Last night I ordered a new DMX light controller. This will give me more control over my LED par cans, enabling me to produce better quality light shows for my own band and performances, not to mention other performers I work with.
0 Comments
Today was my third day on work experience, we had a jam packed day like yesterday. We started the day by heading into Barnstaple for ukulele lessons at Sticklepath school. At the school we had three different groups to teach, one of which were quite good. After that we went to Soundpad to buy some lighting equipment for Paul's stage lights. Next we had another 2 ukulele lessons which were fun. Finally we drove back to Exmoor for another ukulele workshop with a group of school kids. Ukulele Wednesday was the best day so far!
Today on my second day of work experience with Paul, we started at South Molton school and gave some children guitar lessons. After that we came back to Braunton for my own guitar lesson. Next it was my sisters lesson which I played the cajon (small drum) for, and assisted her along with songs that Paul had shown her recently. Next we headed back to Ilfracombe to collect the equipment for a ukulele workshop that evening, once everything was packed up it was time to go. For this particular workshop, we drove to Simonsbath house on Exmoor. The workshop was full of enthusiastic children, and ran very smoothly. After the workshop we headed back home. A very long tiring second day, and much of the same tomorrow.
On Sunday, I set up a Facebook Page for my PA and Light Show Hire. I should have done it years ago, within 24 hours I received 1 booking, at Lynton Town Hall, for a Pink Floyde tribute band, and one very good enquiry for a festival in Bude. Looking good I think. Please drop by and give my page a like https://m.facebook.com/PA-and-Stage-Lighting-Hire-133247160415564/
I've had a wonderful afternoon running a ukulele workshop for The Princess Theatre, Burnham-on-Sea. A terrific bunch of people, all eager to learn the great little instrument. The workshop had been sold out for a couple of weeks causing the theatre to have to turn a few people away. Another ukulele workshop has been booked at the theatre for the 7th February 2014. Some tickets for this event have been sold already, many who came to the workshop, have expressed their intention to attended again in February. A couple even keen enough to have shown interest in ukulele lessons with me by Skype and FaceTime. By the time I had driven home to Ilfracombe, I had received this email from one of the attendees. Very little advertising was needed to sell out the event, just social media and posters in the theatre. While I was in Burnham-on-Sea, I took a walk around the Town, and along the sea front, where took a few pictures. Visit the Princess Theatre website http://www.princesstheatreandartscentre.co.uk/index.htm Music lessons are booming across the UK Telephone 07866 650015 to book your guitar or ukulele lessons in your own North Devon Home or anywhere in the world by Skype, FaceTime, or Google Hangouts. When people ask the question: ‘why spend so much money on one day?’ it’s easy to feel embarrassed with answers such as ‘I want to show the world how much I love that person’ or ‘the thought of some remote island with none to see me makes me feel sad’ or the most secretive of all ‘I want as many people as possible to see me in a beautiful dress and beautiful setting and tell me over and over again just how beautiful I look.’ But it’s your day, and you need it to make it what you want- you’re only planning on doing this once, so make it a day to remember!
At the point Iain (my husband!) and I (finally) got engaged none of those reasons applied. I just wanted to get married to my best friend, have his surname and see him with a ring, signifying our commitment to each other. It wasn’t until I started planning that I began dreaming up possible themes, venues, food choices, decorations and of course dresses! Of course the vows and the life-long commitment is the reason you marry and yes everything else is superfluous, but let’s be honest, you want the perfect day and a venue people walk into gob-smacked by how you managed to organize such an amazing event AND look as amazing as you do! You want your wedding to be the one guests rave and talk about for days, months-heck years afterwards!
So what makes a good wedding? Is there really a winning formula? Nope, but there are ways of making sure your day is perfect for you and your future husband. As an ‘unconventional’ bride-forced into heels, ear piercing, hair, nails and make-up I have a few ideas/tricks/pearls of wisdom to pass on in the build up to your special day.
The Dress • Try on as many as possible- even ones that resemble your Grannie’s toilet roll holder, or something from ‘My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding’. You need to exhaust all possibilities- and let’s face it- dressing up is fun! Try and take a few different people, it’s important they’re honest and aren’t the sort of people who would let you walk down the aisle looking like you’ve made a Kirstie Allsop type attempt at making your own dress. • Don’t make it too tight! Yes it’s great to be fitted, but you must be able to breathe and food and drink must be able to enter your body and not have its journey cut off by a ribbon/bodice tied so tight your legs turn blue! • It has to be ‘wow’- you want every person in your wedding to hate you for looking so incredible, you want married women wishing they could get married again in YOUR dress, single girls to get straight onto match.com to find the man who’s going to get them into that dress, AND all the men wishing they hadn’t let you get away! BUT you must feel and be happy in your dress.
The Venue • Choose one that reflects you and your partner- if you aren’t showy people, then don’t choose a stately home- sounds obvious, but once people start giving their 2 cents, the water can become a little clouded. • Hidden costs- don’t be drawn in by a hire price- there can be hidden catches such as the requirement to use their caterers, which can mean expensive bills and A LOT per head! • Find out about restrictions- what time is kick-out? How can you decorate? When can you get access? When do you have to clean away all your decorations?
Decorations • Do you have a theme? Do you even want one? • If you are going to make it all yourself-consider time, stress levels, who can help? Sometimes it only works out a little cheaper to do it for yourself once you have bought materials etc. Don’t underestimate the importance of accepting help and getting the right people around you . • Research different suppliers and wedding companies- it’s nice to have kind, friendly people who understand what you are going through as a couple working with you and supporting you in the build up to your wedding and on your wedding day.
Guests • Ahhhh the dreaded guest list! It’s always been a tad tricky, with both parents forgetting whose wedding it is! Stay strong! No matter who’s paying the bill! You’re essentially taking all these people out for dinner and a dance- make sure you’d be happy to do that on any day- if you wouldn’t, maybe reconsider? • Allow each set of parents to choose four guests- that way they’re kept happy and you can stick them all on the same table! • When writing the seating plan and to avoid any altercations, tell no-one, then, when they see where they’re going to be sat on the day they won’t dare moan- not to the blissfully happy bride!
You! • Take care of yourself and remember your groom proposed to you knowing what you look like in the morning and at 2am when your head is down the toilet and your mascara is halfway down your face- no radical changes hey?! Honeymoon • Yes! Your chance to relax- you’ll both be exhausted, so try not to plan an all action-packed trip- well not for the first few days anyway! If you are interested in finding out more about me or want to have a chat (generally over a piece of cake!), then check out my website-http://homemadeevents.moonfruit.com/ Ellouise Hi all,
My name is Jane and I am the owner of a small business called Those Little Bits. We are called Those Little Bits, because after you have sorted your photographer, chosen your cake and most importantly found THE dress, you may start turning your attention to all those other little bits. This is where we come in. We have everything from miles of bunting, to decorated jam jars, teapots and teacups to great big white umbrellas (just in case of course) Royal Mail post boxes, vintage suitcases, memory boards, chalk board signs and lots more too. We love all things pretty and cant help adding to our stock all the time.
Those Little Bits came into existence when I came home one day with one to many teacups to add to my collection, and my husband swiftly made a polite but strong point that he was very much a man, and cant play poker with his friends amongst so many flowers. I understood his point and made the further point that he better find me a showroom so others can borrow and share in my china flowered joy, and quick too as the boys were due that weekend. Internal struggles between manly-ness and bank balances took place inside his head, I smiled sweetly and handed him a beer and thus the birth of Those Little Bits ensued. Now I have a fully fledged business where I travel around Somerset and surrounding counties lending out beautiful items to some lovely brides with my Mum and business partner (or partner in convincing our husbands that our job isn’t nattering and drinking tea all day long). We have met some lovely people along the way, and are very excited for what is to come.
Jane and Mum
Researchers have discovered music lessons boost young people's brain power Find out more about my guitar and ukulele lessons here http://paulclews888.weebly.com/guitar--ukulele-lessons.html YouTube guitar lessons are free. They are worth less than that. Let me explain that comment. I spend an awful lot of my time as a guitar and ukulele teacher correcting students who come to me having tried (some cases for years) this method of learning. They learn bad habits and incorrect information from YouTube. Consequently, time and money is wasted as I put things right again. Students find it harder to relearn than starting from scratch. When I started to learn in the Stone Age, YouTube didn't exist. I'm not saying YouTube is all bad, but sorting the good from the chaff is really difficult as a beginner. Let me give you an example, I searched in YouTube 'how to play G on guitar'. The first 'lesson' I saw was this. The smart ones amongst you will notice it's F. I don't think this would have tripped too many of you up. So let's look at the next video. This time Justin explains how to play a G chord. He rabbits on a bit, has nice graphics. Further on down and you get this. This guy teaches G completely differently. Which one is correct? Very confusing if you're a beginner. If you hit the wrong version first, you could learn the chord the incorrect way, screwing up your guitar playing career before you have really got going. Let me give you a clue, Justin has lovely graphics, but his guitar playing is not so lovely. It's the 2nd video on YouTube. Don't forget, F was the first one. Hopefully you get my point. Here is another. This guy has got hundreds of lessons on his YouTube channel. He does not even know the basics. He does not know what the strings are called, constantly mixing up the top and bottom strings. Please don't waste your time and money trying to learn on YouTube. Get professional advice from someone in the know. I give guitar and ukulele lessons around North Devon homes and schools, Petroc and anywhere else in the world by Skype, FaceTime and Google Hangouts. |
Archives
July 2017
Categories
All
|