BTEC Music Charity Concert

The second BTEC music charity concert of the year was held on 12 March; although the school is looking quieter than normal due to some students going back for Easter, it was an amazing show still.

The concert is for raising money for Soil of Amhara, a charity that aims to help the most disadvantaged children in Lalibela, Ethiopia, so, all of the money is going to good cause. I was fortunate enough to be the compere of the night, together with Izzy Outram. We had an amazing audience, cheering for the performers, even when there were some awkward technical errors, they still made the performers feel loved. And also, a big thank you for standing my terrible jokes on the night. (I get it, they’re bad)

The night was filled with so much diversity as well; we had band performances, then solo singers, piano duets, orchestral groups, dance groups, and even a Kung Fu performance. Everyone was so well-practiced and incredible. I must say the success of the show must be down to our music teacher, Miss Perrins, the technical staff, and the BTEC students. Hopefully, for any students who are leaving school soon, this will put them in high spirits before preparing for their End of Term Exams at home.

Kenneth – F5

Creating our own songs

As part of the BTEC Music course, Form 5 students were tasked with composing their own song. Some performed classical pieces, whilst others composed pop or lyrical music. In the final stages of our compositions, we were given the chance to work with producer James Welch, and also several session musicians, including Concord’s very own Mr Stevens and Mr Rainbow.

This was a fun and helpful opportunity for many reasons. Firstly, we were able to experience what it was like to record our music with a professional set up, and also learn what it was like to work with other session musicians. As I had not recorded music professionally before, I found this very exciting and I had a lot of fun recording my song. The musicians, especially Becki Biggins (vocalist) really helped me to progress with my music but also, as a vocalist, develop my voice, as I learnt some new skills that I will take with me in the future. For example, how to add more emotion to my voice and also to reach into my ‘chest voice’ to deliver a larger sound.

Secondly, the opportunity to work with a producer really helped us to further develop our pieces, including exploring additional elements and instruments we had not previously imagined. I think that this project really guided our music to the next level to help us achieve the best GCSE grade possible.

To conclude, I believe that the opportunity presented to the Form 5 BTEC students really helped us to develop our small ideas into something wonderful. We not only learnt how to improve our compositions, but our performance and our music in the future. I would just like to thank Concord for this amazing experience.

Olivia – F5