Music 2018

Welcome to my Music Blog for 2018!!

Group Performances:

Song Choice: Any Man of Mine
Artist: Shania Twain 
Composer: Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Shania Twain
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N2k-gv6xNE
Other Group Members: Lavisha and Anna.

What is this song about?

This song was a new form of feminism, pretty much saying that any man of hers has to be proud of her and better tell her that her dress fits right even when it doesn't, and he just has to agree with her and support her! She combined country songs with pop style production and marketing, using video to create a dynamic image, injecting country with a more uptown style, and taking control of her career like no female had ever done in Nashville before. Shania set new benchmarks for everybody in country music. 

What do I think of the song?
I'll admit it took me awhile to warm up to the idea of this song. I love country and I like a few of Shania Twain songs. However I hadn't heard this song before and so I didn't have much of a connection with it. But in the last month I've started to really love it! I also I think it appeals to me more because of the sassy and assertive tone of the lyrics and it's just such a catchy song and the lyrics are actually quite genius! I think It's also a good song for us girls to sing because it's good to change it up and explore different genres of music. Which this year is actually what I want to explore as a solo artist as well.

Final Grade: Excellence



Solo Performances:

1st Song Choice: A Million Dreams

Artist: Hugh Jackman and Ziv Zaifman from The Greatest Showman 

Composer/s: Benj Pasek & Justin Paul
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSQk-4fddDI

Grade: Excellence 

What is this song about?
This song is about young mans future wife and he tells her of his dreams for the future and explains his confidence that if they work hard for it, they will come true. In the first verse he talks about closing his eyes and yet being able to see, displaying his ability to ignore reality and open not his eyes but his imagination to a whole new world of possibilities, and through the darkest of times, and “the door” meaning the new stuff you have not encountered before. He believes that his world will be a world full of things unimaginable, things that are new, hence the term “opening a new door” and he welcomes people who were not traditionally welcome as they were different. Then then adult version of himself recounts the same dreams.

What do I think about this song? 
I love this song, it's so sweet. When I first listened to it it reminded me of "Eternal Flame" by the Bangles for some reason but I think it's a really good song and in a way very unique and diffrent for me as well. I also love The Greatest Showman and thought I would like to do my own rendition of it. 

2nd Song Choice: Black Velvet 

Artist: Alannah Myles
Composer/s: David Tyson & Christopher Ward
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkXNEmtf9tk
Grade: Excellence 

What is this song about?
This song is about Elvis Presley form his looks to his music. Some lyric analysis: "Jimmy Rogers on the Victrola up high" - Jimmy Rogers, an early blues singer, influencing Elvis (the baby) at an early age. The Victrola is the record player, played loudly. "Mama's dancin' with baby on her shoulder" - Gladys Presley dancing with the infant Elvis. "Black velvet and that little boy's smile" - You can buy a black velvet Elvis painting at any respectable yard sale. Early female fans were drawn to his "Little boy smile." "Black velvet with that slow southern style" - Elvis delivered some of his songs with slow, undulating hips. "Black velvet with that slow southern style" - Elvis delivered some of his songs with slow, undulating hips. Check out "Steamroller Blues" live.

What do I think about this song? 
I love this song! It's got a rocky edge to it that I think is different for me and I like it! I wanted to mix it up this year and pick a range of different songs and the reasons behind why I picked this song are 1. because it reminds of being at my grandparents house as a child and listening to all kinds of music with them 2. I loved Elvis Presley as child and I still do now thanks to my grandparents because they introduced me to so much music! I really want to loosen up for this song and have fun with it and bring the sass and edge to it!!

3rd Song Choice: Sober 
Artist: Demi Lovato

Composer/s: Demi Lovato, Mark Landon, Tushar Apt and Sam Roman

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=XQCo9dpz4LY
Grade: Excellence

What is this song about?
This song is about Demi Lovato admitting her drug and alcohol addiction that she has struggled with since a young age, dating way back to when she was on Disney Channel. Demi is ultimately sorry that she is not sober which is emphasised throughout the entire song, and specifically says sorry to her mum, father, friends and fans. She doesn't know why she does it every it time but it's only when she's feeling lonely that triggers her and she promises to get help because it wasn't her intention to relapse.

What do I think about this song? 

This song really hits me hard. I love it even though it makes me cry. It's so beautiful and raw. I have looked up to Demi for so long, and knowing that she suffered this addiction while she made me feel such joy and happiness while at home sitting in front of my TV screen really hits me. And it's so confronting, and so sad. I feel so bad for it. As I've grown older and seen how open she is with all of her struggles with mental health, her weight and drug and alcohol addictions she's become so much more of an idol to me, because she is such a real and relatable person. And unlike others who judge her, I believe that people don't choose to be addicted to anything and that's why this song resonates with me. I've known many people with different addictions.

4th Song Choice: Blown Away
Artist: Carrie Underwood

Composer/s: Chris Tompkins & Josh Year

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJgoHgpsb9I

Grade: Unassessed 

What is this song about?
This song is about the chilling, vengeful tale of a young girl with an abusive, alcoholic father. The song describes him as a mean old mister. The daughter can feel a storm coming, and she just wishes it could wash her past away, and in doing so, you know, take her father along. So it's a very, deep, dark story and so visual, when you hear the words and you hear the music, you can just see it all happening in your head. The tornado represents growing up, leaving your past behind. "Til theres nothing else standing", "nothing left of yesterday", "all blown away.."The girl had a traumatic and difficult childhood, and she needs to overcome it. 

What do I think about this song? 
I have loved this song since it came out in 2012! It is so emotional and powerful, and is one song that I have always dreamed of being able to pull off! This year I'm so excited that I can sing this song for one of my solos, and I would really love to do this song justice and portray it as the beautiful and emotional song it is

Final Grade: Excellence 

Composition:

07/02/18

I'm so excited for composition this year that I thought I would get started as soon as I could and then surely slowly get things done at a steady pace so I thought I would do a blog post! I feel as if I have definitely gained some experience over the last year when it comes to composition and I'd really like to continue the same sort of style. I guess I really kinda need to actually figure out what my style even is and figure out how to express myself through my music without caring about feeling vulnerable because that's how you write music. You have to truly connect to it and feel it for others to relate and be able to connect to it too. I think the main thing I do want to improve though is my playing. I think I definitely am better than when I came into Level 1. However, I know that I could be better if I just practiced a bit more and had the patience to kinda just sit down for 30 minutes - 1 hour to just figure out my way to getting better and better. Because I honestly would love to make a career out of this and share my voice with the world. I used to think it was embarrassing to want that because a lot of people say it's hard to become successful in that business let alone in New Zealand. But I know that whatever I set my mind to, I will achieve it and I will get there. I am determined to accomplish all of my goals. I am aiming for the lofty mountain and I will continue to fill my basket with knowledge! I wonder what this year will bring, and I wonder what kind of songs I will produce. I'm really excited to see what happens!!!


31/03/18

We are currently on break for Easter and I thought thought I would do a blogpost because I've been thinking of what kind of songs I am going to be composing this year. I would love to write a song about learning to accept your self because it's something that I've been trying to do over the last year and I want to actually start writing songs that make me vulnerable and emotional because that's what I love about music and so I'd like to do that myself with my own songs.. Similar to 'This is Me" from the Greatest Showman, I want it to uplift people and inspire them to be true to themselves and to be who they are! I want to take people on a journey of discovering yourself and who you are and I think that's the kind of song people need to hear. So I'm really excited to see what I can come up with and I might start looking at different chords and start thinking on lyrics ect; and really start thinking about that one because I want to make it perfect!!! For a second composition I'm not sure what I would do but I definitely know I want it to be something different and unique as well.


25/05/18

For the last month I've been writing ideas down for lyrics and I think that for my first composition I am going to be talking about insecurities and how they can affect you and how people don't necessarily see you for who you truly are inside and they think the real you is the physical you like on things like social media platforms or when they see you walk past them at school etc;  and I really wanted to do a song about this because I have struggled so much with my anxiety and insecurities and learning to accept myself.


04/06/18


So I've decided that my first composition is definitely going to be tackling insecurities like how I mentioned in my previous blog post. I want this to be my first composition because insecurities are something that I have always struggled with and think some people will find it relatable as well which is the kind of music I want to make and share with people. I've come up with a good starting point for lyrics which I'm going to continue developing and I'm leaning towards having for the chorus as "Insecurities have got the best of me, looking at Instagram so anxiously, Do I look to big? and how about my skin? I'm so tired of feeling this away" because now they kinda just give me those vibes so this week I'm just going to start playing around with melodies and chords and so I'm making Monday and Friday my composition days. So because we had today off for Queens Birthday, I know on Friday I will need to figure out the kind of sound I want to have to it and play around with chords and melodies.


8/06/18

Today I worked more on my composition and started playing around with some chords like B major, C# Major, Bb Major and E Major.

11/06/18

Today I continued developing the chords for my compsition and decided to change it a little by using the same B major chord throughout it just changing the singular notes.

18/06/18

Today I started playing around with lyrics and the chords to try make the melody to the chorus. And then I continued onto adding single notes in the chords to create a rhythm to it.

23/07/18

Wow it's been awhile since I've blogged and I feel really guilty about it. Last year I would religiously blog and just do it, but this year has been so crazy that I really have not had the time to do it and I feel as If I have neglected my compositions. But it is day 1 of Term 3 and I am setting a goal for myself now to get my first composition done by the end of Week 4, which is plently of time I think to finish it because I have the core done (the chorus) so I just need to piece together some versus and a bridge.  I also have decided that my second composition is going to be about my Grandad passing away... he passed away last month now and it has just been something I have had a lot to say about... but I just feel like I want to write a song for him but I'm just not sure yet what exactly I'm going to write. But I plan to have this composition finished by the end of Term or week 1 of Term 4 at the latest!!!


30/07/18

Since my last blogpost I have actually been motivated to get things done for this composition because I know that I write a song faster than I have done.. but so I have actually made some progress!!! So first of all I wanted to really focus on getting the beginning of the song fully sorted before I even thought of the verses so as I was playing around with the chords, I managed to come up with a really nice chord progression that I am going to use for the opening of the song to go into the first verse... and then once I had wrote that I was coming up with heaps of different things lyric wise and it kinda just flowed and at the time all the scribbles make 0 sense so I just made a good copy of them for the blog but yeah I came up with pre chorus lyrics and verse 1... so now I just have to do verse 2 and a bridge then polish it all up hopefully within 2 weeks.

03/08/18

I would really like to get my composition finished by the time I go to camp next Thursday because that is what I did last year. And I will feel like I am really falling behind if I leave it any later!! So that is the plan for that one! But so for the last 2 days in music I have been brainstorming lyrics for the second chorus and was going to try figure out to end the song... Although I think I need to learn to take one thing at a time cause I am bad for trying to take heaps of different things on board.. But so the progress for the second chorus went good. First thing I thought when writing the 2nd verse was if I was to introduce positive vibes or keep tracking with the feeling of insecurities and then what people say about you.. So those were my options for the verse and first thing that popped into my mind was "Stick and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me" and I wanted too reference that because that's what the try to tell you as a kid, but you know what? It still hurts so I made the verse  "The saying goes sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me, but when I was 13 I couldn't wait to leave High School because of the things they said and thought about me" and so after putting that with the other part of the song it had a really nice flow to it. So I think that I should be finished by the time I goto camp because all I really need to sort out now is the ending of the song.


07/08/18

Today I was trying so hard to get the ending of my song sussed. And eventually after about 20 minutes of internally screaming I came up with the perfect lyrics to end on a positive note because I have obviously overcome a lot of the fears and feelings I felt as a 12 -14 year old. And clearly I'm not bulletproof so I know there will be things that hurt me from time to time but I'm happy and that is what I wanted to end the song on and give hope to others who are struggling to overcome their own... So I did finish that and recorded my first draft for my composition! I'm going to try record this tomorrow before I go on camp so when I get back my 2nd composition is my focus. The photo on the left is also all of the paper I gathered from lyrics and chords ect;


09/10/18

It is the second week of the holidays and I thought I really needed to do a blog post because I have not blogged about my second composition at all since last time.. So for a quick update on that I have been writing lyrics for my second composition as well as some keys and melody since the last week of school and so yeah I'll upload a progress update when we go back to school.


Final Grade: