First World Music GROUP Meeting

 Date for Entry: (Friday 29th January, 2016)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Saturday 11th September, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Today after waking up all stressed and worried, I sent a recording of what I had so far from the "Sabilulungan" transcription to the group. It was a bit troubling with the noise going on outside. I decided to think of it as five-way working where I have to arrange the song, score it out, distribute the parts, teach all the members in the group and put the whole thing together. This was more of a learning process but difficult because I was struggling to pull all of the group’s weight by myself.

    I walked with my Manuscript book just in case. Fortunately for that, I had chosen to write it out in handwriting after my music friend Quianna from the group asked me if I brought the score with me. I really did want to carry it because it might have been too much ink I didn't have to print it from home. Couldn't believe I didn't think to bring it to the meeting on a flash drive. It might have allowed some of the music students in the group to see the full thing.

    Quianna got permission from Dr Remy to use some instruments from the percussion room. Usually, they don’t allow anyone who isn’t from the percussion ensemble inside there. That was one of our disadvantages. I would have liked to join but with the rhythm, it isn’t my thing including reading it on score sometimes. 

    Inside the percussion room, Quianna and I went through the instruments needed for the performance and we told the members who was playing which instrument. I took a play on one of the xylophones. It was just like the piano so it make me wonder about the level of difficulty it can bring. 

[UPDATE]

Recall creating some handouts for four of the newly transferred students. Three of them did not have a background in music and were new to reading music notation. These few sheets were reviewed in our group practices. All other music theories required for the group to be learned were taught by myself.

Link(s):

1. Handouts for New Students.

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Semester 2 Pan Lessons & Scoring Journey

 Date for Entry: (Unknown/Forgotten)

[January 2016]

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Saturday 11th September, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Today was my First Pan Lessons with Mr Sharma for the Semester and we went through the two pieces. He looked seemed pleased that I had most of the song for “Just a Little Calypso Idea” and the “Invention #2” one after the next. I was glad to go home and rest. 

    I was getting all worried at Curepe House #1 because I didn’t know what was going to happen with my Introduction to World Music group. After all, the eight of them couldn’t arrange music. Most likely the five transferred girls did not know much music. "Arrange" was the first word in the instruction for the assignment and even I had no idea how to do the arranging.

    As I got home, I sat down at my Musescore program in front of the computer and began to write out the music of “Sabilulangan” straight from YouTube. It was mostly a percussion song with a flute carrying the melody. This was the song we all agreed on t present at the end of the term. A lot of xylophone sounding instruments and other drum-like instruments.

    From the experience gained over the eight hours (from SIX o'clock STRAIGHT to TWO o'clock the very next morning), in a situation like this, it is best to work out the melody lines and then fill in the percussion to whatever you wanted. I could get to finish the song but I had parts of the original score finished.

(UPDATE) 

    This was a familiar situation for me I have encountered several times in my life already. It could have been as an individual thing or in a group setting as the assignment was placed. The situation was that it was all up to me to do it for us to have something to work with. 

    A lot of times it might be for persons who might not deserve it but yet it is still done out of love. It has shown me several times too that if Daryl does not do it, then IT will never be done. Some of this might be the textbooks and other work-related matters. 

    I was very proud of doing this piece of music. I was also glad and happy with the response given to me by the group members. At this time too I did not learn about creating MP3 recordings from Musescore as yet so I recorded the entire notation and sent it to the WhatsApp group we made for them. A group meeting was agreed on for the next day.

 

Link(s):

1. "Sabilulangan" 

• Instrumental: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juE-LXj3BQE. 

• Vocal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvWDw3qZXzw

Daryl Zion M. Ali

New Intermediate Ensemble Teacher

 Date for Entry: (Wednesday 27th January, 2016)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Saturday 11th September, 2021)

 Dear Diary,

    Today in Intermediate Pan Ensemble, Mr. Manette came in and I enjoyed his class very much. It was more productive than some of my other classes with Mr. Nurse, who still is a really good teacher too. The new piece we got from Mr. Manette was called “It’s Showtime” which sounded more like a Panorama piece. 

    It sounded good as an actual Panorama piece but when the speed kicked in, it surely was a piece of work all by itself. Shikia didn’t come today because she was a bit under the weather from yesterday and while I tried to teach Candise the song, she gave up, packed up her pan and left. 

    As she took up her bags and she told me that she can’t learn the songs. She said would ask Mr. Sharma to do piano instead. At first, I was sad that she was leaving but I had respected her choice. In truth, the pieces were really tough to do and a lot of time would have been needed to go through all of it.

 

Link(s):

1. It's Showtime (Tenor Score).

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Second Tuesday

Date for Entry: (Tuesday 26th January, 2016)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Saturday 11th September, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Today in Musicianship 2 went well everything went smoothly. I did fairly well with the SOLFEG singing and clapping the rhythms. The only problem with the rhythms was that miss wanted us to learn to clap them in beats of twos when I found it easier in three’. But I just kept my feet tapping the three’s and went along with the lesson. I usually use a pencil or my plastic eraser and bang it against the desk to get the rhythm because it sometimes pained my hands clapping the rhythms.

    One of the things I didn’t like that happened was that dad had come to carry me back to Curepe until three o'clock. I didn’t like having to leave school and be different although my friend Adam did the same thing. I got to write a sonnet and then come back to school in time. Then while we waited for the class to start Adam was playing on the Grand Piano in the class.

    Again, during the class, Mrs. Joseph played the same piece of music from the last class and it came and crawled right up through my blood again. I could feel it as it was just like last time. The class was over soon and then I went to ask Mr. Sharma about the gate and getting Financial Clearance. He didn’t know about the particular situation I asked about but he told me to check with the Gate Office. I was now starting to get scared because I had no idea about those things and with the click of one button could sometimes do amazing things. 

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Introduction to World Music (1st Class)

 Date for Entry: (Wednesday 20th January, 2016)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Saturday 11th September, 2021)

 Dear Diary,

    Today I was running a bit late for my first class of Introduction to World Music with Mrs. Neaves. I realised that this course would bring some surprises that might look to attack me in the process of the semester like the Musicology in the afternoon yesterday. The sad thing about this World Music class was that it did not have a booklet for the course like when I paid my forty dollars for my Musicology Booklet.

    Since I was a bit late, I was worried about this new set of students to the course if they didn’t have a musical background. One of the big surprises was that Mrs. Neaves told us we had to gather ourselves in groups. I wasn’t that much confident at first because I got teamed up with the five foreign girls and three others from the music class. Then Tinesha told me she wanted to be in my group when I really didn’t have one and so we both joined into the one with the newly transferred students. 

    As I watched my music friends in the other group gather to talk, it slapped two things into my face. The first was that in the music field I would have to make acquaintances while working together with other musicians in a band and the second was that even though I was not getting to be with my music friends, this is a learning experience for me to gain more from because I would have seen that the eight of them in the group would be dependent on me for my assistance, even though I too might be scared at first. 

    Before we all left the classroom, we created a WhatsApp group chat and then my friend Monique told Tinesha, “Daryl’s in your group? Don’t worry he’s a good musician.” That made me really nice to hear. I stood outside and then I filled out my Component Form. Shikia and another girl (Candise) went for one also. I ate one of my beef pies and then shared the other with Shikia since she was hungry and didn’t have anything to eat. 

    The three of us went over to the Pan Theatre and we showed Candise a piece of “Oye Mi Canto” from the introduction run. It was her first time trying the ensemble that day. Then it was going well until Mr. Sharma came and told us that Mr. Manette couldn’t make it for the day. Sir gave us the choice to stay and practice as much as we wanted for the time of the class and to eave when we wanted. The whole class went waking out one time as soon as Mr. Sharma left the pan theatre. I stayed back for a long while practising other pieces. 

    Then there were about five of the degree students with me in the same room. They of course decided to do singing and some playing around but after a while, I just sat back and let them fool around. We were all supposed to be practising for our intermediate ensemble. They left me after some time and then I helped a boy put together the chairs for his class they were supposed to have right there in a while.

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

General Musicianship 2 & Musicology (First Classes)

Date for Entry: (Tuesday 19th January, 2016)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Saturday 11th September, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Today was my first class of General Musicianship 2 with Mrs. Neaves. It was really nice to have this class again but then I heard a girl wasn’t coming back again and that one of my friends from the previous semester wasn’t coming back either. I didn’t have my booklet with me today and thankfully Monique was sitting next to me as usual. We did a lot of work from the book but I still knew all that we did already. 

    One of the things that Miss talked about today was when you have accomplished something about your friends that they should support you and not rub it in, “Instead of wasting your time, not liming, friends should support you. And if they don’t, just smile and say thank you.” Well, that was a book one for my book. I’ll listen to this one. Another one she said was, “An exam does not only have preparation but skills too. It is to test what you have learned over some time.” I may have mixed up some of the wording while trying to scribble them down on paper.

    Later that afternoon, I returned to the campus to attend my Musicology class. I realised that there was a lot of things from Music CXC that had come back to haunt me. Then the teacher Mrs. Nicholas played a piece of music. It touched me too much as I felt the music running up into my veins and crawling my blood. It was a really uncomfortable feeling but I didn’t know what to call it. On this day we went through some scary music and a few terms. She did not have the textbooks for us just yet.

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

First day of Semester 2

Date for Entry: (Monday 18th January, 2016)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Saturday 11th September, 2021)

 Dear Diary,

    This morning was the first day of school. The yard at DCFA was a bit empty as it was the first day but I got there extra early to get the timetable and see when my first class would be like. It was only until I walked in on the side corridor with my friend Eran he had asked me what I was doing in school. I told him the truth about the timetable and I went to the staff room. No one was there at the time until I saw the timetable stuck on the wall.

    I took out one of my notebooks and began to write down the subjects I had and when one of my friends Tinesha came in the door. The two of us chat for some time in about an hour and a half. During that time, we had gotten our Academic Advising from Mr Murray. It was one of the same sheets of paper he gave me from the first semester that Mrs. Neaves gave me. 

    I was glad to pass my English course. It was extremely difficult. To switch from poetic writing to Academic is very challenging. We then talked about the instruments we were playing and if to switch to another instrument. She showed me her pan sticks Ms. Ramlal like. I like it too because she fine it was light. I wonder if they sell pan sticks that are easy to hold.

    Finally, after a long wait, Mrs. Ramlal came in and she saw me last. As I waited for my turn, I stood there admiring the sign that Dr. Remy had on her office door that said, “I want you to practice your instrument every day.” That was almost a good motivation but it was true. I just didn’t see it as yet. It's hard to do and boring and I knew what they intended to say.

    When it was my turn to see Mrs. Ramlal, she helped me get my transcript to upload to Gate and told me that they want all the students to register for gate every semester. Then when I asked her if my grade for the Academic writing, she told me it was acceptable and about the three types of F’s that can be given. But I told her how difficult it was from moving to Academic Standard English from Poetic Writing and we had a nice laugh. 

    I left Ms. Ramlal and went to see Mr. Sharma one time about our Pan Lessons for credit in school. I told him about the clash it would have on Wednesday so then he asked if I wanted it after 4 o'clock. I would have really wanted to but standing up for three hours and then for Pan Lessons would have been too much so I took the Thursday. He then talked about pan classes for Sunday School and then the approach of teaching the children patterns to find the melody on the pan. 

    In this way, I didn’t call the day wasted now because I got to fix up a lot of things in that two and a half hours spent in school.

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Preparing for Semester 2 at UWI

 Date for Entry: (Saturday 16th January, 2016)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Friday 10th September, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Tonight, Andrew and I went to the UWI Student’s Portal on the Internet in Tunapuna. I went to see if my new timetable was up and ready but I didn’t like how there wasn’t a long sheet with the courses as the last time. I just wrote them down and hope to get one as before in school tomorrow. I also went to the same place after they left and got the results I was waiting on. I’m so happy that the English went well. To repeat it would have been TOO depressing. 

 

Link(s):

1.  Grade details of UWI Music Certificate - (Year 1, Semester 1). 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Grade 1 Compilation Book (1st & 2nd Attempt)

Date for Entry: (Tuesday 5th January, 2016)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Thursday 9th September, 2021)

**This project was discarded and discontinued.**

 Dear Diary,

    Today I went to the bank and then on a roll to the computer place in Curepe. I made a lot of corrections from the last time I printed my book. That one had 97 pages and now this one has 75. I was so glad because it came cheaper and it was smaller and cute.

    This afternoon at three o'clock, I went down to the Stationary store behind Massy’s to get my Music Journal bound. At this time, it was up to page 219. So, I now knew that it is four inches tall and it had to split into two. So, Volumes 1 and 2 went together and then Volumes 3 and 4.

   Visiting Mr. Lewis, I had to correct a girl’s work with the diatonic scales in Grade 4. I got into trouble but I remembered the technique I was shown how to do during a Grade 4 practice exam. Then a girl started to cry in a laugh and she was the singing student. She couldn’t sing “where Christ is born” in the music she had to do during her class. 

(UPDATE) 

    Over a long period, this book project was discontinued and cancelled. Much more work was needed that time could not permit. I still had hope it would work in some way as a benefit to another student. 

(UPDATE #2) 

    Over time, a second attempt at a brand new Grade One pedagogy book entitled "My Favourite Musicianship Notebook: Grade One Booklet" was done. A more professional attempt was made and also the attempt of having the entire script of personal intellectual property. Of course, various books in previous attempts were used again because of their need and accuracy. 

    This document too was slightly revised by Mr. Lewis but was discontinued. In addition, a series of Grades 1 to 5 was done under this particular design in the Summer Vacation of 2016. More work is required on all parts of this series. No indication of the continuation of the series was decided.

 

Link(s):

1. Edited script.
2. My Favourite Musicianship Notebook: Grade 1 Booklet. 

Daryl Zion M. Ali