Having a blog is a good idea because it enables employers and potential employers to access my work. A blog also acts as a way for me to showcase my talent in a way that a CV wouldn’t be able to. For example, I can put videos on my blog, but I can’t put videos in my CV. Videos enable people looking at my blog to see what I can do. This is different to a CV as in the CV I’m telling them that I can sing whereas in the blog, I’m showing them that I can sing. Blogs can make a lot of difference when apply for a job as it could be the difference between being hired and not being hired. 

However, CVs are also as important as it gives the employer a brief insight to who I am as a person and what qualifications and skills I have. It allows employers to quickly eliminate the people who aren’t qualified enough for the job quickly so they can short list the applicants to the role. The CV allows people to showcase who they are where they may not be as confident talking about their qualifications in person.  

My blog is very professional; however, it can be seen as quite boring as the posts on my blog are generally black and white with a few pictures. This is to try to help people to read it easier as if I had put white font on a light green background, it would be hard to see it. This would make me not use the providers as I would be wary of what they are hiding. I have both videos and pictures in my blog, this is good as it helps to show the potential employers what I’m like at certain thing, such as singing or playing an instrument. Blog is easy to read and easy to look at which is a good thing as if I was an applicant for a job and I was against one other applicant and theirs’s was hard to read, I would be the most likely candidate to get the job. 

I have found the blog of a flautist, flute and singing teacher. Her blog is similar to mine as we are both flautists.  

This blog is better than mine because it has rhetorical questions that make the reader think. It is also better as it has phrases in a bolder or bigger text to draw the reader’s attention. The main points are in bolder or bigger text as seen below. The blog also is directed at the reader whereas mine is more about highlighting my strong points rather than drawing the reader in. My blog is stronger than Nikki’s blog because my blog is more focused on playing rather than shoes and coffee. I like shoes and coffee, but it doesn’t need to be mentioned in my blog. My blog is also better than hers because mine doesn’t have a picture of me which can prevent discrimination and prejudice from my readers. In her picture she looks like she is in a bar to me and that would make me be more inclined to find another teacher as I don’t want to be funding a potential alcohol addiction regardless of the standards of her teaching. This is my personal opinion.

Her layout and colors are more user friendly than mine. Her use of colors makes the readers feel that she is more open and friendly whereas mine has minimal amounts of color. My blog has less color because I didn’t know how to, and I didn’t mind not knowing because I like the blog with its basic layout as I feel that it is more forthcoming and honest of me to keep it this way, however, if I were to go back and edit my blog I would add colors as it makes other people want to look at my blog more, even if I don’t like it like this. I also like the way that she has organized her blog into user friendly, easily accessible folders. I would definitely incorporate this if I were to edit my blog or create a new blog. 

Nikki Warrington flautist, flute and singing teacher by Nikki Warrington date accessed 29/1/20 

https://nikkiwarrington.com/

Another blog that I have seen is a songwriter’s blog by Tony Conniff. His blog is similar to mine as we are both songwriters.  

This blog is better than mine because it has lots of information that can help other people to write songs as well as things that have helped him to write songs better; whereas, I don’t. It is also better as it has phrases in a bolder or bigger text to draw the reader’s attention. The main points are in bolder or bigger text to bring the readers attention to that part of the text. This part of the text will be catchy and tell the reader enough information to get the idea vaguely but still makes them want to know more.  

The blog also is directed at the reader whereas mine is more about highlighting my strong points rather than drawing the reader in. My blog is stronger than Tony’s blog because my blog can be suitable for more than one type of musician. This is because I have a post about health and safety which will help other musicians as they may not be aware of the health and safety issues that can be present in a room at any point. My blog can also help people who aren’t musicians as it gives them health and safety tips that can be used in a non-musician’s room.

Another way that Tony’s blog is better than mine, is that he uses colors and it is easy to look at. His layout and colors are more user friendly than mine. His use of colors makes the readers feel that she is more open and friendly whereas mine has minimal amounts of color. If I were to go back and edit my blog, I would add colors as it makes other people want to look at my blog more, even if I don’t like it like this. I also like the way that he has organized his blog into user friendly, easily accessible links. I would definitely incorporate this if I were to edit my blog or create a new blog. Tony’s blog is also more appropriate than mine for songwriters as it tells them how to write a good song and what can go wrong in the process. He is also inspirational as he says that even if you make a mistake it might lead somewhere better than if you hadn’t made the mistake in the first place. 

Tony’s blog is in an informal tone. This can make it better or worse than mine at the same time. It is better than mine because sometimes the reader may feel that the informal tone is easier to read, and they feel like the text is directed at them. Mine is better than Tony’s because sometimes, people want the text to sound more formal as it can be seen as mildly patronizing if it is in an informal tone. This just depends on the taste of the reader. In a blog I don’t have a preference of tone as if it helps me in some way for what I’m looking for, I don’t mind what tone it is as long as it’s not confusing me by using technical jargon or patronizing me. 

Tony Conniff by Tony Conniff date accessed 31/1/20 

http://tonyconniff.com/blog/

My blog is aimed at potential employers. Nikki’s blog is also aimed at employers. This contrasts with Tony’s blog which is aimed at other songwriters. The purpose of both mine and Nikki’s blogs is showcasing our skills. This is different to the purpose of Tony’s blog as his is to inform other people of how to write songs and the problems that he has run into in the process of writing his songs. 

 All three of our blogs have promotional material. Tony’s blog has a tutorial video of the basics of writing songs. Nikki’s blog has a video of her conducting an ensemble of flautists. In my video I am singing a cover of a song. Both mine and Tony’s blog has educational content whereas, Nikki’s blog is just listing statistics about her lessons and how the students have done after her lessons.  

The opportunities that I have had to demonstrate my skills in different environments include performances in primary school where I would perform different pieces of music as part of an ensemble. I carried on participating in these performances in high school. In high school I performed in assemblies and musical theatre productions. I also performed as part of an ensemble for two awards ceremonies. I have also performed at a Christmas party for senior citizens in the local area. In between high school and college I participated in NCS. During this time, I performed in a lecture hall at a university When I went to college, I performed in the acoustic performance called unplugged. I also performed as part of a group for an assignment on ABBA. We performed this twice, once in the school theatre, the second was at a special needs school in the local area as part of their music week celebration. We also did a unit in music where we had to perform a slow song and a fast song. This was performed in the theatre. 

Tony has a page dedicated to the things that he has done. Things that he has done include the writing the songs for the Tony Conniff and band album let it drown me.

About Tony

Nikki also has a page on her history of music and her achievements. This includes working with Sir James Galway’s brother George and achieving a grade 8 ABRSM in flute.

About Me

If I were to edit my blog at a later date I would ensure that  I have done some more performances as when you compare my experience to Tony or Nikki’s, I wouldn’t pick myself over them if I had to choose who to employ as they have more experience than me because I am younger than them. 

Another thing that I would change next time I create a blog or if I were to edit this blog is to add my social media accounts because this allows me to have a larger following which has the possibility to give me more opportunities to work and perform. 

The picture above is an example of good health and safety as the chair is at an appropriate height for the student to play the piano and be comfortable for a long period of time. If it wasn’t at the appropriate height, the student could be injured form playing the piano in an uncomfortable for a prolonged amount of time. It can also cause a loss of circulation to the limbs which can cause the feeling to go from these limbs, causing the student to fall and potentially hurt themselves and others on the equipment around them. 

The picture above is a good example of health and safety as the electricity switch is easy to access in case of an accident. This is good as if the accident could become worse due to the electricity, it is better if the electricity is off to prevent the situation worsening. If the switch wasn’t present or was hard to gain access to, fires that are caused by electrical failure can become worse as nobody would be able to turn off the electricity to the room which can cause the death of many people as the fire could be blocking the exit. 

The picture above is a good example of health and safety as the cable is tucked out of the way so that it doesn’t present as a tripping hazard. If the cable wasn’t tucked to the side, it can cause students and teachers to trip and be harmed by equipment around them. This can cause death as they may hit their head. If a student with a learning disability was to trip over this, this can cause them to become harmed as even if they aren’t walking fast, their reaction time may be impaired by their disability. 

This is a good example of health and safety as it is a sensible temperature to prevent the instruments becoming detuned as well as keeping the students in the class from over heating. If the temperature was higher the students can also become over heated as they are in a relatively small room compared to the amount of students. When the students are singing they tend to dance along to the music, making it warmer in the class room, making it more likely for a student to become over heated and faint. If the student faints, they could hit their head on a piece of equipment and die. They could also land in a position that means that they break one or more bones. 

The picture above is a good example of health and safety as the wires are orderly. This is good as if they weren’t, it could be a tripping hazard, and someone could trip over and crack their head open. Another reason why it is good for the wires to be coiled like this is because it keeps the wires intact for longer, preventing the staff from needing to replace them as they don’t work as often. It will also help to keep the electrical fires to a minimum. 

The picture above is a good example of health and safety as the volume is down. If the volumes weren’t down, the speakers could be blown, and someone could lose their hearing. Another reason why it is good to have the levels down is because if a student has mental health issues or learning disabilities, loud noises can trigger unpleasant reactions for them. An example of this is a student with PTSD, if they hear a loud noise, this could trigger a flashback which can be traumatising for them and can cause any co-existing mental health issues to worsen, such as anxiety and depression. 

The picture above is an example of good health and safety as all the guitars are safely in the rack, facing the same direction. If they weren’t in the rack safely, they would be a tripping hazard, and someone could trip over and crack their head open. Another reason the guitars should be stored like this is because if they weren’t, the guitars can be broken and can cause the student to be harmed while moving it or while they are playing it. 

This is my cover of dance monkey by Tones and I. I do not own the song or the rights to this song.

This is an example of an invoice that i have made to show that i know how to write an invoice.

Financial management 

Pensions 

Pensions are money that an individual receives after they retire. They contribute to their pension during the time that they are employed. We need a pension as after we retire, we aren’t making any money to support ourselves which means that we would depend on friends and family for money. For individuals who don’t have any family left and have no friends, they wouldn’t be able to retire as they would need to get money. This is why we have a pension. Pensions work by the individual contributing towards their national insurance every year for 35 years in order to receive their full pension when they retire. People who are self-employed do a self-assessment every year in which they tell the government how much they have made that year and how much they have had to pay to keep the business running. They then pay taxes and contribute towards their national insurance. An example of a self-assessment from 2014 is shown below. 

If an individual is employed by a company, the company works out how much tax they need to pay as well as how much they need to contribute towards their national insurance every time they get paid. 

If you earn more during a year, you pay more towards your taxes and national insurance that year. If the individual can’t pay their national insurance contributions, it can be classified as tax avoidance in some circumstances, and the individual will be declared bankrupt, they could go to prison, have their assets seized and their business can be liquidated in order to claim the missing money. 

TAX 

Everyone who works need to pay tax. This is to pay for the things that everyone uses such as the NHS, the police, the fire department and other services as well as people on benefits. The more money an individual earns, the more tax they pay. An individual can earn up to £12,500 without being taxed every year. However, if they earn £20,000 in a year, they have to pay 20% tax on £7,500. If the individual earns 100,000, they have to pay 20% tax on £37,000 and 40% on £50,500. If the individual is self-employed, they would do a self-assessment every year and work out their own tax, whereas, if the individual is employed by a company, the company has to work out the tax every month. If the individual is self-employed and is earning a large amount of money, they would hire an accountant. Accountants are expensive as they are specially trained within their field. If the tax isn’t paid, it is a crime and the individual will be declared bankrupt, they could go to prison, have their assets seized and their business can be liquidated in order to claim the missing money. 

Invoices 

 Invoices are important as it helps to keep track of the finances. An example of an invoice is shown below. 

Invoices are used to show the person how much they owe the person that is sending the invoice. It is important for the people to keep these as it will help the professional to keep track of their finances when it comes to their self-assessment. So that they don’t accidentally miss out some of their income and not fill out the self-assessment properly. 

Self-management 

Planning 

Planning is organizing events and allocating certain things to designated times. 

I am not that strong at planning as I tend to be quite spontaneous which can make planning difficult as I try to predict what kind of mood I would be in and when it comes to that time, I’m in the mood to do something else. An example of this for song writing is that I could have to do three different songs. One of these could be a love song. One of these could be about struggles and one of them could be promoting education. I might plan to write the love song last but when I get around to writing them, I could decide that I want to write the love song first. I can improve this by making my plans more flexible so it can accommodate my spontaneity as well as allowing spaces for me to plan what I am going to do next. To further improve my planning skills, I can go to a training course which can teach me how to plan more effectively. As I become more successful, my planning skills will improve as I will have had more experience planning. 

Goal setting 

Goal setting is making a target and keeping to it. 

I am weak at this as I always have multiple goals and I try to achieve too much. An example of this could be having a few songs that have the basic structure. I would want to finish all of them completely in a few days. In order to improve this, I can go to meetings in which they can teach me how to set more achievable and realistic goals. As I become more successful, I will become better at setting goals as I will need to do less in order to reach my full potential. 

Working as a team 

Working as a team means being good member of a group whether that is pointing out weaker parts of a piece of work or lifting moral when the work isn’t going too well. It can also involve doing the things that you are meant to and helping others who may be struggling. This skill is useful for my job role as I will be required to work as a group as part of an ensemble as a session musician. I am weak at this as I am the type of person who wants things to be done right and I may be likely to go back and redo things that others have completed and that isn’t being a good team member. To improve this, I can go to a training course which can help me to improve my teamwork and teach me to be a better part of a team. As I become more successful, I will become better at this skill as I will have had more practice in working with a team. 

This post will talk about why i would need to join PRS and MU and how it would help me in my later life.

Stuart Belsham is a representative from PRS. He came to luton sixth form college to present a talk about the PRS and the things that PRS can do for us if we choose to become composers or songwriters. PRS is the performing rights society, they ensure that composers and songwriters get the money that they deserve from their work. I would need to join this society if I decided to become a songwriter as it means that if other people use my songs, I will be paid for it. I would have to pay one hundred pounds for a lifetime subscription, but this would be useful after I have written work as it means that my work will be looked after.  

We looked at a case study with Amy Winehouse and the Zutons. The Zutons wrote the original song, so they get paid when their song comes on, as does their record label. If Amy Winehouse covers their song, she gets paid for it as does her record label and the Zutons. The session musicians would also be paid. 

If I didn’t join the PRS, people would be able to take my music and I wouldn’t get any credit for it. This would lose me money. 

Tom Eagle is a representative from MU. He came to luton sixth form college to present a talk about the MU and the things that MU can do for us if we choose to become session musicians. MU is the musician’s union; they ensure that musicians are treated fairly. It costs eighteen pounds a month to be a part of the musician’s union however, they ensure that you are paid by your employers. They also cover up to two thousand pounds of insurance, provide solicitors and legal advice as well as advice on contracts. I would join the musician’s union as I would be a session musician as well as a songwriter so I would join both PRS and MU. This would benefit me as the advantages of joining the MU outweighs the disadvantages. 

We looked at a case study about the London 2012 Olympics. The musicians for this event were asked to work for free with LOCOG using exposure as payment. However, the musicians weren’t actually getting any exposure for this event as they were working as part of the London Olympics 2012. The other people hired to work for the event, such as the gardeners, caterers and dancers. As they were part of the musician’s union, the musician’s union negotiated with LOCOG. The result from this this negotiation was that the musicians were hired and payed. 

If I didn’t join the MU, I could lose lots of money and sign contracts which waive my rights to the music. This could lead to the loss of even more money. 

Hello, my name is Bryony Hare.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

I am a session musician and a songwriter.

I specialise in playing the flute but i am able to play other instruments such as piano, drums and singing.

I had a very musical background when i was a child, I was constantly singing and listening to music. I went to concerts every year. This started my passion for music. I first started learning music when i was 9, with the recorder and the glockenspiel in lesson with my classmates and the flute with a one to one lesson every week. When i was 10, I picked up the guitar as part of my class, continuing to play flute in my individual lessons. When i began high school, I achieved a merit in my grade 1 flute exam. i also picked up the piano when I was in high school, continuing to play the piano until I was 15. I have also played the steel pans and the clarinet during this time. when i was 17, I began to play instruments more frequently, including the piano, flute and singing. I also started playing the drums that year. I have playing the flute for nine years now.

I have been writing songs since i was 12 years old as it was a way to express my emotions. I have been writing songs since.

“How is it that music can, without words, evoke our laughter, our fears, our highest aspirations?”

Jane Swan

“If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it; that surfeiting, The appetite may sicken, and so die.”

William Shakespeare

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

If I were to take the university route to become a session musician, I would go to BIMM university as I have heard that it has a good reputation. I also have good enough grades to get in. The entry requirements are at least two A-levels at grade E, or over which is 32 UCAS points or a level 3 BTEC equivalent. A student hoping to study at BIMM university would also need 3 GCSEs at grade 4 including English language. I meet the entry requirements which means that I should be able to get into the university. 

I would choose the BMus (HONS) popular music performance course as the modules look interesting to me. This is important as I learn better when I enjoy the subject content.  

In the first year of university I will be doing 8 modules. These modules are a taste of the different careers within music. This gives me time to change my mind about what musical career I want to go into although I doubt, I will change my mind. One of the modules from the first year’s modules that I think will help me develop as a musician is the applied performance module. In this module I will learn key skills to arrange and perform songs. This course will also give me the ability to workshop ideas and enhance the music with engaging and visually pleasing performances. This will help me develop musically as it will help me to receive feedback from my peers and to give my peers feedback. This will help my development as I will be able to see what my peers did well and adapt it into my work. At the same time, I will be looking at the mistakes that me and my peers have made and ensure that I don’t make those mistakes. My working patterns will be very daytime oriented as I will be working on my university work. I would also consider getting a job to fund myself at university. This will impact my college work and the time that I am not in lessons. I could get an early morning job which will require me to wake up earlier in the mornings. This could be good as it may leave my brain feeling awake by my lesson, however, it can also be bad as it may make me feel really tired as sometimes, I won’t be able to sleep until the early hours of the morning where I would have to get out of bed without sleeping. Alternatively, I could get a night job. This would be good as I am often up late anyway so I might as well be paid for it. A disadvantage about getting a night job is that my brain works best later at night so it would be more beneficial for me to be doing work at this time. One module I will be studying in my first year is applied instrument skills. In this module I will be looking at developing my voice in my instruments. This means showing emotions and telling a story without saying anything. This is implied by tempo, dynamics and how soft or hard the sound is. For example, an angry song would be fast and loud and have a hard sound. I will be able to incorporate this into my music after this module.  

In the third year of university I will be doing seven modules. Three of these are core modules which are compulsory. The remaining four modules are chosen from a list of optional modules in order to personalize it to the career that the individuals want to go into after university. One of the compulsory modules is called performance showcase. This module will help me develop musically as as part of the module we have to tailor a performance to different target audiences. This module will also help me to be more critical about my work by comparing my work to other higher level performances such as festival headliners. I will also be able to use movement and my surroundings as a way to enhance the performance. This will help me as people can get bored if the musician is static. I will also be required to document my progress during this modular. This will open my knowledge of more technology which can be important in the music industry. Another module I would study in my third year is gender and sexuality. This module is optional. In this module we look at gender and sexuality within the music society. This will help me develop musically as I will be looking deeper into the history of music and identifying the barriers of diversity within the music community. I will be looking at a range of eras and styles of music throughout this module which will give me inspiration of how to change my style to be true to myself in my music. It will also give me the chance to create a hybrid of styles making me to become more unique in my playing. I will also be able to change the creative industry by breaking down gender and sexuality barriers, creating a more open and diverse environment for the artists to be truthful to the rest of the world and to themselves.  

 Five years after I have left college, I intend to go to Middlesex university to study a postgraduate degree in music. I would choose the creative entrepreneurship music MA course as it would help me to learn what skills are necessary to start my own business or to be a freelancer. One of the modules I will be studying is creative start-ups. This is a compulsory module which will teach me how to fund my own business and how to network properly. This will help me develop musically by teaching me how to get work. I will also be studying the music entrepreneurship module; this is an optional course at the beginning of the course when I decide whether I want to work in a media or music environment. This module will teach me about critical awareness of problems and copyright and intellectual property. This will help me develop musically by helping me to know when I should be payed if I perform with people who have written their own music. I probably would work a part time job during this year as postgraduate studies are known to be rather time consuming and stressful. Due to this I would have a part time job that doesn’t require much physical exertion. I would still be working because I would need money to be able afford to live while doing my masters as I wouldn’t be able to pay for food otherwise. 

If I were to take the non-university route to become a session musician, I would spend the first two years after college paying for instrumental lessons so I could be entered for the graded exams in my chosen instruments. I would develop by learning how to book an exam for myself as I haven’t done this before as it was all done for me in college and high school. 

Above is a cropped screenshot of a PDF file describing how to book an exam in a public space. This means in a church or at a university as opposed to at your house.  

How to book a public venue by ABRSM date accessed 4/1/2020 

I would also develop musically by improving according to my instrumental teacher’s feedback. While I am focusing on my graded exams in my instrument, I will be working as a cashier or something that involves being near the customers such as a receptionist or stacking shelves. This will help me develop musically as it would provide me money to continue learning and to pay for my exams. My working patterns would be shift based for my job and the lessons would be moved according to both the teacher and my plans for the month or week depending on how often the shifts change. 

Three years after I have left college, I will be looking for a normal job in order to get a decent amount of experience so that it will be easier to get a job a few years later. I will probably work at Tesco’s, Asda or another supermarket in order to get the right amount of work history for a more permanent job. I will be practicing my instrument when I don’t have to work, and I will be looking for smaller jobs on the side. The job I would have at the supermarket would be there as an income-based job only, not for enjoyment. Once I have enough money, I could go to trade fairs in order to get cheaper equipment. This plan is based purely on whether I earn enough at the supermarket job. I will develop musically in this job as it will help me to learn patience and team working skills. These are necessary for if I am working as a band or as part of the orchestra. An example of when this will come in handy is if the person sat next to me in the orchestra keeps making mistakes, if I didn’t learn patience and team working skills, I would probably say something rude and be fired. Having worked at a supermarket and gaining patience and team working skills, I will instead ask them what problem they are having and attempt to resolve their problem. If it is a problem with reading the music or they have forgotten how to play the note, I would attempt to offer my assistance. If they play a different instrument to me, I would ask the person on the other side of them to help. This wouldn’t happen if I didn’t learn patience and team working skills as I am quite an impulsive person with a bad temper. Working alongside other people to get a job done should help me with my patience and temper, causing me to be a better team member and more tolerant of other people’s mistakes. My working patterns could be quite varied depending on the store, the opening hours of the store, the location of the store and the shift that I am allocated. 

Five years after I have left college, I will be looking for more music-based jobs like gigging at pubs, festivals or parties. 

I have found a listing on indeed of a job in London where I could work once I have finished my exams. I would develop musically by performing a lot in front of a large group of people. I would need to change my performing style in case the bar has people who come in frequently as they may get bored. I would have to add improvisation and change my set list often to keep the viewers interested. 

Music jobs in London by indeed date accessed 4/1/2020 

References 

How to book exams at a Public Venue by ABRSM date accessed 4/1/2020 

Click to access how-to-book-exams-at-a-public-venue.pdf

Music jobs in London by indeed date accessed 4/1/2020 

https://www.indeed.co.uk/jobs?q=music&l=London%2C%20Greater%20London&advn=7035528559191014