combined bm perf. responses

7/29/2019 Combined BM Perf. Responses

1/18

Benchmark Assessment Response Form

I would like you to self-assess your recent Benchmark Performance. How did the

performance go? What mistakes did you make? What went well? How can you

make this performance better? I would also like you to respond to the feedback I

provided. Do you agree? How can you address the issues I identified? You need

to complete this task for each piece you performed.

NAME : Calum Patrick

Title of Piece: To Be Someone

Self-Assessment

I think the first song went well, I kept the rhythm consistent throughout, but I

think I need to change the strumming pattern, for some parts of the songs, either

pre-chorus or the chorus. I did make a few mistakes, I got the lyrics muddled up

occasionally and there were also a couple of places where I dropped the

strumming.

I agree with the feedback given, that the rhythm is a bit repetitive, thats why Imgoing to change the strumming pattern. I also agree with the tuning issues with

my vocals.

I may decide to get someone else to singpossibly.

I might decide to make up an intro, a rift, or some quick chord changes just to

make it more exciting.

Targets

To change/make up a different strumming pattern for the chorus.

Possibly get a singer.Make up an intro.

Title of Piece: Songbird

Self-Assessment

The song started off fine, but I found keeping the strumming at a consistent

tempo difficult, but I think I can blame that on being ill, as my bones hurt. Timing

was also an issue; I kept missing the start of a line and had to wait for the next

bar to continue.

I may have to put a capo on to change the key.

Once again I agree with the feedbackas hes bigger than I am,and Ive made the

necessary adjustments.

Targets

To work on timing.

Find a more suitable key.


2/18

Title of Piece: Goodbye Kiss

Self-Assessment

This was definitely my weakest song. I just had enough after performing the

other two songs; I was really tired.

My chord changes throughoutwasnt very good, they were jerky.

Again the strumming pattern needs work.

At the end of the verse, there is a quick chord sequence I need to practice and

implant that in. That should make it more exciting.

I agree with feedback given. I think the main thing that I need to do is to practice

it more and I think it should be better then.

Targets

To rehearse it more.

Learn and implant a quick chord change sequence.Adjust the strumming pattern.

Evaluation of Recital As A Whole

(Contrasting? Duration? Balanced programme? Entertaining?)

The pieces are contrasting, Songbird is faster and more upbeat compared to the

other two, are more melancholy so they contrast.

Its a bit short in duration, I need to add another song to make it up to 12

minuets.

I think I have a balanced programme as the first song sets the mood. The second

song brings the mood up and the third is a heart breaker so it should make theaudience feel sorry for me.

Targets

To be healthier so I can put more energy into my performance.

To find another song to make it up to the necessary 12 minuets.

And I really need to work on my strumming.


3/18







NAME : Edward Hale

Title of Piece: Sweet Child O Mine

Self-Assessment

The intro of this song has to be one of the most important parts of the song. It is

essential that I perfect this part. To be honest, it is not a difficult riff, it is just very

hard to perfect. I thought I did the intro at a good level with only minor mistakes,

the biggest problem I heard I think was the G or note number five of this riff. I

believe I didnt hold the note long enough compared to the original.As for the verse, there is not much guitar playing involved, it just revolvesaround the D,C and G chord so not very complicated. The other mistake I noticed

was during the chorus I played the riff wrong, it was mainly due to nerves and

silly mistakes.

The solo I thought went quite well but I could have done better, the bit on the

rhythm pickup was almost perfect apart from one major over bend which really

needs to be sorted out. When the wah solo kicks in there was already mistakes I

made at the start, the other mistake was the bit when you run up the E minor

scale, I did not play it as legato as I should have. This was mainly due to me not

practicing this part as much as I should have.

The outro was more or less an improvisation mainly based around the E aeolianmode, It sounded fine but perhaps I should provide a better structure for the

outro.

I thought my performance was worth a merit for my first try.

Targets

In order to get a distinction I need to:

Focus on the intro and make it perfect

Practice various bending and picking exercises

Review the solo and practice each bit individually.

I agree with Mr Hoods target on burning a CD


4/18

Title of Piece: Starry Night

Self-Assessment

This piece is a very sooth and easy flowing piece. I thought I played the song

right but the sound I chose for the song was far to sharp, it is a very legato style

song and the sound and way I played was more staccato, that is a sound I need to

change. There is not much to this song, in fact this is very easy compared to most

of Satrianis but despite this there were still some minor mistakes. This isprobably because I really learnt the song by ear, I should look up the tab for this

song and polish off any wrong notes.

The solo again was learnt by ear so there could be some mistakes there, as well

as this it is a very awkward solo to play as it is so high up the fret board, very

easy to hit wrong notes. The last part of the solo was like knifes on my fingers! I

couldnt do the bend right as it is a one and a half note bend on the twenty

second fret, this is a D note all the way to an F, this would be something Id have

to practice (or I could just get a 24 fret guitar then it would just be a half bend!).

The final part is a picking part, until now I never realised I was playing a wrong

note (again learnt by ear). The final solo was a complete off the topimprovisation in C major, it could have sounded better so I should perhaps write

my own outro.

However its on its way.Like sir said the timing maybe was slightly off bit this was due to the poor

backing.

Targets

To get a D:

Sort out the sound (play more smooth)

Look up the song (tabs)

Again sort out the string bends

Title of Piece: Black Rose

Self-Assessment

A well chosen song I thought. It mixes classic rock with Irish folk, something that

I dont think has been done before.

The intro riff and verse showed to be no problem as they are just simple power(5th chords).


5/18

When the first solo came in I just failed! The first few seconds I blanked out and

played it wrong. Thankfully I get back into the song quickly.

The solo seemed to go pretty well with only minor mistakes. Like Sir said the

timing of this song is very unique and requires a lot of good timing skills and

hearing, if you dont have this skill it sounds terrible but ifyou do have these

skills it sounds great.

The fast part was very awkward to play, not because of its speed but actually the

opposite, you actually play faster than you should, also you have to be in perfecttiming with the backing.

Targets

To get a D:

Dont let nerves get to meDont make mistakes on easy parts

Master timing skills

Master G major scale (all modes)



All in all I thought these chosen pieces work very well together. Its a contrast ofclassic rock, virtuoso playing and Irish folk a great mix. I hope the audience will

find this entertaining as I think all pieces are very good to listen to and enjoyable.

The duration was about 15 mins which I guess is managable, Stairway to heaven

would have been about 4 mins longer.

The order of the pieces couldnt be better than what Ive chosen.Start with a well known fast and loud pieces, then do a soft easy listening pieces

and the finish with something the audience wouldnt expect.

However to get a D these pieces must be perfected its better to play an easy

piece perfect than a hard piece bad, if I still have problems I may have to change

my pieces.


6/18

Targets

The only target I can think is just to practice these pieces as much as possible.

If I do change a song, Ill do another instrumental as they sound great, perhapssomething by Steve Vai (For the Love of God).


7/18







NAME : Georgia Williams

Title of Piece: Im no good- Amy Winehouse.

Self-Assessment

Personally I think thatthis song went really bad, as I didnt know most of thewords and how the song went off by heart, which you can tell because I made

quite a few mistakes. I mostly mess up on the end of the verses so thats what I

need to focus on the most. The way I think I can make this performance better Is

by getting to know the song and practice more so I will know when to go high

and low and the pace of the words.Targets

Practice the song more at home so I get to know it better to the point that I think

I feel confident singing it and not make any mistakes, I also need to practice the

end of the verses because thats where most of my mistakes were.

Title of Piece: Halftime- Amy Winehouse.

Self-Assessment

I feel that this song also went really bad, I do know this song and the words It

just need a lot more work on it to know when the high parts are and low parts

are. As I started the song on a wrong note it threw me off for the rest of the songas I made more mistakes throughout it. I also went wrong on the high notes on

the last verse as my voice was not warmed up and I had a blocked nose that day,

although I made a lot of mistakes the timing for the song was fine.

Targets

I need to practice more so I know when the high and low parts of the song are so

I wontmake any mistakes and feel confident.

Title of Piece: Im not gonna teach your boyfriend how to dance with you-

Black Kids.

Self-Assessment

This song went ok compared to the other two as I enjoy singing this one it gave

me more confidence but as I didnt know the way the song went again I made lotsof mistakes not in pitch as I made a wrong not it was just that I sang the wrong

words at the wrong time. Since doing this performance I have worked on the

song and worked out when Im meant to go high towards the end of the song andthe right words.

Targets


8/18

To practice more and get it to the point where I am comfortable with singing it

and for it to be perfect.



as a whole I think the it went terribly wrong as I made many mistakes as I didnthave much time to practice the song as I only chose them less than an hour

before I sang the song. I think the order I am doing my song in is good because

the song that is fairly slow is the middle song and I start and end with a fun song.

I also think it will be entertaining as not everyone might know the songs that I

am singing and will enjoy something new.

Targets

Work a lot on my songs so I know the harmonies and the words, once I know the

songs I will be more confident and will be able to perform them to my best

abilities.


9/18







NAME: Ilora Anderson

Title of Piece:Amy Winehouse - Valerie

Self-Assessment

I think this is a good way to start my performance off as the song itself has an

exciting upbeat backing track and its very quirky. I think I need too sing the first

line of the song with more power to make sure I get it right from the beginning. I

also think that during the song I could improve my vocals near the chorus and

make these a bit more powerful as this is the main part of the song. This song my

favourite song to sing out of the three I have chosen due to it being a song whereI am able to sing it whilst having fun and as it is the first song in my performance

it allows my confidence to show from the beginning. I dont think I had manypitching errors during this song as it matches the key that I am used to singing in.

I am going to work on singing the ending of the song where I repeatedly sing the

valerie as in a few of them I feel that I lacked enthusiasm and sounded lazy

where as I needed to sound more exciting and powerful. This is an area that I

need to improve and work on in the next few months. But overall I feel this was

my best performance.

Targets

- Rehearse more and upload single videos singing different verses and theoccasionally the whole song.

- Practice making my voice stronger in certain parts of the song.- Regular practices on the end of the song where I need to make changes.

Title of Piece: Laura Jansen Use Somebody

Self-Assessment

I think the positioning of this song is good as it is straight after a song that is the

complete opposite to this one. Which shows that I am able to vary my voice and

sing different types of songs. The start of this song is strong and I am happy withit. However as it goes on I lose the timing on one line during the song, which

brought me down to the lower mark. This is something I need to work on, as I

will need to listen to the backing track to ensure I come in at the right time

throughout the whole performance. A way to improve this song is to also vary

the dynamics in my voice a bit more, going quieter at certain points and building

it back up so that it really shocks my audience and draws them in, this would

also show an emotional journey. I feel the pitch is also accurate in the majority of

this song it is just the timing and the dynamics that I feel brought my mark down.

Targets

- Listen to timings in the song to ensure that the performance is performedsmoothly.


10/18

- Work on the chorus to make it stronger in certain points.- Work on dynamics in my voice during parts of the song to make it more

emotional to draw the audience.

- Practice higher notes on a regular basis.

Title of Piece: Fergie Big Girls Dont Cry

Self-Assessment

I am happy about finishing with this song, as the song is very unique with

timings such as the chorus being upbeat and the verses being calm. The start of

this song started strong and I feel I had accurate pitch considering this is sung in

a different key to what I comfortable with. Matt and I have done our own

interpretation of this as at certain parts of this song we choose to perform

slightly faster compared to the original. I need to work on timings for this song

so I am 100% comfortable when singing it rather than being worried about notgetting parts right. This also needs to be practiced more often as a mistake was

made and the wrong lyrics was sang, this unfortunately was the reason that my

mark was lower as I stopped singing. However I do like challenge this song has

on my voice. I need to work on the ending of this song to make sure that I sing

my best throughout the whole performance as I lacked effort during the end.

Targets

- Work on timings.- Practice more.


On a whole I am quite happy with my performance as when it has been regularly

rehearsed I feel that it could be quite entertaining and enjoyable. The songs I

have chosen contrast with eachother as it goes on a rollercoaster starting with an

upbeat quirky song then followed with a slower emotional song to then bring

them back up to a song that is half upbeat and half slow. My songs also add up to

about 11:56 but a way I am able to make it a little bit longer is to hold big notes.

Targets- Work on timings for all songs.- Rehearse them more and do more frequent videos!!!


11/18







NAME : Jack Dickinson

Title of Piece: Father Time

Self-Assessment As a whole the performance went smoothly as only two

mistakes were made and the dynamics were all audible (even in the quieter

parts of the piece). I made a mistake at around 1:20 where I didnt play a note

(when two should have been played, I missed one of them), in bar 28 where I had

the timing wrong and I need to be careful of my staccatos (which were almost

inaudible in the quieter parts of the piece). I could make this performance better

by making sure the mistakes dont happen again and making sure Ive set upproperly so I dont have any false starts. I agree with the feedback, as Mr Hood isa musical genius and noticed the mistake in bar 28, however failed to notice the

mistake in bar 15. I can address the issues identified by practicing the pieces

further as part of my Practise, Practise, Practise! unit.

Targets

Correct the timing in bar 28 , practise the piece further to prevent false starts

(due to not setting up correctly) and make sure my staccatos are audible.

Title of Piece: Minuet From LArlesienne

Self-Assessment Again, the performance went smoothly as few mistakes were

made and the piece was audible. I made a mistake at the very start where I

accidentally pressed a key during the introduction, changing the chord. I also

missed out another note around 5:02. I could improve the performance by

making sure the mistakes dont happen again and by making sure that the piecedoesnt get too quiet in areas (like it did around 5:13 and 5:32). I agree with the

feedback and need to be careful about my acciaccaturas in the quieter parts as

they sound more like appoggiaturas and make sure my dynamics dont fluctuate

too much (when playing a crescendo one note isnt quieter than the previousones). I can address the issues in the same way as I will address them for Father


12/18

time, by practicing the piece in my Practise, practise, Practise! blog.

Targets

Keep dynamics stable during diminuendos and crescendos, improve on playing

acciacaturas and practise the piece to reduce the chance of making mistakes.

Title of Piece: Sicilienne

Self-Assessment This performance went very well as I made one mistake (near

the end) and the rest of the piece was fluent and well articulated. I made a

mistake around 10:42 where I was a bit slow in playing a note. I could make this

piece better by being more careful with my dynamic changes, as I feel as some

points I increased the volume to rapidly. I agree with the feedback as I feel the

piece was played well in terms of phrasing, articulation and dynamics.

TargetsMy target is to practice this piece (especially the end) in my Practise, Practise,

Practise! blog to reduce the chance of making mistakes.



The pieces are contrasting (the second and third pieces less so, however thesecond piece has notes of shorter length making it more interesting whereas the


13/18

third is more of a slow, calm piece), the first piece is very different from the

second and third as it is lively and bouncy. The pieces all together last around

11 minutes but that does not count for setting up the pieces in-between

performances. I believe the programme is balanced as the first piece is lively and

heads into the slower but interesting second piece before finally leading into the

third, slower, more relaxing piece. Furthermore, the piece is entertaining due to

the contrast between pieces, the lively, interesting and relaxing pieces put

together to create a sort of journey.

Targets N/A


14/18







NAME: Joshua Baines

Title of Piece: Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Green Day)

Self-Assessment

I agree with Mr. Hoods feedback, for the whole of the first verse I was playing intime, and then the chorus fills threw me slightly off time. During the first chorus I

was too fast slightly, which left me out of sync with the backing for the rest of the

performance. I think I should take a more detailed look at the written music to

make sure that I play the right fills as opposed to random fills. I think maybe the

suggestion of playing the song through my headphones instead of playing it outloud would be the best way to help keep me in time, as it would be constantly

louder than the drums to me. The biggest flaw in the performance was the final

breakdown after the final chorus, where sequences of cymbals are hit.

Targets

Look at the music and learn the fills in details Practise the song with the backing in headphones to help stay in time

Title of Piece: Undecided

Self-Assessment

I need to look and decide upon a middle piece that demonstrates a lot of skill and

technique. The piece has to be at least 4 minutes long; to stretch the length of the

piece to 12 minutes as at the minute is just over 8 minutes.

Targets

Find a song that demonstrates skill and technique

Title of Piece: Hysteria (Muse)

Self-Assessment

I need to become more familiar with the structure of this song so I know which

parts go where and which parts to play when. Also, the version I have learned

includes the ride crash cymbal playing alongside and twice as frequent as the

high hat, which is not what is written in the music so I need to take a close look

at the notation.


15/18

Targets

Learn the structure of the piece Learn the original notation Play with headphones playing the backing in practise


(Contrasting? Duration? Balanced Programme? Entertaining?)

The two pieces that I have chosen are quite different from each other, the first

piece is more energetic whilst the second differentiates with the cymbals more.

This is why the third piece that I am yet to decide on (the middle piece) has to

sow more technique than energetic or fast playing, to make it different from the

other two. The piece is not yet long enough, as explained in the second table, I

need my last song to be at least 4 minutes long. The programme starts with a

crowd pleaser, one that is known publicly, the second will show a lot of

technique, and the third has a good finish, so the finale of the piece is a good

finish overall. The overall performance in this piece wasnt particularly

entertaining because it wasnt in time for most of the performance, but withmore practise and a third song that demonstrates technique placed between the

two so far, the performance will be entertaining.

Targets

Find a middle track Practise timings Look at the original notation


16/18







NAME : Matt Morrall

Title of Piece: Standing Next To Me

Self-Assessment

The song is energetic and has quite powerful lyrics, and where this song is placed

(the beginning) I believe is the right place for it. The first verse I feel is well

rehearsed and this shows in the performance. However, once I get to the chorus

it is apparent that I cant reach the high note in the chorus, knocking the integrityof the piece as a whole. There is definitely work to be done here. The second

verse is similair to the first in that singing wise and guitar wise, it is very strongand worthy of a high mark. Once the chorus is reached again, I have the same

problem of not being able to reach the right notes, as well as a chord change

failure, making this sound unprofessional and quite frankly bad. I feel I pulled off

the bridge pretty well and it sounded as good as the first and second verses.

However, the problem of not being able to singe the chorus properly arises again

at the end of the song, proving there is definite work to be done here.

Targets

- Practice reaching higher notes or alternatively, sing in a different way(higher, lower, capo on a higher fret)

- Chorus chords change on the second, practice the difference so to notplay incorrectly again.

Title of Piece: Norgaard

Self-Assessment

I genuinely feel that this performance as a whole went in the way that I expected

it to, and that was short, quick, punchy and to the point. I think I nailed the chord

changes and for the majority, the vocals too. This is probably my second

strongest performance out of the four, and I enjoy performing this one too.


17/18

Targets

- Fine tune vocals to turn piece from Merit level to Distinction level.- Remember all the lyrics- Control breathing

Title of Piece: Thats where youre wrong

Self-Assessment

This has the advantage of being both my favourite song and one that I have

practiced and been playing for years, so I pretty much know it inside and out,

chord-wise. However, when it comes to the vocals, never before have I been

assessed on how well I can sing, it has always been in she shower or just to show

off when Im playing top 40 songs. Therefore even though in my opinion this ismy strongest piece, vocals need to be fine-tuned again. The breakdown between

the final verse and chorus was my favourite part, which I think I think made the

song my own, rather than a straight up cover of the original.

Targets

- Fine tune vocals- Pull off breakdown perfectly in each performance

Title of Piece: Big girls dont cry

Self-Assessment

I believe the new skill of finger picking for me comes across in this song, with me

performing this basic but effective piece with Ilora. Ilora is absolutely brilliant

and I do believe that I also performed it quite well within reason. For example,

changing the tempo of it way too many times. We originally thought it soundedreally good but on consideration, too much tempo change ruins the song. I also


18/18

played a wrong chord towards the end of the song, resulting in me looking at Mr

Hood, who also acknowledged my mistake.

Targets

- Keep set tempos for parts of the song rather than continuouslychanging

- Learn the song again and be careful to not make any little mistakes!



To evaluate the whole performance, the words to describe how it went would be

above average . Most parts of it were very good (Thats Where Youre Wrong andNorgaard as a whole, and parts of Standing Next To Me and Big Girls Dont Cry)

but there are areas where I need to improve, as well as the personal targets of

me remembering all the lyrics. My vocals need to be fine tuned and I need tomake sure I have chords changes perfect.

Targets- Fine tune my vocals- Learn lyrics without using a sheet- Learn songs 100% so to not have awkward chord changes

combined bm perf. responses

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