Introduction to FMP and Preparing for First Pitch

24 September, 2013: Introduction to FMP
In our first session we were tasked with choosing what style of performance we would like to be a part of, the options being; dance, drama, musical theatre and music. Though tempted to join the dance group; as I'm a former dance and have attained a GCSE (A) and AS Level (B) in the subject, I opted to join the music group.

I wish to develop my performing abilities as I aspire to be a professional singer-songwriter and feel I can gain essential experience and knowledge by contributing to the production of a music event. I hope that the experience gained will assist me as I plan my own events and performances in future.

Other than myself, the group consists of my entire music class; Kian, Crystal, Serena, Stefan, Dylan and Luke. Additionally, Elica and Tamara, who I have not worked or socialised with before are also in the group. They seemed rather shy during the session but this is only natural considering the majority of the group have been studying together for a year. I'm sure that with time they'll open up to the rest of us and be less hesistant to share ideas.

We discussed possible themes and genres for the event but failed to settle on any. We were more decisive when discussing fundraising, which I highlighted as a priority since we are required to fund our event independently without financial support from our college. We settled on a bake sale as our first fundraiser and also agreed to all contribute to fundraising efforts irrespective of our job roles within the group.

I'm excited about what the future holds for our group as I've witnessed most of the group perform and thus know their capabilities and strengths. With the calibre of talent in our group, the show looks very promising from the outset. Plus, we made our first group decision today - the first of many I anticipate. I was pleased with the progress made today and how vocal I was in discussions.





1 October, 2013: Preparing for First Pitch

Today we were tasked with producing a pitch to present in a week's time to our tutors and all of the other groups, detailing our initial plans for our event. This pitch is especially important as a poor pitch will result in us being sent back to the drawing board and our plans being declined by our tutors.

We returned to discussing themes and genre, with a chilled, live lounge theme being popular amongst everyone. This will require the use of predominantly live instrumentation throughout and so haste in choosing songs is vital as we will need a lot of rehearsal time.

In regards to genres, with our musical taste being highly varied and eclectic, we decided to showcase this by including a mix of contrasting genres to appeal to a wide audience. The genres we chose are; reggae, funk, rock/pop, soul/r&b, and country/folk. This may prove problematic in future when organising the set list as the contrasting styles could clash, resulting in a disjointed or artistically messy show. Ideally of course, the show will flow seamlessly from one song to the next so that the chilled, relaxed, lounge theme and atmosphere is not only created but maintained.

I was particularly vocal in the song choice discussion we had, suggesting Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love" which surprised the group who did not expect me to suggest a rock song as I tend to perform jazz, pop and R&B music mostly. However, the song is a favourite of mine and critics and in addition to being a well-known classic will also challenge me artisically and professionally as I've never performed a rock song outside the confines of a musical theatre production. I was pleased with the group's support in my suggestion and the group's instrumentalists; Kian, Dylan, Luke and Crystal seemed eager to accompany me if I performed the song in the show.

Most importantly today we discussed and decided on our job roles. I put myself forward to contribute to the marketing of the show - with a firm emphasis on graphic designing, as I have freelance experience in addition to studying the art form for a year. I also offered to take responsibility for the management of finances as I have a fair knowledge of Mircrosoft Excel - which I will use to create and update a spreadsheet detailing our income and expenditure - but more critically feel I could get help and advice (if needs be) from my parents who own a business and thus have a wealth of knowledge in that department.

I delved straight into my marketing role by suggesting a range of ways to market our event in a way that will draw and entice audiences through various formats, these included;  a free mini concert/showcase a month before the event in college to attract fellow students, staff and tutors also, the utilisation of social media in the form of a Facbeook event which we all could share to potentially thousands of Facebook "friends" and the simple but effective use of tangible materials; posters and leaflets.

The topic of venues was also investigated with the top choices being The Craufurd Arms, which Kian and Dylan have played as part of their band the Silver Tongue Bandoliers and Milton Keynes Christian Centre (MKCC) for whom Serena is not only a churchgoer but employee. The guys in the group seem very keen on Craufurd which is situated in Wolverton but I think MKCC is also a very promising option as it is located directly across the road from our college, has a large car park and Serena has expressed that she may be able to get us a cheaper rate to use the venue. However, Kian and Dylan also mentioned they could better this with a very small hire fee or none at all as they know the owner of The Craufurd. I have my doubts as to whether our tutors will approve of our event being held there though as it is also a licensed pub as well as a music venue and not all members of our group are of legal drinking nor will all of them be by the time we are likely to do hold our event. Fortunately we don't have to concern ourselves with buying or renting a PA system as both venues have their own.

We of course can not afford any of this without raising money first and so we discussed a variety of different ways to fundraise, these included:

- Pay to Play: Battle of the Bands
- Waxing
- Sumo suits
- Bake sale
- Pole dancing (hire a pole and charge for usage)
- Busking
- Bag packing
- Sweet contest (guess how many sweets are in a jar)