Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Week 8: May 28 & 30

How did my jazz ensemble assessment go?

On Monday, we were given a lot of time to practice for our assessment. On Wednesday, we performed the last song in Grade 10, which was our respective assessment jazz songs. I think my group did a very good job in performing "Autumn Leaves" because we got some high scores from the teachers. Even though there are some last-minute changes, we managed to pull of the performance with our largest efforts.

On Monday, we practiced for the assessment while being mentored by Ms. Melvina, since Mr. Hary was absent. Each of us practiced and performed our parts well, but one of my team members had a difficulty in adjusting to the tempo. We kept practicing until we got it right. On Wednesday, we had our assessment and all went well.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Autumn Leaves on Am #4


Reflection:
I recorded this video at home, where I practiced alone. I played through the whole song as I will perform in the ensemble and during the assessment without any mistakes. However I still need to keep up with the tempo and finger movements, since I can easily loose track of the song and which chords to play next.

Autumn Leaves on Am #3 (group)


Reflection:
This video was recorded by our theory teacher during our rehearsal. We played the song "Autumn Leaves" and we managed to perform the song well, thanks to the practice sessions with our supervisor Mr. Hary. In my opinion, everyone in my group performed their respective parts well. We have two more music class before the assessment, and we will use it to practice more.

Week 7: May 21 & 23

What do I think about my jingle?

We were given the assessment to create a video and jingle composition with the theme 'beautiful Indonesia two weeks prior. I partnered with Sabrina, and we split up the work as: I will make the video, she will compose and we will finalize the work together. The composition is really amazing, as she combines 5 instruments instead of 3 and that she's a great composer. I think my video is not that bad either. But I still regret the fact that we submitted the final product late.

Our assessment for jazz ensemble is next week, so this week we practiced and prepared for our performance. So far, the practice sessions we had with Mr. Hary during the instrument sessions went well, as we kept improving in our performance. We received a lot of praise from other teacher stop. All is left to do is to create the improvisation part of the song.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Autumn Leaves on Am #2


Reflection:
This is the second practice video I recorded while playing the song "Autumn Leaves" in a different melodic key. I did not make any mistake in this practice, and I consider it a great job, because I was having a difficult time playing the song earlier this week. I will equalize the tempo of my playing with my group when I practice with them during the next class.

Autumn Leaves on Am #1


Reflection:
After a few weeks playing "Autumn Leaves" in E minor, I had some difficulties in playing the song in A minor. With the help of Mr. Herry, I managed to play the song but my playing was still not smooth. In this video, I managed to play the full song with only a mistake in the last chord. I consider that a feat, because I played poorly while practicing with my group at school.

Week 6: May 14 & 16

How is my progress in jazz ensemble?

On Monday, we were divided into 3 groups for our jazz ensemble assessment. My group consists of 2 guitar players (Owen & Ynigo), 1 saxophone player (Evan) and 1 piano player (myself). We decided to perform "Autumn Leaves", as all of us are familiar with the song. I encountered a problem while rehearsing with Mr. Hary: I am used to play the song in E minor but we are going to play in A minor. That problem made me do a lot of mistakes while practicing together as a group.

As a group, we practiced with Mr. Hary for our upcoming assessment. While the others are playing the song with ease, I was struggling to keep up because of the difference in melodic keys, on both Monday and Wednesday classes. I was so not used to the new melodic key I made a lot of mistakes while practicing in the group. I will practice so I can improve my performance.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Broken Chords #2


Reflection:
This is my second video while practicing the broken chords. I played them slightly faster in this video. Once again, I played them without making any mistakes. I will try to avoid making mistakes while playing in the future.

Broken Chords #1


Reflection:
In this video I practiced the broken chords just as our teacher had instructed during instrument class. In this practice video I played all of the notes correctly, compared to the first time I played them during instrument class where I made a few mistakes. I played them a bit slowly, but I'll try to play them faster next time.

Week 5: May 7 & 9

How did my singing assessment go?

Our assessment on singing a jazz song "Close to You" went well. My group (me, Sabrina and Owen), performed the song well, although we could have performed the song better if we were given more time to practice. After singing, each group received comments and critiques from the other music teachers. Our main mistake lies on the first part of the song, where the third voice was out of tune. Then, my voice was not loud enough. But overall, the teachers liked our performance, commenting that our voices was really great when we sang the chorus.

On Monday, our instrument session was used for our singing assessment, so we don't have any instrument class on that day. On Wednesday, our piano teacher taught us to play broken chords. All of us tried playing it, and I played them well despite never played them before.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Close to You #2


Reflection:
I actually recorded our practice of singing "Close to You" in an audio format, but since Blogger didn't allow me to upload an audio file, I created a movie format so I can upload it here. As a group, we practiced singing at school, and I noticed that it was a bit noisy. But I can still hear our voices in the recording, and I think we can perform well on the assessment based on what I have heard from the file.

Close to You #1



Reflection:
This video was recorded by our music teacher during our general rehearsal in singing the jazz song "Close to You". Although this video only covers 27 seconds of our overall performance, I can hear each of our voices clearly, and I think we did a good job singing the song. We have performed the song as an assessment, and the results were satisfying.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Week 4: April 30 & May 2

How does business and industry affect music-makers and users?

Singers and musicians are being managed by music companies nowadays. The companies are responsible for selling and distributing albums of the artists. Composers often sell their compositions to artists through the artists' companies. For the users, the companies release albums in the form of CDs or through digital media such as iTunes. This makes the buying and selling process more convenient and of course, easier.

On Monday, we used our instrument class time to practice singing "Close to You". My group was mentored by Mr. Herry, who helped us and gave us helpful advices. On Wednesday, all groups performed in front of the class and the four music teachers. My group received good comments but we can still improve. We will practice before the assessment day.

Autumn Leaves #6


Reflection:
I played the song better in this practice video. I practiced a few times before recording this practice video and when the noise has died down, I immediately started recording and the result is satisfying. I may made small mistakes, but this one is definitely better then the previous video. I will continue to practice this song so I can play it better.

Autumn Leaves #5


Reflection:
In this practice video, I played the song Autumn Leaves. I made quite a lot mistakes here, because I kind of forgot the chord inversions after a while. I also got a bit distracted while practicing because of the household activity noises, so I pressed a few wrong notes. I will practice more so I can play better and try not to get distracted easily.

Week 3: April 23 & 25

How has the developments in technology changed the ways in which we engage in music?

Nowadays, we enjoy different types of music and ways of engaging with music. Today, we listen to songs by buying them digitally or CDs. About 20 to 30 years ago, people used gramophones and cassettes. Technology enabled musicians to create new sounds and tunes, therefore developing new styles and genres/sub-genres in music. Music companies also filmed music videos so the listeners will be able to feel and visualize the songs' meanings.

On Monday, we practiced our respective songs with the help of the teacher. On Wednesday, two groups made their presentations on the roles of music in the society. They did very well on their presentations. My group didn't get the chance to present, so we will present our presentation on Monday.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Autumn Leaves #4


Reflection:
After a few times practicing with the chord inversions, I decided I was ready to record my playing of Autumn Leaves. Although it was still a bit messy, I thought my playing improved a lot compared to the first time trying to play the song. I can only play the song with chords up until the first parts of the song.

Autumn Leaves #3


Reflection:
In this practice video I played the same format of Autumn Leaves as the previous two videos. Compared to last week's videos, I improved in terms of mistakes. I only made a few small mistakes while playing the song. But I still can't play the chords using the right hand neatly, so I decided to just record this version.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Week 2: April 16 & 18

What are the functions of music in society?

Music has a lot of functions in the society. Its functions range from education, entertainment, until advertisements and therapies. We discussed this question in class with our respective groups, and each of us came up with different answers. One of my group mates answered that music served as a method to unite people of all age, races and religion, which is a good answer. On Monday we reviewed the materials for the test and did the test on Wednesday.

On Monday we practiced our song choice while being monitored by the teacher. I was taught to play the melody of "Autumn Leaves" using chord inversions. I tried it and it was still difficult. On Wednesday we only have about 10 minutes of instrument class so the teacher demonstrated how to play the jazz songs.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Autumn Leaves #2


Reflection:
This is my second practice video playing the jazz song Autumn Leaves. My playing slightly improved from the first video, as I avoided one mistake I made in the first video. However, I repeated the rest of the mistakes due to the unfamiliar, complicated jazz chords. I will try my best to play this song and practice harder.

Autumn Leaves #1


Reflection:
In this video, I recorded my practice video of playing the jazz song Autumn Leaves. This song is not very hard, but I have some trouble adjusting to the a-bit-complicated jazz chords, and in the end I made a few mistakes in the middle and towards the end of the song. I will practice more so I will not repeat the same mistakes again.

Week 1: April 9 & 11

What is the role of music in your life?

Music holds and important role in my daily life. Listening and singing to songs act as a hobby and at the same time stress reliever from school assessments and tasks. I also use music for my ringtones and alarms, which are important. I find it interesting on how artists and singers continue to release awesome songs every now and then. On Monday we learnt about minor seventh chords. We discussed a bit of jazz history on Wednesday.

On Monday, we were asked to choose a song from the booklet and practice playing the song. I chose "Autumn Leaves" because I am familiar with that song already, so I feel I can play it better. On Wednesday we practiced our songs of choice again. I could play "Autumn Leaves" better at that time.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

12-bar Blues + Improvisation #6


Reflection:
This video was also recorded days before the assessment took place. I played the composition without any mistakes but I still made some mistakes in the improvisation part. I will need to practice harder so I can play both parts without making any mistakes during the assessment.

12-bar Blues + Improvisation #5


Reflection:
This video was recorded days before the assessment took place. I played my composition part without making any mistakes, but I still made a few mistakes in the improvisation part. I need to improve on the improvisation part so I won't make any mistakes during the assessment.

Week 10: March 19 & 21

How is my understanding of blues after my performance?

After performing my 12-bar blues composition and improvisation, I realized that I have received a lot of knowledge and I know more about blues compared to at the start of this term. Now, I know that to create a blues composition and/or improvisation, we need to apply the blues scale. Then, there is a 12-bar blues composition format and syncopation, which is the displacement of the usual strong beat onto a weak beat.

On Monday, we practiced in front of the class one by one. After all of us have performed, we practiced as an ensemble for the upcoming assessment. We did it well, and I think we will do well in next class's assessment. On Wednesday the instrument period was taken for the assessment too. I think our hard work has been paid well.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

12-bar Blues + Improvisation #4


Reflection:
This is my fourth video playing my 12-bar blues composition and improvisation. I can play the composition part without any mistakes, but I still make some mistakes in the improvisation part. I need to practice more so that I can play both parts with no mistakes.

12-bar Blues + Improvisation #3


Reflection:
This is my third video practicing my 12-bar blues composition and improvisation. I have no trouble in playing the composition part, but I made a few mistakes while playing the improvisation. I will do my best to avoid the mistakes on the next practices.

Week 9: March 12 & 14

How is my understanding of improvisation especially in blues?

I understood that to create improvisations, the blue notes from the blues scale are used according to the chords that are used in the song. It takes time to be able to create an improvisation piece spontaneously. On Monday we used the whole theory period to practice as an ensemble. On Wednesday each instrument practiced together as an ensemble. We used the whole period to practice for next week's practical assessment.

On Monday we played the walking base of 3 chords. I didn't practice them at home, so I didn't play them very well. On Wednesday we practiced as an ensemble to play the 12-bar blues composition with the improvisation part. We played the composition part smoothly, but we need to practice more for the improvisation part.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

12-bar Blues + Improvisation #2


Reflection:
This is my second practice video on my 12-bar blues composition and improvisation. I played the composition with no mistakes, and I didn't repeat the first mistake in the first video in this practice. But I still need to practice more in the ending part, where I made a mistake in the melody. I will practice the improvisation part more so I can play it with no mistakes.

12-bar Blues + Improvisation #1


Reflection:
This is my first practice video on playing my 12-bar blues composition and improvisation. I played my composition with no mistakes, but I made a mistake in the first part of the improvisation where I forgot to change from C7 to F7. And also at the ending part where I slipped at the last chord and notes.

Week 8: March 5 & 7

How did blues influence jazz in its early development?

Blues influenced jazz in many ways, one example is the improvisation technique. The blues scale is often heard and applicable in jazz songs and melodies. In jazz music, syncopation technique is also found. On Monday my classmates and I practiced as an ensemble and we discussed the improvisation for the 12-bar blues. On Wednesday we continued to create and develop our improvisations and played them.

On Monday we learned the blues scale and the teacher gave us an example of an improvised 12-bar blues piece. Then, we were asked to create our own improvisations. On Wednesday we were taught on how to play the walking base of a chord with our left hands.

12-bar Blues Ensemble #2


Reflection:
I recorded this video at home. The practice was supposed to be in an ensemble form, but because my classmates and I cannot practice together, I recorded a video with me playing by myself. I played my composition well, but I still need to practice so I can play better and don't get confused in ensembles.

12-bar Blues Ensemble #1


Reflection:
In this video, my classmates and I played our compositions in an ensemble and recorded by my teacher. I played my full composition well, but when I must play my composition partially, I have some trouble because I am not used to it yet. I will practice at home so I will be used to playing my composition in ensembles.

Week 7: February 27 & 29

How is my progress in playing my own 12-bar blues?

I can play my own composition well. I practiced in music class and at home when I have spare time. Sometimes I made some mistakes, and I also have some trouble when playing in an ensemble with my classmates because I am not used to it yet. On Monday we practiced our 12-bar blues compositions in front of the class. On Wednesday we were introduced to playing in ensembles.

During the instrument class on both Monday and Wednesday we kept practicing our 12-bar blues compositions. My classmates and I practiced hard so we can improve and be better in playing our compositions. I will practice more often so I can play with the best of my ability.

12-bar Blues #4


Reflection:
This video was recorded by myself while practicing my 12-bar blues composition at home. I played my composition with no mistakes, just like the previous practice video recorded by my teacher. I will maintain my progress in playing my composition.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

12-bar Blues #3


Reflection:
This video is recorded by my teacher when I was practicing my 12-bar blues composition at school. I played my composition well with no mistakes this time. But I think my tempo is too slow and I should make the tempo a bit faster. I will practice more of my composition at home.

Week 6: February 20 & 22

Challenges in working on my 12-bar blues Finale task.

On Monday, we discussed the drafts of our compositions. On Wednesday, we submitted our final Finale notation of the 12-bar blues composition. At first I absolutely have no idea on how to compose 12 bars of blue notes. But after some explanations and examples from the teacher, such as syncopation and blues scale, I got the idea on how to create blue melodies and I can compose good notes.

On Monday, we practiced our 12-bar blues composition. I can play my composition well, but I cannot improvise it yet. We also practiced our compositions on Wednesday, and we were told to create the improvisations for our compositions. I still don't get the idea on how to add the improvisation part.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

12-bar Blues #2


Reflection:

This is the second video of me playing my own composition from the 12-bar blues improvisation. I think I played better than the first practice video, but I still feel that I can improve my playing. I will practice more so I can play my composition better.

12-bar Blues #1


Reflection:

This is my 12-bar blues improvisation practice for the first time. I composed the improvisation all by myself, and I am satisfied with the output. I played it well, although I feel it is still not good enough yet. I will continue to practice it so I can play it better.

Week 5: February 13 & 15


How is my understanding in learning blues and applying it?

On Monday, we were introduced to the 12-bar blues improvisation. We were expected to compose 12 bars of blues notes. On Wednesday, we were given the task to notate our compositions in Finale, and we discussed our compositions as a class. I learned blues and understood the lesson well. I made my composition as one of my applications on blues, and I made my composition well.

On Monday, we practiced our compositions during instrument class. With the help of Mr. Herry, we can play our own compositions well. On Wednesday, we practiced our compositions again and received feedbacks on our melody progressions and playing techniques.

16-bar Fly Me To The Moon Inversions #2


Reflection:

This is my second practice video on playing "Fly Me To The Moon" chords in inversions. This time I played it while avoiding the mistakes in the previous practice and I am starting to get used to playing the inverted chords. I will practice more of this song to familiarize myself to chord inversions.

16-bar Fly Me To The Moon Inversions #1


Reflection:

This time, I played "Fly Me To The Moon" chords in inversions. I found out that playing chords in inversions are easier, but I am not used to it yet so I made a few mistakes while playing. I will practice more to be familiar with inversions and avoid the mistakes.

Week 4: February 6 & 8


How does my understanding of jazz develop after previous assessments?

We finished the essay-writing and singing assessments so far. From these two assessments I understood jazz more. I learnt how jazz is related to America from the essay and what jazz songs sound like from the singing assessment. We had a general rehearsal for the singing assessment on Monday and the actual assessment on Wednesday. We also submitted our essays on Monday.

On Monday, Mr. Herry taught us how to play "Fly Me To The Moon" chords in inversions. We practiced the first 8 bars of the chords and we need to practice 16 bars of it.

16-bar Fly Me To The Moon #2


Reflection:

This is my second time practicing 16 bars of "Fly Me To The Moon". I slipped on the first part of the piece and again towards the end of the piece. At least I think I did better than in the first video. I will practice more of the song.

16-bar Fly Me To The Moon #1


Reflection:

This is my first time playing 16 bars of "Fly Me To The Moon". It is just a continued version of the previous practice videos. I sort of slipped towards the end of the piece. I will try to avoid the mistake in my next practice.

Week 3: January 30 & February 1


How is my progress in learning jazz?

My progress is so far so good, as I began to learn more things about jazz. I found jazz interesting to learn. But I came to class unprepared, because I don't have time to practice playing the song "Fly Me To The Moon" and practice singing for the upcoming singing assessment. Aside from learning jazz, we received our task booklets on Monday. On Wednesday we received a task to write an essay about the history of jazz.

All of us practiced playing "Fly Me To The Moon" at first, then we played the chords one by one while Mr. Herry accompanied us with the melody. I still can't play the chords fluently because I didn't have the time to practice at home. Our task is to play the song (first 16 bars only).

8-bar Fly Me To The Moon #2


Reflection:

This is my second practice video playing 8 bars of "Fly Me To The Moon". Again, I think I played this piece perfectly with no mistakes. I will continue to practice playing the chords of the song to improve my skills.

8-bar Fly Me To The Moon #1


Reflection:

This is my first practice video playing 8 bars of "Fly Me To The Moon". I think I played this song well with no mistakes, since the chords are pretty easy to play.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Week 2: January 25

How did you learn the beginning of jazz?

The lesson about jazz is very interesting for me. I understood the history on how jazz came to be from the handouts given in class and the oral summary. I also learned some of the examples of jazz songs, such as "Fly Me To The Moon". We were told to write a short 200-word essay about the beginning of jazz, which will be due on next Monday.

In the instrument class, we discussed the chords of "Fly Me To The Moon". The chords are a bit complex since it mainly consists of 7th chords. That's why I wrote the notes above the chords. Then, our task is to practice 8 bars of the song at home.

Week 1: January 16 & 18

How was my jazz class delivered?

During the theory class we discussed the music genre jazz. Within these two days, I learned a lot about jazz thanks to the group discussions and explanations by the teacher. I understood the topic well, and it means the class was delivered well. We learnt about the origins of jazz and famous jazz musicians.

In the instrument class, our music teachers played the song "Autumn Leaves" with their respective instruments. I found their performance very breathtaking. They made a lot of improvisations in the song. After seeing them perform, I want to learn how to improvise a jazz song.