It’s been a while since i posted on here so I thought i’d update you on life and all. I am now in my half way through my degree. I’m not going to lie but this semester has been very hard and it hit me on week 2 that i can’t muck anything as everything will go towards my final degree mark. However though i did get some marks back for a brass trio i did for composition module which i got a first for but my comments mentioned the brass band unity feel of it-i’ve been found out!!!
We also had a workshop with a string quartet for the final composition which was great fun and went a lot better than expected. I’m really pleased with how the string quartet went for me-the sound shows how much my composition has changed since starting uni. I might actually miss the composition module now i’ve dropped it for semester 2 as it’s now longer compulsory……..
Christmas was busy as every with lots of caroling, 2 uni concerts as well as my own chamber music assessment and playing in two friends assessments. My caroling actually finished on 23rd december but at norwich station of all places…..MY SECOND HOME!!! However though, this wasn’t with my main band as i also depped with another brass band which i am on good terms with and a brass quintet at a pub which was great fun!
I’m now on my January break where i’ve been practicing for my end of year recital and just relaxing while composing a soundtrack for a commission as well as brass band rehearsals of course! Looking forward to when i’m back at uni especially my two option modules-music education and electroacoustic composition!
So it’s the last day of the year. A day for reflection and looking ahead. I’m going to do this post as i did it last year and summarise the year in photos.
I don’t think anyone could have seen 2016 having so many deaths of famous people. David Bowies death in particular affected me a lot. An artist who i looked up to and whos music helped me a lot through a very hard period of my life, i was in shock for many days and david bowie will be missed forever. Asides from that, I had the month of Uni so I spent it at home not doing much and i also went to the butlins mineworkers contest which was great fun!!
Going back to uni, I found out that i passed all semster 1 modules with 2:1s putting my mark at 64% for the year so far which meant i was on course to passing my first year of uni with a good 2:1. I also found out that i was placed in orchestera for uni which would be m first time in a orchestera. As well, I got on with working hard and studying.
March:I was getting on with uni coursework and rehersals with uni ensembles and my brass band and also had the area contest where we sadly came last after a decent performance 😦This is quite a special photo as it is from what I consider to be the best day of the year for me!! At the open rehersal we had a week before the contest, we had a open rehersal before the area and much to my shock, my good friend and mentor came to listen. Safe to say this is proberlly my highlight of the year.
The month was spent much rehersing and doing coursework to get done before the deadline in may. I also had a big birthday where i enterd my 20s and my 2nd decade alive.
I handed in all of my first year coursework and I had my end of year recital which went very well. I then had 2 epic uni concerts at cambridge and binham to end the year with. As well, I had 2 good concerts with band. After this, my summer officialy began with no more commuting until september
I found out that i passed my first year with a good 2:1 at 65% which was a massive shock and a big relif. I started preparing for year 2 with my arrangment for chamber music and continued rehersing for the summer with my brass band with a good concert at the end of the month in a bandstand. And of course, there was the eu ref at the end of the month. Not what i voted for but i was more shocked with the hate and abuse people on both sides where giving each other due to the way they voted…..
The summer ended and I achived an ambition and ticked off a box on my bucket list by releasing my debut ep. At the end of the month, year 2 of my degree began.
Deadlines, concerts and caroliong-the life of a music student hey!!
Looking onwards to 2017, I hope to continue getting good marks and more of the same with my playing and looking forward to working out a carrer path for myself.
So today is a rather exciting day. After being 3 years in the making, I have released my first e.p under my production alasis-Ridgy
I started producing music in 2012 as i was doing a level music tech and it was a way to learn how to use logic pro as i had never used it beforehand. By 2013, it had became a real passion and i made the descion to concentrate on it and one day release an e.p. That idea has now became an reality.
As you can tell, the tracks are all very different in terms of genre. This has been a project for the last 3 years which has gone through 3 different name changes (ghostly kangaroo, drenched eagle and now ridgy) so it explains the different genres within it. I want to make more for sure but i don’t know whether to produce in one specific genre or produce a mixture of all genres.If you want to download/buy a copy, you can get it here 🙂
Inspired by a post on a blog i follow, I thought it would be good to give you an insight into what music i enjoy, considering i study it and hopefully will work in music in someway after graduation. Of course this is not all the music i listen to as there is always a bit of cheese within anyones music taste for a diva moment……I’ve also added a YouTube playlists with the music mentioned and other related pieces if you want to listen to them 🙂
Favourite Composers with there genres
Classical/contemporary (Unpopular music!!)
Although i listened to a fair bit of this before I started my degree and a levels, it’s only since start uni as with analysing pieces and listening to a wide variety of music that I’ve really started listening to “unpopular” music a lot more. If my university lectures had met me when i was a gcse music student or even when i did a fast track music group during year 9, they would have properly been shocked that they would be giving me my degree teaching in a wide variety of music!!!. In terms of a specific period, my favourite period has to be the romantic era due to the but i have a massive soft spot for renaissance choral music. I’m not really a fan of a lot of 20th century music with extreme dissonance though. I can listen to a few 20th centuary pieces but people like Schoenberg NOOOO!!!! I do like 4:33 by john cage though…..
Favourite Composers
Mahler-What a man.Before studying him for a bit of a musicology module last semester at uni (and again for next semester!!!), I never really listened to much of him but after finding out the history of the romantic era, he’s became my favourite composer. His writing is terrific in terms of instrumentation and brass parts (the brass chorale in symphony 2 is beautiful!). I am a massive fan but my favourite piece of his has to be the adagietto from symphony 5. I heard it first just after i finished sixth form and along with no suprises by radiohead, those pieces meant a lot during that period of change and uncertainty.So much beauty and passion within 10 minutes of music it’s unbelievable. No wonder why it was used for death on Venice and some ice skating routines.
Steve Reich-Yes, I discovered him through studying gcse music. I don’t know what it is about minimalism but the whole repetition and cross rhythm as well as gradual rhythmic changes but I love it. I even composed a minimalist guitar ensemble piece directly inspired by the 2nd movement of electrical counterpoint i’ll link below. I discoverd a lot of his earlier works recently through music technology lectures at uni which has been really fascinating to listen to-bridging a time before the use of daws. My favourite piece by him is properly piano phase although i belive out of all his works, the works for percussion ensemble emphasises the minimalist genre the most-the use of tuned percussion really works and represents the genre well.
Steve Reich
Debussey-Like steve reich, I discovered him by studying his music for a level music. Being a late romantic composer but the pioneer of the impressionist genre, his music with his use of whole tone scales is beautiful to listen to. In particular, his symphonic poem prelude a l’apres de midi un faune for a small chamber orchestra is gorgeous and tells a real story throughout it.
Other mention must be made to the composer Karl jenkins-his music is a breath of fresh air with a real modern feel to it particularly shown in stabet mater and the armed man. As well as this, the finale from the saint saens organ symphony, the lark ascending and prelude from tristian und isolde are other pieces I would highly reccomend.In a choral sense of my favourites, Masse de nostre dame by mauchet and missa papa marcellia are great examples of early renaissance choral music. Also as well the durufle requiem. Beautiful piece and also the first ever proper choral piece i sung in my unis chorus (forced torture on all none singer music students)….what a way to start a singing career with a hard but beautiful requiem.
Rock
My dad is a child of the 70s which has influenced a lot of his music taste. A lot of his music taste has rubbed off onto me and it was properly the genre I listened to the most before 2014. I still listen to it a lot but i have a more widened listening taste now.
Favourite Artists
Manic Street Preachers-My all time favourite band. Just love everything about them and their music. I first heard them in 2010 when it’s not war just the end of love was released and I was hooked instantly. 6 years on i own all there albums and i hope one day i can hear them live. Apart from a design for life which i will talk about later, my favourite track is black square.
The who-One of the ones which has come through my dad. Class music and class nutters on stage and off stage with the endless list of hotels wrecked and toilets blown up.My all time favourite is love reign o’er me as its such a powerful track (both the orignal and the orchestral version arranged by Pete Townshend Mrs). I actually got a copy of quadrophenia for my birthday as its one of my all time favourite records, havent had a chance to play it yet though as I don’t have a record player (sounds bad seeming as I’ve been collecting records for over 6 years but haven’t got a record player to play them on yet…). As well though, i do like baba o Riley and the quiet one (i can relate to it in more ways than one!!!)
The Who
Pink Floyd-The first band i properly got into again thank to my dad. Amazing amazing music with some beautiful instrumental textures within it. My favourite album by them is a momentary lapse of reason but favourite instrumental track has to be the great gig in the sky no words more needed.
Queen-They are one of those bands that we can all love and listen to a song by them which can relate to everything. The group fitted perfectly as a team and their everlasting popularity to now says it all about them.Bohemian rhapsody has to be my favourite by them though, an opera within a 6 minute song.
Special Mention must be given to Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield. I first listened to it when I was about 6/7 and was blown away by it then. I never thought then that i would be doing a music degree 14 years down the line and have mike oldfield as a direct influence on my playing and composition.
Electronic
I’ve been listening to electronic music since 2010, first with a lot of synth pop and house music but again, my listening taste has been tamed and widened since starting uni.
Favourite Musicians
Public Service Broadcasting-Oh my word I LOVE these guys. I only started to listen to them because the drummer from the manics recommended them to listen to. I was instantly hooked due to the catchy music and brilliant use of samples. I love there most recent album the race for space and i would properly put it in my top list of albums ever created.
Moby-Another one discovered through studying his music at gcse level. All of the stuff he writes is mesmerizing and if you read his autobiography, there’s some very interesting stories within it.God moving over the face of water is a track I am particularly fond of
Moby
Pogo-This time discovered through music technology lectures about plunderphonics! Unlike some plunderphonic composers who deliberately make their music not nice to listen to, pogo creates some beautiful music just by using samples of audio. Data and Picard is a favourite as well as his classic upular
Special mention must be given to john Oswald a massive pioneer of plunderphonics. An absolute nutter but his tracks strangely resonate with me… He even influenced one of my bits of coursework for uni which I will link below….
As well trickfinger is another recommendation creating some beautiful acid house with a late 80s feel
Indie/Alt Rock
Kind of a spin-off from listening to a lot of rock music, it’s really my thing yeahhh….
Favourite Bands
Radiohead-A massive favourite of mine in terms of music and meaning to it. When stuff was going very bad and when i finished sixth form , i listened to a lot of their music as i was going through a lot of uncertain change but the music kept me going thinking yeah, there is a light at the end of the tunnel however far down it may be. My favourite track is no surprises although i am a massive fan of the bends and ok computer era of radiohead.
Radiohead
The Maccabees-If you read the previous post on my blog, you can tell how much their music means to me and how gutted i still am that they are calling it a day. Just beautiful textures and music from them is perfect. The music from the given to the wild era is properly my favourite.
The Vaccines-One of my all time favourites and a group who I’ve been lucky enough to see live. So much energy and fun in their music there’s actually not a track by them which I don’t like….they are just perfect in every single way
Special mention must be given to alt j ∆. I discovered them through them winning a mercury award and I’ve been hooked since by their catchy hooks with good music attached.
Jazz/Swing/Big Band
As a youngster, the only stuff of this I would listen to would be Glenn miller and big band music (thanks to strictly come dancing) and think all other jazz is rubbish. As I’ve grown up and started listening to a bigger variety of music, i’ve discovered a whole world outside this and realised how much of a bubble i was in beforehand.
Favourite Bands
Snarky Puppy!!!-Very very popular group among people my age and it’s no surprise why. Catchy jazz grooves with a modern vibrate feel but still containing that cool vintage element is their perfect mix. There another group where i have not found a track i don’t like due to them being that good!!
John Wilson Orchestera-Seems a bit of an odd one for someone my age but they are a real hit for me. Bringing back light music into the bigtime through transcribing some of the classic movie scores by ear and playing a huge variety has made them very popular. Their first prom with a focus on mgm music stands out as a highlight for me.
The John Wilson orchestra
Jamie Cullum-An artist who I have grown with and adored for years. The maturity of his music and arrangements are fantastic. My favourite track of his being his cover of please don’t stop the music
Special mention must be given to Glenn miller. One artist i have always listened to and who’s music will never age. My favourite being moonlight serenade 🙂
Brass
As a brass player and active brass band musician, it’s hard to escape brass music in any sense seeming as I’m playing it or listening to it all the time.
Favourite Brass Band Pieces/Composers
Resagurum: Eric ball-One of my all time favourite pieces by the daddy of beautiful brass music. Eric ball was the greater beginner in writing great music for brass band. Despite him being dead for over 20 years, this piece and many others by him are still played and widely considered to be some of the best brass writing around taking you back to a time where a test piece was not about how many demi semi quaver runs you can put in but having passion and real emotion with music.
The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: Derek Bourgeois-This is my all time favourite test piece and so much so that i sampled it for a bit of uni coursework….i just love the whole range of emotions within it from the fast runs all the way through to the beautiful hymn like tune at the end of it.
The Torchbearer: Peter Graham-The torchbearer is a march by eric ball and within the test piece by peter graham, he uses fragments of many different pieces by eric to create a test piece. It is a stunning piece of music which has the equal test of technical runs but also pure emotional solos and i have put in the best performance of it here
Special mention must be made to Edward Gregson my all time favourite brass composer-i’ve loved all his pieces and included a link of essay in which i am privileged to know the solo horn player on it. Also to Phillip sparke who was the first composer i really listened to with harmony music being the first test. Mentions must also be made to the composers, oliver waspei, johan de meji, jan van deer rost,Eduard de Boer and thomas doss whos pieces are really modernizing the brass band repoitre.
Favourite Bands
Mnozil Brass-Love these guys. They are absolute nutters but are insane players and comedians. I haven’t seen them live yet but a lot of the brass lot at uni have seen them and actually meet and hung out with them!!!!!
Hackney Colliery Band-Guys really brining the new orlens jazz scene to the uk well. They are really building up a following and the response to their music says it all. I saw these guys in may and they where insane live!
Hackney Colliery Band
I’m not naming any of my favourite bands in terms of the traditional genre as well, a lot of us do idolize the top bands. As well, although, in a local sense, when i joined my current band, i had always known them as a fantastic band which i would never be good enough to join but here i am nearly 2 years on playing solo horn with them….
Favourtie Solo Artist and icon
David Bowie-What a guy. He could still stay relevant for the decade and adapt his music around whatever growing trends there was. His music was and is stunning and still stands the test of time.
David Bowie
Favourtie Band and icon
Manic Street Preachers! Although they have arguably tamed down from generation terrorists, the political messages and the power within their music is still standing and relevant today. With asides from lifeblood….., there music is epic on all senses and just flipping fantastic!!! I love them!!!!!
Manic Street Preachers
Favorite Song
A Design For Life-Manic Street Preachers
When i heard it for the first time, it stuck instantly. Its resonates with me and the lyrics still blow me away. It was also number 2 in the charts the day i was born….
Significant Song
Where are we now-David Bowie
The return of bowie was signficant and where are we now was released when i sadly house swapped and everything started going even wronger than it was before. It’s a beautiful track and with the lyrics looking back on the past and thinking where we are now, it made me think that although the good times where back in the house i grew up in , there was not much i could do to stop the house move happening and just try to accept this new change (shame nearly 4 years on, its worse here compared to how it was when i was living in the old house ) 😦
Is Music Important?
My god yes it is. Whether you are actively involved in music or are just a listener, it is very important and in some cases life changing. I don’t think that i would be at uni if i had not chosen to learn an instrument in middle school. I did not feel like i had anything i was good at until i started learning music in year 5.Which is why it has infuriated me with the amount of government cuts made on funding for instrumental lessons so it feels like on the well off can afford them. I had to control my anger when doing a business report on instrumental tuition for uni and talking about the figures which have been cut. (still got a first for it though!!!)
Hope you enjoyed this post looking into the music which makes me 🙂
So as i prepare to return to commuting to uni at the end of the month and start year 2 of my degree, it got me thinking about the advice i would have loved to had when i began commuting to uni during my . When i prepared to start commuting last year, the thing i saw when i googled for advice and asked people, the responses i got was that i would regret it, i wouldn’t make any friends/have a social life and that i would sign my life away to trains. Well a year on, i don’t regret it, i have a good group of friends and a social life. Yes i may spend 2 hours 35 minutes on trains a day when i’m at uni but with careful planning, i can split the day perfectly so i can balance work and friends perfectly.
You won’t be the only person commuting-Many people commute to university for a number of reasons whether to save money or because they are a mature student already with a home and family. There’ll be at least one person on your course or in an different year of that course who commutes so you won’t be alone. Of the 2nd years (my year) and 3rd years on my course at uni, theres at least 4 people that i know of who commute in, 2 2nd years and 2 3rd years.
If you can, try and make a freshers week event-Freshers week is a brilliant way to make friends and have fun at many different events . Everyone is in the same boat and will want to meet new people as well as have some fun.There will also properly be a freshers fair where lots of stalls are there with….FREE STUFF!!!
Making friends on your course is easier than you think-When you start, everyone is in the same boat regardless of whether you commute or not. Your course may have an induction week. These give you a chance to meet your coursemates and get taste of what the next few years will be like. By chatting to people there and asking simple things eg where there from and what there into etc, you’ll already start to get numbers and facebook adds.Yes you will have to make a bit more effort in socialising there on as you wont be at uni 24/7 but once you have a close group of friends, you can have a group to relax with and also if needed give you a place to stay overnight.
You need to plan your day in advance-Get yourself a academic diary and write down your timetable and times of any trains/buses you need to get. As well, it is also worth to plan if your are going to do any work while comuting-deadlines creep up on you quicker than you think so if you can do any work while commuting as well as when you have free time inbetween sessions, you can make these deadlines quicker than you expect while balancing a social life.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help-We all will have a point where we will struggle. Don’t feel afraid to ask for help whether it’s from family or university. They are all there to help, not to leave you to suffer in pain and can help you get round a hard period
Try and get yourself into a sort of sleep routine-With a lot of traveling going on, it’s important to try and get much sleep despite a unroutinelike timetable. There may be times where you get home early one day and have to wake up at the crack of dawn for a 9am lecture (NOT FUN!) and not get home till late. Of course, there will be exceptions to the case at times but it’s important to get as much sleep as you can so you don’t get in the next day feeling horrendous. Of course caffine can help, but it is not best to live on it constantly.
I hope this helps and if you have any further queries, tweet me
Gutted I was when i read this morning that one of my favourite bands, the maccabees are calling it a day. It’s been a terrible year for bands calling it a day and musicians dying. This on a personal level has properly affected me a lot with only david bowies death in january feeling worse.
I discovered the band in 2012 through them playing live on jools holland and instantly feel in love with there music. I brought all there albums which helped me a lot when i went through the worst period of my life in 2013 by giving me hope during the period of fear and uncertainty. It made it apt that i was able to here them live in 2015 at the live lounge session they did in norwich.
Brexit it is then. Not the result that i wanted but it is what the country has decided.
The future is certainly unknown but we did not know what would happen either way just assume. We all need to work together and hopefully get an atmosphere like how it was with the 2012 olympics in the uk.
I will not miss this refferndum though. The biterness and abuse each side has been giving each other has been horrible even today-they are real people besides having an opinion/friends/familys so don’t be an arse towards them just because you don’t agree with them. And people saying that the old should not be allowed to vote because they muck up-they have ever right as we do to vote-it’s democracy in action!! People need to target my age group more so we understand things like this and vote in other elections. And farage saying that leave won without a bullet-what about jo cox murder…..
This articale however is a good read http://www.thecanary.co/2016/06/21/the-eu-referendum-is-one-of-the-cruellest-tricks-every-played-on-the-british-public/
So i’ve been done for the summer for nearly a month and i found out that I have passed my first year with a 2:1 with my mark being 65%. Although this years mark will not count towards my final degree, i am over the moon with the mark. I got 1sts for the music business and performance modules, 2:1’s for composing, music technology, language of music 1a and 2:2’s for world music and language of music 1b.
This seems like a perfect time to look back on my first year. At the start of september, I was incredibly nervous. I was returning to education after my gap year and i wasn’t sure if i made the right descion to even go to uni-even more since i would be taking an hour commute on the train. A year on, I can safely say i made the right descion. The commute has not been as bad as i thought-i do work on the train to pass the time, there has only been a few times where the trains have been rubbish and i’ve made a great group of friends including a fellow commuter-the work has been good and not as bad as i thought and i feel happy with the progression. There has been a few bad moments and times where i have been temptend to quit but i’m glad i haven’t-the motivation is when i graduate with my cap and gown and the certifcate showing i did it.
My immediate plans for the summer are to try and get a job for the summer (not going well so far), lots of composing and producing music as well as performing. I will also publish a few posts with advice for freshers starting in september too-including advice for people commuting and people returning to education after a gap year.
I’ll end this post with a playlist of my work done from this year and some favourite images.
Following on from my previous post, here is the second post in the secondary school memories series but focusing on sixth form. I decided after my GCSE results to stay on at my high school’s sixth form due to it having the best music faculties of them all. A decsion that i don’t regret at all.
The way i could focus on certain subjects was brilliant. I took as levels in music, music technology, ict and buisiness studies as well as compulsory buisiness studies. This meant i could do as much music related stuff which i wanted during my free’s as well as work for my other subjects obvisolly 😛
Also, this is being posted on the 2 year anniversary of my leavers day from sixth form :O!!!!Before I start, here are some piccys from sixth form 🙂
Year 12: This year started of really really well. I was making really good friends and getting on well with work. I would either be in the mac suiet or with the cafe crew during my free periods. We had a music day out for a study day which was so much fun! Although i had these home worries, i didn’t let them try to affect my school life. In Febuary 2013 during halftime, the houseswap finally happend. This absolutley deverstated me and made my depression even worse. I need to thank the music staff, my a level music group and boo for the support during this period. I was working hard but i was feeling unhappy inside. My as exams came round and i thought i did well but the depression i was suffering meant i didn’t concentrate and do as well as i thought. I then came back and started doing the work for my a2’s.
Year 13: My AS results where not as good as expected which gave me a kick into reality to work harder. I dropped buisiness which was a great descion as it meant i had more free’s and could focus on music music music. I would either be with the cafe crew or in the mac suiet. It was fun times although after a check up at the hospital and a further meeting with a suregon, i had to book myself in for the surgery to remove my thyroid. I was very nervous about this and then managed to get a lot of coursework done before my op which was good. I had auditions for uni which i got offers from all my choices.I then had my op and after my calcium episode i reutrned to sixth form and spent the rest of the time getting work caught up. I was also mucking about with my friends and it was generally just like that until my leavers day and my exams. I also managed to get my grade 7 horn with distinction as well!!
After I finished my A-Levels, I took a gap year. This was a very last minite descion but one which was the right descion. Due to my health situation and how i didn’t feel comftable or happy with my uni choices as well as being unsure on whether i had made the right descion with applying to uni, i choose at the last minute to withdraw my application and reapply for 2015 entry. This was certainly the right descion as i got my grade 8 horn, grade 5 theory and after thinking more carefully my application, got into universities i actually wanted to go to and now, i am at a brilliant univeristys which i love and enjoy everyone second of which is the right one for me by far. I am still living at home though but the commuting has not fazed me at all.
To end, I will post a picture of my Levers hoodies. I’m sure that once i graduate, I will have another one from my university to add to the collection, but I will always be a Wymondham High girl at heart thanks to the brilliant 7 years i had there.
Don’t wish your school years away, they go a lot quicker than you think.
The concerts i had with uni this weekend as well as one with my brass band went really well. I’m now done for my first year. Suprised how quick it went. I’m taking this week off for rest and to tidy up my cv before looking for a summer job so i can hopefully start saving for my own horn 🙂
I was getting on with uni coursework and rehersals with uni ensembles and my brass band and also had the area contest where we sadly came last after a decent performance 😦
(the brass chorale in symphony 2 is beautiful!). I am a massive fan but my favourite piece of his has to be the adagietto from symphony 5. I heard it first just after i finished sixth form and along with no suprises by radiohead, those pieces meant a lot during that period of change and uncertainty.So much beauty and passion within 10 minutes of music it’s unbelievable. No wonder why it was used for death on Venice and some ice skating routines.
