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