all agree will help us over the next few weeks!

My chosen group for presentation:

The Jackson 5

Members of the group:

1. Micheal Jackson
2. Tito Jackson
3. Marlon Jackson
4. Jermaine Jackson
5. Jackie Jackson

(Randy joined the band when Jermaine didn't want to move to another record label)

Their roles:

Michael Jackson was the lead singer of the Jackson 5, however he didn't just sing, he was the front man of the group. The record label based the group around him, he was the one who sang, danced and communicated the most with the audience. Therefore the reason to promote him was obvious. The fact he was so young when he started brought a unique twist to the group. It wasn't common for such a young child to lead a group in those times. He had enormous energy when performing and worked hard to entertain the audience.

Tito Jackson played lead guitar in the band; he had an important role to create the sound the song was going for. At home he was known as the quite one but once on stage the confidence came and he brought the energetic image with him.

Marlon Jackson and Jackie Jackson did vocals for the group, whether it was backing up for Michael or taking the harmonies/solo lines. Their roles were significant because it showed it wasn’t a one-man band. When doing the harmonies it made the song more full. For example in the song I'll be there you can see the way they arranged it made it more interesting, it wasn’t only just one voice. 

Jermaine Jackson originally played guitar for the band, however switched to bass and back up vocals. Jermaine use to be lead singer of the group but once Michael joined he took a step back and let his brother use his unique voice to lead the group. Jermaine played a significant role in the Jackson 5; he kept the music going and also supported Michael and his other brothers with the singing. Unfortunely Jermaine decided to leave the group when they switched to a new record label.