BTEC LEVEL 1 & 2 FIRST AWARD IN MUSIC
Unit 2: Managing a Music Product
- You need to work through each worksheet (WS)
- Make sure all work is in your own words
- Make it your own - add pictures, change theme/fonts etc.
- Check your spelling
- Ask the person next to you to check you work and peer
assess, what could you do to improve?
SCENARIO
The ‘Now That’s…’ series of compilation CDs has
been going for 21 years now, and this year we would
like to make Swindon Academy’s very own version of
this popular album.
The album will feature songs composed using
Sibelius, recording studio
& Garageband by the BTEC Music class, and it will
be made available on the popular Sound Cloud music
sharing website so all will be able to easily listen to
the compositions produced by the pupils in the class.
Unit 2: Managing a Music Product
Task 1.1(1A.1, 1A.2, 2A.P1,2A.M1, 2A.D1, 2A.P2,2A.M2, 2A.D2)
“The Production Team”
You should form a Production Team with others chosen from your class, with the aim of planning, developing and delivering your CD.
•
At your production meetings you should consider your target audience, the content/material for your CD and how you propose to record it taking
into account the availability of the studio and musicians/performers including time constraints relating to recording and mixing. Remember also to take into
account any copyright issues if you are including ‘cover versions’ of existing songs, and/or ‘loops’ of existing riffs in your compositions and to include rehearsal
time in your plans.
Your development activities as part of the Production Team creating the CD will include:
•
Contribution to scheduled recording sessions and meetings
•
Considering suggestions such as alternative/additional material and changes to the sound or balance of individual tracks
•
Reviewing the progress of the work making any changes necessary to meet deadlines and achieve your aims.
•
Good timekeeping and preparation, listening and responding to direction from others, working safely at all times and demonstrating good
production skills.
You will need to think about:
•
Format, size and scope of the final album
•
Timescales involved and milestones
•
Status of the product – it is full-scale product, trial, experiment, informal, finished product, demo, master?
•
Success criteria e.g. how will we know if it was a success or failure?
The final product will benefit from effective teamwork and the strengths of the individual team members involved. This will include good timekeeping and
preparation, listening and responding to direction from others, working safely at all times and demonstrating good production skills.
EVIDENCE
•
a unit log which may contain:
*What does the final delivery look like e.g. presentation to peers, press launch for album
*rough outline ideas, either in the form of written notes or diagrams
*notes from discussions and meetings
*schedules/timetables
*lists of required resources and equipment
*set lists
*annotated sheet music
*drafts of compositions or arrangements
*notes or recordings from rehearsals and/or other preparations
*equipment diagrams and floor plans
*room/ resource booking sheets teacher observation and/or interim assessment records.
• the final copy of your CD recording
Criteria covered by task 1.1:
To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to:
U
ni
t
Criterion
reference
Make a positive contribution to the planning of a music product.
2
2A.P1
Make a positive and consistent contribution to the planning of a music
product, making considered decisions in relation to the demands of the work.
2
2A.M1
2
2A.D1
2
2A.P2
2
2A.M2
2
2A.D2
Make a significant and imaginative contribution to the planning of a music
product, making considered and insightful decisions in relation to the
demands of the work.
Demonstrate a positive input into the development and delivery of a music
product.
Demonstrate a positive and consistent input into the development and
delivery of a music product that is integral to the success of the work.
Demonstrate a sustained and effective input into the development and
delivery of a music product, making a significant contribution to the success of
the work.
If you have not achieved the Level 2 criteria, your work will be assessed to determine if the
following Level 1 criteria have been met.
U
ni Criterion
To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to:
t reference
Make a limited contribution to the planning of a music product.
2
1A.1
Demonstrate a limited input into the development and delivery of a music
2
1A.2
product.
BTEC LEVEL 1 & 2 FIRST AWARD IN MUSIC
Planning:
Outline of ideas from the Production meeting on…..
The CD will be called “Now that’s what I call Swindon Academy Volume 1!!”
Topics
Ideas
Target audience
Our target audience for our CD is students that are in the rest of the school
that we will sell our CD to
Content/ material of the CD
The music needs to be interesting to the young people that we will be selling
the CD to in the school. Because each pupil in class is contributing 1 song,
the CD will have different styles e.g. hip hop, pop, rock...
How it will be recorded
Any copyright issues if cover songs are used
Other
Each pupil in class will create 1 composition in Sibelius or Garageband on
iMacs, which we will then export and put on the CD
No copyright issues as each pupil is creating their own composition (unless
famous ‘loops’ are used)
Sales from this CD will be put towards the purchase of a new musical
instruments for the Music Department
BTEC LEVEL 1 & 2 FIRST AWARD IN MUSIC
Planning:
Outline of ideas from the Production meeting on……
After further research, it was discovered that making our tracks available on a
website called Sound Cloud instead of producing a CD was a much better idea for
the following reasons:
- The cost of producing the CDs professionally was too high and the Music budget
wasn’t able to cover it
- Some CDs can be made by hand using blank CDs from Asda to made available,
but the tracks on Sound Cloud will be the main way our album will be available
- Our tracks being on Sound Cloud instead of on CD means they will be much
easier for people to listen too - many people may not be able to purchase a CD
due to the cost of it
- Every pupil in school has an iPad and so everyone will be able to listen to the
tracks through digital distribution on Sound Cloud, instead of only a small
percentage with CDs
- Finally, our tracks will be much easier to share via social networks e.g. Twitter,
Facebook if they are on Sound Cloud instead of a CD
BTEC LEVEL 1 & 2 FIRST AWARD IN MUSIC
Planning:
Outline of resource ideas from the Production meeting on……
iMac
Garageband
Keyboard
Photocopier
Internet
Blank CDs
BTEC LEVEL 1 & 2 FIRST AWARD IN MUSIC
Planning:
Outline of Timetabled Schedule and Events from the Production meeting on………
Date
Work to be completed
March ’14
- Decide on resources needed for this product
- Pupils start on their Garageband compositions
- Hold initial production meetings e.g. target audience
April ’14
May ’14
June ’14
July ’14
- Pupils continue working on Garageband compositions
- Track Listing is finalised
- Pupils continue working on Garageband compositions
- Pupils complete artwork for CD and final one is
chosen
- Pupils produce leaflet & final one is used to promote
- 19th June: All Garageband tracks finished
- 26th June: Upload final tracks to SoundCloud & burn
some CD’s
- 3rd July: Release date on SoundCloud
- Promote product around school e.g. PODs, teachers
- Write an evaluation - strengths & areas to improve
Every pupil in class will contribute one song to the CD.
Use the planning sheet below to help you with initial ideas:
What makes a great song, and which of these are you going to include in your composition?
- Has a strong beat
- Has a very catchy riff (a short pattern of notes) that repeat again and again
- All of the instruments need to be in time together
- Has a clear structure, for example intro, verse 1, chorus, verse 2, chorus, outro
- Has different instruments, like drums, bass, guitar, piano, synths
- My composition is going to be very repetitive with a clear structure and lots of electronic sound effects. It will
have a strong driving beat and a funky bass riff throughout.
What style & song will you base your composition on?
- e.g. slow ballad like ‘Someone Like You’? Catchy pop song like ‘Just The Way You Are’? Loud rock like ‘Sweet
Child of Mine’?
My composition will be an upbeat dance piece like Danza Kaduro by Don Omar
What structure will your composition have? A) Binary (A section, B section)
B) Ternary (A section, B section, A section)
C) Pop song form: Intro, Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2, Chorus, Outro
I will write my music using Rondo Form = ABACADAEA because I think this will be good for repeating electro music
using music software.
What instruments will you use in your composition? – e.g. Hip hop drums? Electric Guitar? Synth?
Dance drum machine, synth, bass synth, sax
Development:
My Garageband Composition
Below is a screenshot of my Garageband composition that will be one of the
tracks on the CD:
Development: Track List of the CD
Track No.
Track Name
Pupil
1
Written Like Kaduro
Amir Hamza
2
Bolton Idiot
Rueben Robinson
3
Fear
Muhammad Muneeb Ahmed
4
Tatality
Iliya Nikbakht
5
My Life
Sabeel Khan
6
Fast
Erik Piroska
7
Mind Of A G
Connor Bracey
8
Life Of Hurt
Alexa Bogdan
9
Rock On
Farhan Majeed
10
Sea Waves
Zainab Zina
11
Happy Clappy
Katie Boardman
12
A Ship Going Down
Vladimir Pompa
13
Eyo
Anett Kovacs
14
???
???
15
???
???
Development: My Artwork Proposal for the CD
Below is my artwork proposal for the ‘Now That’s What I Call Swindon Academy! Volume 1’ CD.
The best design from the group will be chosen as the front cover for the finished product.
Now That’s What I Call Swindon Academy!
Volume 1
SCENARIO
Well done! You have a finished product (album)! It is
now time to spread the word and raise awareness so
that potential customers/ consumers are aware of how
to get hold of it!
Unit 2: Managing a Music Product
Task 2.1 (1B.3, 2B.P3, 2B.M3, 2B.D3)
“Promoting the Product!”
You should each create at least one element of
a promotional pack for the CD. In addition to
the actual CD packaging, the pack should
contain other essentials such as a press
release, radio advert, or a website.
EVIDENCE
• a copy of the final product – CD with packaging
• research material, promotional material drafts and notes
• promotional materials, and links where appropriate
• teacher observation and/or interim assessment records
Criteria covered by task 2.1:
To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to:
Create promotional material appropriate to the product that communicates
essential information to the target audience.
Create promotional material appropriate to the product that communicates
essential information to the target audience and shows awareness of industry
practice.
Create imaginative promotional material appropriate to the product that
communicates information effectively to the target audience and shows
awareness of industry practice.
U
ni
t
Criterion
reference
2
2B.P3
2
2B.M3
2
2B.D3
If you have not achieved the Level 2 criteria, your work will be assessed to determine if the
following Level 1 criteria have been met.
U
ni Criterion
To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to:
t reference
Create promotional material.
2
1B.3
Promotion:
Outline of Ideas From Production meeting on……
In promoting our album, there were a number of ideas we had:
- With the album being widely available for free on SoundCloud, it meant that social media such as Twitter
could be used to promote it via links which would not be possible if it was released on a physical CD
- On launch date, our class will go into the Y7 PODs to promote the album
- The week of the launch, our class will go into assemblies to promote the album to each year group
- 2 weeks before launch date, the teacher will email all staff and students in the school (about 1,000 people) to
raise awareness of the album launch date, and then will send another email on launch date to promote the
album
- The teacher will give a reward for the pupil who has had the highest number of plays in September, so each
pupil in the class is encouraged to promote the album on SoundCloud as much as possible
- If we had more time, we could have promoted it around the local primary and high schools
BTEC LEVEL 1 & 2 FIRST AWARD IN MUSIC
Below is a picture of the final product - the finished CD
Now That’s What I Call Swindon Academy!
Volume 1
A. Create promotional material appropriate to the product that
communicates essential information to the target audience. (P3)
Create a poster/ leaflet to promote the CD. Remember to include the following:
- A picture of the actual CD we will be selling
- Name of CD - ‘Now That’s What I Call Swindon Academy! Volume 1’
- Price of CD
- Release Date
- Where it is available from: PArts Dept
- Who it is by: Year 10 BTEC Music Class
- Theme: ‘Music Technology In Action’
Remember your target audience: make your poster clear and interesting with pictures and clear
writing!
MY POSTER
Compositions from Swindon
Academy’s BTEC Music 2014
class!
Available from SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/swindon-academy-music
B. Create more promotional material that shows awareness of industry
practice (M3)
Examples of other promotional material:
A press release
A website
A radio advert
Important: Make sure these promotional materials are similar to others that are used within the music
industry!
C. For D3, your promotional material needs to be imaginative, communicates
the information effectively to the target audience, and shows awareness of
industry practice
SCENARIO
Following the release of the release of the album, you
will review the product and management process of
the product in terms of strengths and weaknesses
over the whole process, and make suggestions for
improvement/development in terms of future projects.
Unit 2: Managing a Music Product
Task 3.1 (1C.4, 2C.P4, 2C.M4, 2C.D4)
“The Review”
You should review the work undertaken by yourself and your peers throughout the project. This could be
in the form of a written report, recorded discussion or presentation. You need to look into:
•
•
The strengths/ weaknesses of the process
•
The effectiveness of the planning e.g. sufficient time to prepare
•
The management of professional relationships
•
The use of resources
•
Individual and team contributions to the process
How planning was affected and changed as a result of the creative process
You should pay particular attention to any strengths and weaknesses evident not just in the planning and
management of the project, but also take account of the artistic content and audience response when
listening to the CD.
You should also make suggestions for improvement/development in terms of future projects.
EVIDENCE
•
a written report, recorded discussion or presentation.
Criteria covered by task 3.1
To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to:
Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the product with reference to
the management process.
Explain the strengths and weaknesses of the product with reference to
the management process.
Explain the strengths and weaknesses of the product, justifying
conclusions, with reference to the management process.
Unit
Criterion
reference
2
2C.P4
2
2C.M4
2
2C.D4
If you have not achieved the Level 2 criteria, your work will be assessed to determine if the
following Level 1 criteria have been met.
Criterio
n
referenc
To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to:
Unit e
Identify the main strengths and weaknesses of the product with reference
2
1C.4
to the management process.
BTEC LEVEL 1 & 2 FIRST AWARD IN MUSIC
A) - Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the product with reference to the Management Process
Management
Process
Planning
e.g. initial ideas;
schedule;
Development
e.g. resources &
time used
effectively?
Strengths
(P4)
Weaknesses
- As we planned the album for young
people (many of the compositions were
- The album’s title ‘Now That’s What I Call Essa!’
was catchy and memorable for potential listeners
pop songs) this might have limited our
- The album being available on SoundCloud means
potential audience, as older people or
that many people could access it instead of on a CD people who prefer classical music might not
be interested in listening to it
- We were able to use great resources to produce
our compositions using Garageband on iMacs and - We didn’t have the music program Logic
midi keyboards
Pro X which has a lot more sounds and
instruments and so more advanced
- The music teacher and Mr Harrison’s strength is
in music production/ technology so they were really
compositions could have be done
able to help pupils composing using Garageband
- The quality of most of the pupils’ Garageband
- Having CDs to sell as well as the tracks
compositions
was
very
good,
with
most
being
very
Delivery
being on SoundCloud would have great but
musical
e.g.
using
chords
instead
of
just
loops
e.g. quality of
couldn’t do due to it being too expensive
The
artwork
chosen
was
clear
and
memorable
tracks, artwork, and
- We were limited in promoting it in classes
- Feedback from pupils and teachers who listened
promotion.
around school as teachers didn’t want us
Audience response?
to the album was very positive and encouraging
to disrupt their lessons
Suggestions for Improvement:
Next time I would...
BTEC LEVEL 1 & 2 FIRST AWARD IN MUSIC
B. Explain the strengths and weaknesses of the product, with
reference to the management process. (M4)
- Explain how the planning process contributed to the final product
- How did you meet the requirements of your role?
- How well did your work contribute to the final CD?
- How well did the group contribute to the final CD?
BTEC LEVEL 1 & 2 FIRST AWARD IN MUSIC
C. Explain the strengths and weaknesses of the product, justifying
conclusions, with reference to the management process. (D4)
- Provide a full and detailed evaluation that considers how and
why the activities contributed to the final CD
- How did you meet the requirements of your role? - use specific
examples to justify your conclusion
- How well did your work contribute to the final CD? - use specific
examples to justify your conclusion
- How well did the group contribute to the final CD? - use specific
examples to justify your conclusion