Exams and Announcements and etc.

My mountainous exams are now finished! :D

I kid, they've hardly been a strain. In fact, rather laid back. That's been the attitude across the board really, especially for people like myself who know they have a guaranteed place at university regardless of results. 

Studying has been minimal and that goes for my first exam which was Photography. It didn't even take place during study leave but it was an exam nonetheless. Fairly easy as well. Just write 100 words about my project and that was it.

Music listening was the first exam to take place over study leave. I've never been brilliant at that side of the course and I didn't think it went that well at the time but some teachers went over most of the answers after and, from memory, I seemed to do about average.

24 or 25 out of 40 I'd say.

It isn't a great mark but combine it with the two practical exams the following week and I'm predicting an A.

Bass went really well. My programme was all Beatles pieces that I already knew and submitted to the exam board for approval way back in August.

I played Lovely Rita all the through with one or two minor mistakes and the rest were sampled: Dear Prudence, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band/With a Little Help From My Friends and A Day in the Life.

So that all went well.

I'm not so great on guitar and I think it showed. As it was my secondary instrument, I only had to play two pieces, again pieces I submitted in August. Knights of Cyondia by Muse and Hysteria also by Muse.

The problem was that he sampled both of them and none of the songs really allow me to do anything special until the latter half which the examiner never got to see. I even brought in my new octave pedal for the solos in each song but we never reached them. I think my mark could have bumped up a little if I had played them in full but alas...

My final exam was Italian and it's the one I definitely had to study for the most, but didn't really.

I don't think anyone in the class did and I think what we already knew from the course got us through. It's hilarious how little we knew, though, at this stage compared to the amount we knew for French and Spanish last year.

Despite that, Paper 1 (Reading) was fairly easy but Paper 2 (listening and short essay) was really challenging. I'd take a B but I still want an A, and after my prelim score I might just scrape it.

Also, the last few days of school were eventful. Last ever music class was emotional. I don't know if I said anywhere but I arranged for the whole class to chip in and get our teacher a good bottle of whiskey.

My dad found a good bottle for £35 that would normally have cost £60 and our teacher was delighted. I can't express my respect for the man. Of the 6 years I've studied music, he's been my teacher for 4 and this was the least I could do for him.

I also got the music staff two big boxes of chocolates. Again, the least I could do for all their generosity and kindness throughout my time at the school. The staff are all so lovely; genuinely amazing people.

Aw, I'm getting all nostalgic typing this. 

Unfortunately, we didn't have music on the last day. Our last class was on the penultimate day and we played, as a class for the last ever time :(

We played Walk of Life by Dire Straits and lastly, and most fittingly, With a Little Help From My Friends.

We'd been out of practise for ages so it didn't sound great and my bass was playing up but it was still wonderful. Then we got a lovely class picture which we'll eventually frame. I didn't cry though, surprisingly :P I thought I was going to but I held it in.

We would have had a double period on the final day if it weren't for Leavers Day - a big, nonsense celebration with shirt signings and a mass plonked in the middle - though I have to say I did enjoy the shirt signing. It's good looking at all the names on there.

I'd also like to announce that I've finally accepted my course for Film and Television at university (after waiting to do so for over 2 months) so there's what I'll be up to for the next 4 years provided that the course turns out to be the right choice. I'd certainly hope so or else I'll be a bit stuck.

That's just about all I've really got to say for now. I know it's been over a month since my last post and I'm not even going to begin to insult anyone with excuses, I simply haven't been in the mood for posting...

Still, I hope all is good and I hope the weather's also good because it really has been scorching here for the past few days! Though it's Britain, we're due some sun.

Rowan <3

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School's out... forever.

At the Movies

Sorry it's taken me so long to post. I don't have an excuse of any kind so all I can do is say sorry.

Anyhow, since my last post the film group I go to filmed an advert for our upcoming youth film festival. It was great fun.

Despite getting up at 5am on a Sunday morning to go into town I enjoyed it immensely. Although it turns out I wasn't actually required until about half ten. Yet, when i was required, i was really required.

I played two characters in the ad - Harry Potter and Charlie Chaplin. I'd say I didn't look particularly convincing as either but everyone else disagreed. But yeh, my scenes were filmed back to back and we were limited with our filming time so i had to change quick style from Potter to Chaplin but it all added to the rush and excitement of things.

We were also able to hire a professional camera and lighting team thanks to our group leader and it worked well, i'd say. It really had a proper "on set" feel, the first time i've been in that situation really.

I wouldn't say filming a music video in Media was on par with this. Everyone was up for it this time, really dedicated and serious but not without wanting to have fun at the same time so there was just a great atmosphere all round.

I'm not going to delude myself by thinking that being on set is always like that but it really encouraged me to go further, you know. Having sort of worked on set last year, I just wanted to keep doing it and filming this only furthered that desire.

The ad has been edited into a rough cut by the camera team and hopefully we get to see it this Thursday before doing a spot of editing ourselves. Wouldn't mind a little bit of that!

While we're on the subject of films, I'm not far off applying for my university courses. I've decided where i'd like to go - which isn't far from home - I've handed in my personal statement, i just need to wait on my guidance teacher to write a reference and then i can apply for my courses. Perhaps by this weekend...

There are only a handful of university courses that i'd like to go to that are nearby so i'm hoping like hell i get into them. There are 3 main ones i'd be happy to get a place on but i have two backup courses in case i don't.

I'm quietly confident since i did, of course, get 5 A's last year at first sitting (which is not bad i have to say) and I do have a fair amount of background experience within media but, as they say, don't take anything for granted.

I'll keep you on the DL but, for now, thanks for reading this little piece of something or whatever.


Rowan <3