Assignment One: Tutor Feedback

I was eagerly waiting in anticipation of receiving my feedback for this first assignment, as it was first ever attempt at a substantial composition, so was unsure of how my creation would stand up under the scrutiny of a professional. What I received back was above and beyond my expectations, and has really buoyed my confidence going forward.

The feedback from my tutor was all extremely positive, with advice on one or two technical areas I need to be careful of in the future. My tutor commended my 'good imagination for sound', which I'm pleased with as I've found the way that I work involves hearing the sound in my head, then transferring to the staff. My tutor was also pleased with the clear structure of the work, an area of the piece I'd considered very carefully, and also the marked change of timbre in the subsidiary section. I think the contrast that I worked to create in the piece with regards to rhythm, timbre and tempo really transferred across to my tutor.

My tutor made a good point with regards to the balance of the instruments. This is something I had considered, but due to my inexperience I think I relied too much on Sibelius' playback, which may not be entirely realistic. I already have an idea on how I can fix this issue in the future; I can score in a 'realistic' way, and use Sibelius' mixer tool in order to effect a satisfactory sound output. There was also one or two scoring issues, such as a missing dynamic at the beginning of the tubular bells' entry. I had been careful to look for issues such as this, but as I've now found out it's still possible to miss things! My tutor gave me a top tip in that I should look through each instrument's individual score, which would make it much easier to spot potential issues such as this.

I was especially pleased with the concluding paragraph, which I feel warrants a quote:

        'Your obvious interest in sound (for example, the muted bass drum and the use of the tubular bell) shows that you are already thinking like a composer – and your attention to detail (for example, thinking about the time needed for instrument changes), as well as careful preparation, has resulted in a work to be proud of. '

I was also lauded on my written commentary on my composition, which my tutor felt was clear and succinct, and that I had engaged with the assignment intellectually as well as musically. My detailed background research was also favourably commented on which I'm pleased with as it took me a whole weekend to research percussion instruments!

I'm pleased that my tutor feels that I'm on the right track, and I have been given some valuable advice which I can use for future assignments.