This is my voice thread in response to the question above.

S = Social    E = Entertainment    I = Information

The media in this collage reinforces who I am as a person, it gives me an opportunity to engage with what interests and entertains me. It also shows where I get information about the topics I enjoy. I enjoy watching shows that have a darker humour to them yet aren’t all doom and gloom in the story line. The bands and albums that I listen to are quite varied within the “guitar music” genre. I enjoy this music as it makes me feel something about what they are singing about. I can relate to the words which attracts me to the band and makes me want to hear more from them. I then read about these bands in magazines, either online or in physical form to keep up to date with gigs, album releases and news about the band. I also like watching skate videos on thrasher and the weekly episode of Skateline NBD which is a 5 minute video about whats been happening with the skate community in the last week.

After researching the different forms of media that I use on a daily and weekly basis, I have leant that I follow a wide range of media in the form of entertainment but I use a smaller range of social media to keep up with friends or frequently. I have benefitted from this because I now understand the different elements of media such as: the social usage – for keeping up with family and friends but also joining online discussions with other media users, entertainment, and also for information through the news on TV, online articles and newspapers.

This will help me in creating my own magazine as I know that I need to be both and informative and entertaining for the audience that I will be targeting. I can achieve this through the pictures I use, the colours, the layout and the over all look of the magazine. I will have to remember to keep the different elements in mind too so that my magazine is informative and also entertaining.

My Skills

Graphic Design & Video Production

My main skills tend to thrive in the creative areas of things. I did art for one of my GCSEs where I got an 8 and am continuing onto art and design as one of my A levels. I spent a lot of my time in photoshop and other adobe software producing course work for school but outside of school I use it for various branding projects. One of them being that promote and brand my self as a working drummer (live and studio). I have a facebook, instagram, twitter and I also make drum covers for youtube. I use the social media to promote my youtube videos and also as a place for people to contact me. I also create the branding and run the social media for my band where I do a similar thing but I promote gigs and album releases as well as music videos. The creative skills involved with this include typography, photo manipulation, laying out a page with images and text.

Drumming

Another of my skills is playing drums, I’ve been playing for nearly 12 years now and dedicate 2 hours every day to practice. I have finished all my grades and am currently working towards a level 4 diploma in music performance. I have played in multiple bands over the years and even had the opportunity to go on a 12 date tour through the UK. I have 5 years of gigging experience and learnt lots about how the local music scene works. At the time I am writing this I am 2 bands, one of which is working to record a full length album. The technical skills that I have leant throughout my drumming career include reading music, tuning drums, recording and mixing live & studio drums and writing my own parts.

Transferable

I am a hard working and punctual student who makes sure that I am organised and on time. I do a good job at applying myself in every lesson and use independent studies well. I have 2 part time jobs: one teaching drums on a Saturday at School of Popular Music, and the other I work at the Coop on a Sunday and Monday. At both jobs I am expected to arrive and finish by a certain time.