pratical research

this me trying to work the lyrics for my song African Queen.( listen till 1:50)

In this song we were trying to experiment with the harmonise, with what type of harmonies i wanted to include.

Academic. Research

Academic research

POEMS

Phenomenal woman -Maya Angelo

The reason why I was influenced by this poem is because Angelo tried to explain that their is more to beauty than physical appearance. I believe that this poem gives  hope to large amount of woman who have insecurities about themselves, hence the reason why I created a song about African beauty called african Queen. I wanted a bring message across, that no matter what society thinks of you are still beautiful deeper than you can imagine. As a race coulored people have been exploited, trodden upon and abused, so I wanted to signify that African beauty is pure and it's a type of beauty that can't be defined with words. I also believe the hardship coulored females have been through over the centuries proves how strong and undefeatable we are. Through social media, religion and academics couloured people especially people of African heritage, have been precieved as something negtive. So within my song Africaan queen i wanted to promote black people as a sign of positvity, to bring hope and courage to my race.

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. 

I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size   

But when I start to tell them, 

They think I’m telling lies. 

I say, 

It’s in the reach of my arms, 

The span of my hips,   

The stride of my step,   

The curl of my lips.   

I’m a woman 

Phenomenally. 

Phenomenal woman,   

That’s me. 

 I walk into a room 

Just as cool as you please,   

And to a man, 

The fellows stand or 

Fall down on their knees.   

Then they swarm around me, 

A hive of honey bees.   

I say, 

It’s the fire in my eyes,   

And the flash of my teeth,   

The swing in my waist,   

And the joy in my feet.   

I’m a woman 

Phenomenally. 

Phenomenal woman, 

That’s me. 

Men themselves have wondered   

What they see in me. 

They try so much 

But they can’t touch 

My inner mystery. 

When I try to show them,   

They say they still can’t see.   

I say, 

It’s in the arch of my back,   

The sun of my smile, 

The ride of my breasts, 

The grace of my style. 

I’m a woman 

Phenomenally. 

Phenomenal woman, 

That’s me. 

Now you understand 

Just why my head’s not bowed.   

I don’t shout or jump about 

Or have to talk real loud.   

When you see me passing, 

It ought to make you proud. 

I say, 

It’s in the click of my heels,   

The bend of my hair,   

the palm of my hand,   

The need for my care.   

’Cause I’m a woman 

Phenomenally. 

Phenomenal woman, 

That’s me.

PRIMARY RESEARCH
Questions

What are the positive and negative things about my songs?

What should I include into my songs to make it more developed?

 What were the pros and cons of my performance?

How could I have improved my performance?

Videos 

In This interview Erykah Badu is talking about the music industry,  working with J Dilla, Creating  her Debut album Baduizm and how Her music has developed over the years. Erykah also gives her opinion about the music industry. This interview benefited me because I was able to understand the meaing of her music in a more clearer understanding.



In this interview Hill is talking about the creation of her Debut album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. It also talks about the issues that she had to deal with within the music industry. Hill talks about her life situation that allowed her to create the album.

This video is explains the deeper meaning behind the album Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. It talks about the true messages that was meant to be sent to society and the youth at the time.


Listening Diary 

India Arie is an African american Neo soul, soul artist, music produce who gained worldwide popularity in the 2000s. I was influenced by this song because of her guitar techniques, singing technique and lyrics.

"I'm not the average girl from your video  And I ain't built like a supermodel But I learned to love myself unconditionally" (Simpson, 2001).  In the lyrics she embraces people to love themselves no matter what anybody thinks of you because nobody is perfect. she tries to persuade people to believe that the imperfection of your body define your true beauty,  because it makes you unique, hence why her songwriting techniques influence me to create African queen.

Arie singing technique are simplistic as she doesn't include a lot of effort in her singing , which I find relaxing and unique. I wanted to include that in my songs.

I wanted my drums for my songs to be similar to this dum machine. The song has contrasted elements  from different genres to create one unique sound, and thats is what I wanted to do with my original songs.

 I was influenced by this song because of the plucking technique used within the song, as well as  the whole vibe of the song. I also wanted my songs to be acoustic so it sounds raw and unique.

I was influenced by this song because she used conscious lyrics to explain the message she was trying to give across. This was one of the song that inspired me to create my original song  African queen.

The reason I was inspired by this song is because of the lyrical content, I enjoy the way it is catchy and also tells a story the same time.

Bilbography

The Editors of encyclopaedia Britnncia (10-19-2014) ERYKAH BADU AMERICAN SINGER SONGWRITER (online)

available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Erykah-Badu (accessed 28/4/17)

 By Mark Edward Nero Updated March 26, 2017 WHAT IS NEO SOUL? (online)
available at:https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-neo-soul-2851222(28/4/17)


By  Carvell Wallace Contributor (July 10 2016 )Lauryn Hill The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (online) available at: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22035-the-miseducation-of-lauryn-hill/

By john duffy Acoustic soul- India rie (online) available at:http://www.allmusic.com/album/acoustic-soul-mw0000001036 (accessed 1st june 2017) 

  by wikipedia (28 May 2017, at 02:08) Baduizm(online) available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baduizm  (accessed 1st june 2017)

 Biography.com Editors (online)available at: https://www.biography.com/people/erykah-badu-21358393 (accessed 1st june 2017)

by wikipedia (online)available at:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauryn_Hill (accessed 1st june 2017)

 by wikipedia (online)available at:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_Arie (accessed 1st june 2017)

by India Arie(online)available at:https://www.soulbird.com/ (accessed 1st june 2017)

by wikipedia (online)available at:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_Soul (accessed 1st june 2017)

by John Duffy (online)available at:http://www.allmusic.com/album/acoustic-soul-mw0000001036 (accessed 1st june 2017)

Case study

CASE STUDY For my case study I will be researching about the Neo-soul genre , including the artist who are within the genre . The artist I have chosen are Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu.

ABOUT NEO-SOUl

 Neo-soul is a genre that was first introduced in the late 1980s early 1990s by kedar Massenburg,who wanted to create a new genre that combined both contemporary R&B and soul together. This genre also include other elements from different genres such as ; African music, funk, jazz, and Hip hop. Neo soul artist are also well known for their spiritual concious lyrics and large female appearances. The genre began gaining a large amount of popularity in the early 90s with new upcoming artist such as Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, D'angelo, And Maxwell etc. Since Neo soul mainstream popularity its diversity has rapidly increased over the years both in America and internationally. But since the Early 2000s its popularity has declined.

 By wikipedia (3/5/17) available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo_soul (accessed 28/5/17)

ARTISTS

 Erykah Badu: Erykah Badu is a African American singer songwriter, record producer, activist and actress. Erykah became popular after she opened a show for D'angelo in 1994. Kedar Massenburg an American record producer witnessed her appearance at the show and was impressed by her performance, so he instantly signed her to his record company called  Kedar entertainment. Badu first album was released on 11th February in 1997 and it was called Baduizm.

Baduizm  
Erykah debut album Baduizm gained a large amount of popularity with big hits such as On&On, Apple tree and Next lifetime.The same year Badu won 2 Grammy awards for best R&B album and best female R&B vocal performance. the recording of this album began in september to October of 1996. Erykah Badu did the Leading, and backing vocals of most of her songs as wells playing the keyboard, drum machine and other music programming. Ike lee, The Roots, Bob Power, Madukwu Chinwah, Tone the backbone, and JaBorn Jamal etc, are some producers and instrumentalists who helped with the creation of Baduizm  

What song influence you with your own music?
The songs that have influenced me from the Baduizm album is On &On and Apple tree. The reason why these 2 songs have influenced me is because they sound diverse because Badu has included certain elements from different genres such as funk, hip hop and soul. Lyrically her music is  interesting because she includes a certain amount of  knowledge within her music, so you can both learn and enjoy at the same time. her songwriting techniques are also really unique because she design them in a way as if she is telling you a bedtime story or a poem. Badu lyrics are also repetitive and catchy, I believe she does this to allow the listeners understand the message she is trying to give out. I have tried to include these factors within my music for example, in my original African Queen 
I have continuously repeated phrases such as "Your the African Queen In your heart, Your the African in your soul" and "Your body is a temple of knowledge", to make the audience understand  the message I'm giving out. The instruments i have used are mainly acoustic, but I have used a drum machine to make it sound more modern. Within My music I have also tried to include knowledgable quotes for example (African queen) "Your body is a temple of knowledge" is an ancient Egyptian proverb. I included this quote to allow the audience to understand that your body is more powerful than what you believe. I had also included words such as "dipped in chocolate" and "bronzed by the sun".  
What makes Badu special to you? 
 I see Erykah as an Afrocentric, unique charcter. She is very knowledable about who she is and her history. I love the her songwriting techniques , and the way she intertwines knowledge within her music,so audience is able to learn and enjoy the music at the same time.

The Editors of encyclopaedia Britnncia (10-19-2014) ERYKAH BADU AMERICAN SINGER SONGWRITER (online)

available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Erykah-Badu (accessed 28/5/17)

 By Wikipedia (28/5/17) Baduizm  (Online) Available at:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baduizm (Accessed 1/6/17)

Lauyn Hill
 Lauryn Noelle Hill is an African American singer songwriter, record producer and actress. When Lauryn was in middle school she sang the Star-Spangled Banner In a basketball game, it caught a lot of attention and was used as a video in many other games afterwards. 1988 She had also entered into an ameture night contestant at apollo singing Smokey Robinson who's lovin you. It didn't so great for Lauryn as she ended getting booed off stage.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 
Lauryn Hills debut Album was Released in August 25th 1998, it earned 10 nomination and won 5 awards it also sold over 8 million copies in America and 19 million would wide. The reason why i am inspired by this album is because of the Hill was able to include her opinions and knowledge about the world. In an interview years later Lauryn had said."When some women are pregnant, their hair and their nails grow, but for me it was my mind and ability to create. I had the desire to write in a capacity that I hadn't done in a while. I don't know if it's a hormonal or emotional thing ... I was very in touch with my feelings at the time."  By wikipedia (Background) The miseducation of Lauryn Hill (3 May 2017, at 19:36.) available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Miseducation_of_Lauryn_Hill (2/5/17).  The songs that i am influenced by from this album are Doo Wop ( That Thing), and  Nothing even matters (D'angelo). Lyrically these songs are very powerful , especially "doo wop as she talks how women  should respect themselves much more than they do. For my songs I wanted to create songs about love and embracing who you are,  these two songs where some of the songs I listened too to create my originals.
 By  Carvell Wallace Contributor (July 10 2016 )Lauryn Hill The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (online) available at: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22035-the-miseducation-of-lauryn-hill/

by wikipedia (1/6/17) (online)available at:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauryn_Hill (accessed 1st june 2017)

By wikipedia (28/6/17) available at :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Miseducation_of_Lauryn_Hill

Presentation

FMP project proposal

 Project proposal  

 I will be creating 3 songs and a cover acoustically and will be performing as live performance with a band. Most of my work is design  mainly for solo performances (guitar and vocals) me My weakest area is my performance because allow my nerves to over power and restrict from performing well as I should. For this final project I will be performing with more confidents and also have the leading vocals in all the songs I perform. My research plan is to split my research into primary and secondary research. The primary research is based on Information  about my final major project, so it will contain interviews of people explaining the positive and negative things about my performance of my songs and what I need to improve. The secondary research is based on research that already exists, so I'll be searching about genres and artist that I want to relate more with.

My case studies is going to be based on 2-3 different artist from the Neo-Soul genre. I'll be searching about their songwriting techniques, their background and the reason why I am influenced by their music . Methodolgy : I'm going to be creating my songs and organising who is in my group in the first week. Week 2 :I should have been able  complete all my songs and oraganise the structure of my band , also should have written my proposal and have some secondary research. Week 3: I should have completed all my songs and my proposal and be organising my research more and be able to work with my band more. Week 4 : Everything should have been completed including written and practical work. Week 5 I will perform in the concert and complete my evaluation and make sure all my other work corrected. My collaboration are Amina, Sade, Daniele, Ivan, Morgan, Reahana, Kessana and Beatrice.

Introduction: I will be forming a band writing 3 original songs from scratch and fuse both neo soul R&B together to create my own sound. At the end of the term I will performing them live in the summer concert.  

Context: Most of my work is design mainly for solo performances (guitar and vocals), so for this project I will form a band, and see how I will be able to construct and organise the overall project.

Outline research plan:
 My research plan is to split my research into primary and secondary research. The primary research is based on Information about my final major project, so it will contain interviews of people explaining the positive and negative things about my performance, songs and what I need to improve. The secondary research is based on research that already exists, so I'll be searching about genres and artist that I will be able to relate my music more with.

Case Studies: My case studies are going to be based on 2-3 different artist from the Neo-Soul genre. I'll be searching about their songwriting techniques, background and explaining how I am going to relate their music with my own. 

Methodology: To achieve my goals within my project i would need to have: strong communication skills with my band and teachers, be organised before going to sessions, I have recordings and written work for back up and also to help my band, and for each week I will set targets on what i need to improve and include. 

Timeline
 Week 1 I will be creating my songs and organising who is in my group in the first week. 

Week 2 :I should have been able complete all my songs and oraganise the structure of my band. I should also have written my proposal and have some secondary research.

Week 3: I should have completed all my songs and my proposal and be organising my research more and be able to work with my band more. 

Week 4 : Everything should have been completed including written and practical work. 

Week 5 I will perform in the concert and complete my evaluation and make sure all my other work is  corrected. 

My collaboration are Amina, Sade, Morgan, Kessana.