Harry Lowther Music

Description of Job Role

 

The performer could be a singer-songwriter, a popstar or rapper. Or performers could be part of an ensemble such as a creative band or a function style style band. The performer’s role is to be the best they possibly can in terms of knowledge and ability. They must endlessly work and practise to ensure they are of the highest musical standard. For different types of performers there are different elements that they need to ensure are perfected in their performance. For example, an artist such as Steve Jordan (John Mayer, Herbie Hancock), the most important thing is to perfect is his drum playing technique and awareness. Jordan would have to spend multiple hours perfecting his drum technique and rhythm awareness within the band. In contrast, a performer such as Kanye West would work on their vocal technique, mic technique, practice their stage presence and interaction with the audience.

 

Being a performer for a long time, I have a lot of examples of personal of experiences as a performer. I have been playing the guitar since the age of 6 and started the drums when i was 8 with gigs coming into play shortly after.I have also been writing my own songs in terms of guitar for a long time; I write guitar riffs and other parts for my band Forest Fires and we have played several local gigs to which the original tracks have been met with a positive reception. These kind of skills would help me to get employed in areas of the industry such as the ghost-writing (writing songs for other artists) business and even become a session player, covering areas in the studio adding guitar parts in other artists songs, and also in a live environment. I have an extremely decorated performance experience in guitar,bass and drums. I have played in venues such as The Stables and Bedford Athletic Stadium. Taking music performance A- level has required me to play a variety of different genres (funk, blues, rock and jazz) which has developed my advanced skills on guitar, bass and drums and has set me up with skills to become a session musician. However, I have realised in order to achieve this job I would need to develop my sight reading skills as a lot of session work includes being given a score and expected to sight read instantly; in order to compete in the industry, I would need to become much more fluent in sight reading to compete with other professional session musicians. 

 

Relationships with other Performing Arts Roles

 

The performer is the main player of the team of professionals who work to promote and organise the musical needs of the performer.  A booking agent will have a whole host of performers who they will rely on to organise events for in order to make a profit for them and for the performer. Technical assistants will mainly work for Record labels to master the material the particular performer wants to release into the world, whilst A&R men will search for talent and introduce them to respected members with the music industry. Examples of these, booking agent Kirk Summers, who is responsible for arranging the performances of names such as Adele and The Killers and has one multiple awards in the industry for his successes. A producer/technical assistant such as Noah ‘40’ Shebib is responsible for creating the ambient, trance like sounds of Canada’s new wave RnB artists such as The Weeknd. Lastly, A&R men such as Simon Cowell and Scooter Braun who is responsible for the discovery of Justin Bieber. My own experiences with these roles include recording with my music teacher Mr Edwards in our school recording studio and arranging levels and dynamics when me and band Forest Fires were recording our first track ‘ Satellite Town’ and multi-tracking guitar bass, drums and vocals. And also being a booking agent for my function band and originals band. For example booking weddings, private parties, pub gigs etc.

 

Formal Qualifications, Training and Skills needed for the role

 

In terms of qualifications there are many courses for performers to undertake. Exam Boards such as Rock school and offer the traditional grading system for the contemporary instruments (drums,guitar etc); grades 1-8 and even a diploma for those who have achieved grade 8 and want to further their performance standard. There are now multiple colleges and Sixth Forms that offer Music Performance as a Level 3 Diploma or an A-level and institutions such as ACM BIMM and ICMP that offer degree level training in popular music performance, creative musicianship, production and Music Business. However these are not essential; to be a successful performer you need to have a strong work ethic and be willing to practice your performance skills to help maintain a high standard. My own experiences of professional qualifications include preparing myself for a degree in Creative Musicianship at BIMM London in September. I have been focusing particularly on areas such as the different modes of the major and minor scales to consolidate the theory behind my solo improvisation which is already advanced.

 

Terms and Conditions of Job Role and effect on Lifestyle

 

Professional performers are most likely to be working full time with the demand of producing hit albums, going on tour and being consistently energetic every night on stage to entertain the audience at each show. An example of this would be artists such as Catfish And The Bottlemen, who after releasing their latest album (The Balcony) have toured around the world such as the UK, North America etc with a show in a different city or state each night or every few nights. This kind of touring can be draining on the performer’s lifestyle as between shows they will only get little down time to rest, however the demand of fans and the popularity of the band makes it necessary for them to move at such a fast pace. This kind lifestyle can also be very tiresome in the long run  and the desire to hit big-time success can be frustrated and disheartening at times so it is important for these bands to maintain a healthy lifestyle (getting sleep and rest) so that they can stay fresh and at their best.

My own experience in terms of having a job in the music industry include many paid gigs with my band Forest Fires (on average we make around £50 per member for each of our gigs) and multiple payed gigs with my function band (on average around £200 per member per gig) however this is nowhere near enough to make a living off however its all more experience that will help me in the future when finding work. 

 

Technological Developments

 

There have been technological developments that I have experienced during the course of this A-level. The level of advanced lighting we have incorporated into our shows has risen since our first performance and this is thanks to our connections with lighting company Drax who supply industry standard stage, strobe and Led lighting at affordable school prices for our events. 

 

Evaluation

 

Over the last two years I believe that I have developed a great deal as a musician. I have learned how to become more consistent with my ability to play solidly time and add inflections when it comes to the drums and also where to comfortably sit in a band in band when it comes to thinking and playing like a session guitar player (less is more). I have learned a lot about creating the right tone for different styles and learning to play with a musically able band has improved my performance standard. This A-level has made me rise to the challenge of playing advanced pieces and has increased my confidence to play well live. Vocally, I have learned to sing in harmonies as part of an ensemble and accompany female vocalists by singing in unison and in octaves.