Elements of an ensemble:
A musical ensemble is anything musical that involves more than one person. The elements include-- Band Members- I think that making sure that every band member has the same level of confidence and contribution will help make a successful ensemble. I feel that it is important to ensure that the band members get along as well, to make sure that there aren't negative vibes that could potentially effect performing and the process of rehearsals. Band members must contribute towards what they are performing which will link into everyone feeling equal and like they 'have a say'. I also think that if every band member contributes ideas for their performances whether it be the song writing, blocking, organising solos etc, it will make the piece more sentimental for everyone and will mean something to each and every band member, and will also look more enjoyable towards the audience.
- Organisation- I think that this means making sure that there are key dates set for rehearsals, and making sure that everyone is fully aware with what they are doing. This could be in terms of making sure everyone is confident with lines, or picking up the songs, or just simply ensuring that everyone is aware of each other. It can also mean making sure everyone is prepared for rehearsals by learning song lyrics, and harmonies and looking for new ideas to contribute to the numbers that will make it look more effective.
- Communication: I feel that this skill can be used both in rehearsals and on stage. I think that as an ensemble it is important to communicate with others, and ensure that everyone is being treated fairly to prevent arguments and/or upset. I think that this applies to making sure everyone has an equal opportunity to contribute ideas and to change things within numbers. This also comes with listening skills, and the ability to allow people to have their say, and to understand each other from different perspectives. Communication can also be the performers interaction with the audience. For example, if they are singing a pop song, it'll be more effective to make eye contact with members of the audience to make it more fun and personal. They can also make eye contact with each other to show their relationships with each other to make it more enjoyable to watch as an audience member.
- Co-operation: I think that this is an important skill to have as an ensemble member because being co-opertive comes with commitment towards the ensemble. For example, if someone is taking a bit longer to learn something within the ensemble, then you must be co-operative and contribute your help towards them to ensure that everyone feels comfortable and confident when working with each other.
- Rehearsal: A productive rehearsal means that everyone is more confident and will generally work better together. For example if everyone is contributing a lot of energy to the rehearsal, then not only will more get done, but everyone will feel happier which will change the mode of a rehearsal to positive, and this will affect the ensembles overall performance in a positive way as well. Attendance also contributes to a successful ensemble, which means that everyone should be at every rehearsal in a positive mood, to reassure everyone that you are committed and are ready to work.
S CLUB 7
I have chosen to look into S CLUB 7, who were a successful ensemble in 1999-2003, and I am researching them to find out what made them successful as an ensemble and reasons for their decision to disband in 2003.
The band was formed by Simon Fuller, who was a former manager of the band 'Spice Girls'. He was fired by spice girls, when the girls decided that they wanted to manage themselves. Fuller had a huge reputation of producing excellent bands at this point from his history with Spice Girls, and signing Madonna's first hit 'Holiday'.
He came up with a concept for S Club 7, and auditioned over 10,000 people in order to find the members to form this new band. He worked alongside producers from 19 Management who were to sign the band once it was formed. The 'S' in S Club 7 stands for 'Simon', as he was the creator and intended to work closely alongside the band, and of course, there were to be 7 members, hence the '7'.
S Club 7 was successful for their 5 years of their ensemble. They started their careers together in 'Miami 7', which lead them to make singles such as 'Bring it all back', and 'Reach'. Throughout the years, S Club 7 changed their styles of music based on what was popular at the times they were released and what their audiences were looking for.
S Club 7 announced in 2002, that Paul Cattermole was to leave the band, to start another career in Rock music. Therefore the band renamed 'S Club 7' to simply 'S Club'. They then had another year of success as S Club, and even made a hit movie 'Seeing Double' as well as releasing singles 'alive', and eventually their last single 'Goodbye', where the band reminisced over their time as S Club 7, and S Club and they eventually announced their disband in 2003, which was a mutual decision between the band, which means that they all agreed that it was for the best. I feel that as an ensemble, it is effective for mutual decisions because it allows everyone to have a say. It is said by Wikipedia that a lot of fans felt 'betrayed' and 'disappointed' by their single 'Goodbye' which resulted in their announcement to break up, which reflects the bands positive impact on their audience and how it upset them that they had to move on. This shows their strong communication with their audience.
The band was formed by Simon Fuller, who was a former manager of the band 'Spice Girls'. He was fired by spice girls, when the girls decided that they wanted to manage themselves. Fuller had a huge reputation of producing excellent bands at this point from his history with Spice Girls, and signing Madonna's first hit 'Holiday'.
He came up with a concept for S Club 7, and auditioned over 10,000 people in order to find the members to form this new band. He worked alongside producers from 19 Management who were to sign the band once it was formed. The 'S' in S Club 7 stands for 'Simon', as he was the creator and intended to work closely alongside the band, and of course, there were to be 7 members, hence the '7'.
S Club 7 was successful for their 5 years of their ensemble. They started their careers together in 'Miami 7', which lead them to make singles such as 'Bring it all back', and 'Reach'. Throughout the years, S Club 7 changed their styles of music based on what was popular at the times they were released and what their audiences were looking for.
S Club 7 announced in 2002, that Paul Cattermole was to leave the band, to start another career in Rock music. Therefore the band renamed 'S Club 7' to simply 'S Club'. They then had another year of success as S Club, and even made a hit movie 'Seeing Double' as well as releasing singles 'alive', and eventually their last single 'Goodbye', where the band reminisced over their time as S Club 7, and S Club and they eventually announced their disband in 2003, which was a mutual decision between the band, which means that they all agreed that it was for the best. I feel that as an ensemble, it is effective for mutual decisions because it allows everyone to have a say. It is said by Wikipedia that a lot of fans felt 'betrayed' and 'disappointed' by their single 'Goodbye' which resulted in their announcement to break up, which reflects the bands positive impact on their audience and how it upset them that they had to move on. This shows their strong communication with their audience.
Members of the band:
Tina Barrett- Tina Barrett was born in 1976, in Hammersmith, London. She attended 'Arts Educational School' in London for eight years, and soon after, she landed her first professional performance job as a dancer in a pantomime. Whilst attending a dance studio in Fulham, she became friends with Alesha Dixon, and Sabrina Washington, and they created a singing and dancing trio named 'Face2face'. When the trio started working on their debut album, Barrett left when she was accepted into S CLUB 7, after auditioning in front of Simon Fuller. I was surprised to find this information as it seems as though she didn't co-operate with her original ensemble and left them for another group, however due to her being the lead of S CLUB 7, I think that this was her reason to stay in the band.
Paul Cattermole- Paul Cattermole was born in 1977 in Hertfordshire. He was a member of National Youth Music Theatre, and attended Mountview Drama School to study a theatre and acting course. He was scouted by Simon Fuller and asked to attend the S Club 7 auditions after he appeared in a show. Paul was the first member of S Club 7 to leave the group in 2002, to pursue a career in the rock genre of music, causing the band to rename themselves S Club.
Rachel Stevens- Rachel Stevens was born in 1978 in Southgate, London. Rachel studied at London College of Fashion and got a diploma in business originally, and along side that, started a career in business for a film company, but that was when she lost interest and decided that she wanted to be a singer instead, therefore started to pursue a career in the singing industry. At age 21 she joined S Club 7 after being scouted by Simon Fuller. She was the only band member who didn't audition, and instead was scouted by producers of 19 management and asked her to submit demo tapes for Simon Fuller to listen to.
Jo O'Meara- Jo O'Meara was born in 1979 in Romford. Although Jo didn't attend a college or university, her school grades show her excellence for Singing, Dancing, and acting. O'Meara, similarly to Cattermole, was approached by producers from 19 management, and was asked to audition for S Club 7.
Hannah Spearritt- Hannah Spearritt was born in 1981 in Great Yarmouth. She, like Cattermole, was a member of National Youth Music Theatre. From the age of 12 she participated in local amateur productions and before S Club 7, she appeared in West End Musicals, and television programs as small roles. She met Cattermole at National Youth Music Theatre. I think that the history between Spearritt and Cattermole would have been useful towards the ensemble because it meant that they knew each other well enough to be confident with each other and towards the rest of the group. Spearritt saw an advert for S Club 7 in The Stage newspaper, which lists thousands of auditions for various professional job opportunities, and was accepted into S Club 7 after a series of auditions for Fuller.
Bradley McIntosh- Bradley McIntosh was known for being the 'cool' member of the band which inspired a lot of the younger boys to dress like him and want to be like him. He was born in 1981 in Lambeth, London, to Jamaican musical parents who were known for their band 'The Cool Notes'. He auditioned for the band S Club 7 and was successful after a series of auditions for Fuller. Like Hannah, he saw the advertisement in The Stage Newspaper.
Jon lee- Jon Lee was born in Devon, England in 1982 and was the youngest member of the band. He was brought up performing in shows, and achieved his first main role in West End's Oliver when he was 13. Before S Club he also appeared as small roles in TV programs such as 'Eastenders'. He auditioned for S Club 7 after seeing the advertisement in The Stage.
Audiences:
The band was originally a pop genre, rising to fame in Miami 7, which was a children's musical program, similar to the nowadays programs such as 'Glee', therefore it attracted a lot of attention from teenagers and children in the 90's and 00's. Also the pop genre had a lot of attention from teens, therefore it was likely that they would be the audience.
The program was about a British band who had moved to Miami, America, and a lot of the audience was British as it was aired on popular British television channel CBBC. The series soon after aired in America, which attracted more teen audiences from America. The show was renamed 'S Club 7 in Miami' for American audiences. This inspired a lot of their hit songs and this program is how the band got well known by audiences world wide. The opening theme 'Bring it back' and the response it had from fans inspired the band to release it in June 1999 as their debut single. The video to this single is below. It still remains a popular song, with over 4 Million views on Youtube, which is a modern networking site, and when the song first aired it sold over 650,000s copies in the UK, and reached a platinum certificate in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. The four girls of the group shared the lead vocals of this song, and the boys were the backing singers and dancers for the music video.
Miami 7 saw the seven members of the band in their own exaggerated characters, based on their personalities in real life. This would mean that different members of the audience could identify and relate with different members of the band. For example, Hannah was a playful character, given the S Club 7 colour of Yellow. Rachel was the popular, pretty girl who inspired so many girls to want to look like her. She always had good fashion as well on the show, which I think may reflect her background in Fashion school.
Their TV show 'Miami 7', adapted into another TV series 'L.A 7', which was where their characters moved to Hollywood to seek a record deal, similar to how their characters moved to Miami. The theme song to this was 'Reach', which was arguably one of their most successful singles, reaching number 1 on the UK charts. This series was released after they had won 'British Breakthrough act', which shows their perseverance and their motivation to work harder and achieve more.
After the band released their debut single, and had amazing responses from all audiences, they continued to release more music. Their second single was 'S Club Party' which was on number 2 of the UK charts and number 1 in New Zealand. I think that this would have been encouraging for the band at this point, because their music and status was more recognised and they were becoming more popular within different audiences. The teenage audience grew as their music was getting more popular, and they got less attention from the child audiences, which meant that they were taken more seriously in the music industry. S Club Party video is below:
After watching this video I noticed the change between the cheesy lyrics of 'Bring it all back', and this song. I feel that the change in audience must have influenced S Club 7 to explore a wider genre of their music, and begin giving everyone in the ensemble equal opportunities. For example the girls would sing the chorus, and the boys would join in with spoken word in unison to match the theme of the song which was a 'party'.
Fans responded to this single positively, and the difference in genres between 'pop' and 'dance pop' encouraged a wider range of the teenage audience as well, and responded well to their third single as well by continuing to purchase them, and allowing them to both reach number 1 in the charts, and achieve high rankings in the charts worldwide.
Their growing popularity meant that the band had busier schedules and quotes suggest that they often felt tired and jet lagged from so much travelling to balance their music careers and Miami 7. And Wikipedia have quoted on Paul Cattermole saying 'Kind of dreamscape in your head', from the amount of excess rehearsals and their continuous busy schedules. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S_Club_7#1999.E2.80.932000:_S_Club_television_series). I feel that this shows a successful ensemble because despite having these busy schedules and feeling tired a lot, S Club 7 didn't let this show in their music videos, or their interviews.
S club 7 adapted their music to suit what was in the charts. For example, they started to release R&B songs such as 'Never had a dream come true', and funk numbers such as 'Don't Stop Movin'. These would have encouraged the audiences to remain interested in the band. This would have come with communication skills. The band would have to communicate with their audiences and to focus on what is popular in the charts, to make sure that their music suited what the audiences wanted.
S Club 7 had their first tour in 2001-2002, called 'S Club Party Tour'. The tour is something that the band all wanted to do and made a group decision to make it happen. They had a lot of rehearsals from early 2001- may 2001. The first performance was in May 2001, and it captivated the audience of 13,000 people, and this showed how many people S club 7 had attracted. In the video below, we see the audience cheering and chanting for the band to enter the stage, before the concert had even started, and the audience had filled the whole of the venue. Throughout the video we see the audience cheering and singing along to S Club 7, which shows the amount of popularity the band had gained before this tour.
Throughout their live performances, the whole band continued to show high energy, and a high standard performance. This would have been from their long rehearsals, and making sure that they are all confident with what they are doing. This would have come from focus, commitment and team work to ensure that everyone in the group was positive, and maintained high energy to captivate the audience for the whole concert.
Rehearsal Process:
I haven't found any sources describing the S Club 7 rehearsal process, or videos. However I looked into their videos and interviews and I feel as though the band would have been focused during their rehearsals. I think this because their videos and performances were always full of energy and well rehearsed. Every band member brought a high level of energy to their numbers and this is important for a successful ensemble because everyone needs to be giving the same amount of energy so that no one stands out for being 'worse' than the rest or 'better' than the rest. I think that for S Club 7 particularly, who often split all of the verses between the different band members and gave equal amounts of lyrics to everyone, it was important that all of them put in a lot of energy to ensure that the videos and performances were interesting to watch. I know from my previous sources in Wikipedia (link above) that they had busy schedules and rehearsals because they were recording new singles, and rehearsing for Miami 7 at the same time which would have meant in order to make them look as effective as they did, they would have needed to bring positive energy to the rehearsals. This comes with Co-operation and communication, which are important ensemble skills (which I have stated in a list at the top of the post).
I think that giving each member a different personality worked effectively because it meant that they all looked different, whilst performing the same number. For example, particularly in 'Bring it all back' you can see the quirkiness of each individual character and this made them all stand out as 'different', and this would have meant that they could have contributed towards their own movement and what made them feel most comfortable when performing the songs and dances. I think that this changed in 'S Club Party', because they were all acting 'cool' and they all seemed the same, therefore it was less enjoyable to watch. I think that this was due to their demanding popularity and they were trying to figure out what worked and what didn't. Due to the fact that S Club 7 wasn't as successful as 'Bring it all back', it changed their next singles and music videos to do what suit their fans.
For their first tour 'S Club Party Tour' in 2001, it was said by wikipedia that S Club 7 rehearsed 'most of early 2001', and the actual concert was in May, which means that they were rehearsing for around 5 months. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S_Club_7#Tours
For their first tour 'S Club Party Tour' in 2001, it was said by wikipedia that S Club 7 rehearsed 'most of early 2001', and the actual concert was in May, which means that they were rehearsing for around 5 months. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S_Club_7#Tours
I only found one rehearsal video and it was for a live performance. It doesn't say what the date is, however I counted all 7 of them in the video, which means it was before 2002, when Paul Cattermole left the band. I think that a lot of them showed focus when running through the technical aspects of the performance, which shows professionalism. I also think that the fact that they focused meant that they would have got a lot done in a short amount of time.
Relationships:
From what I understand by watching interviews, S Club 7 were close in person, as they were in their songs. I feel that it is important as an ensemble member to get along with the rest of the band because it means that it is more efficient for everyone. A lot of modern day bands such as 'One Direction' have disbanded due to disagreements in the group, however S Club 7 maintained their relationships with each other to this day.
Hannah Spearritt and Paul Cattermole started dating in 2001. This was when the band was at it's most popular. During this time was when the band released their funk single "Don't stop movin'", and the fact that their relationship isn't obvious in the music video, meant that their relationship wasn't part of S Club 7, and therefore they remained professional which would have made rehearsals easier for the rest of the ensemble, by the fact that they weren't distracted.
I think that the different genres in music that the band released, would have had an impact on their communication skills both with each other, and the audience. They would have needed to focus on what the fans were demanding, what was popular on the charts, and what suited their band. Due to the fact that each member of the band had a different personality, I could imagine that this would have been difficult to discuss because they all suit different things, however their songs achieving so much success would have suggested that they had good communication skills and understanding for each other.
Below I have linked an interview that S Club had. It says in the video title that it was in 2000, however the woman interviewing them refers to them as 'S Club' as opposed to 'S Club 7', and there are only 6 of them, which would meant that Paul had left the group at this point. Also, their movie 'Seeing Double' came out in 2003, which would have been when this interview was. In the interview the ensemble are listening to each other, and laughing with each other which could resemble close relationships with each other. I would imagine that this would have helped them achieve more in rehearsals, and allowed rehearsals to be more positive.
Spice Girls- Of course Spice Girls had S Club 7's manager, but fired him, which caused S Club 7 to form. The Spice Girls had similar genre of music as S club 7, however because they were all female, they only attracted attention from mostly female audiences. The Spice Girls did however, have individual characters- Posh Spice, Baby Spice, Scary Spice, Ginger Spice, and Sporty Spice. All in which attracted a wider range of the female audiences with their quirky, individual looks and statements. The Spice Girls started to manage themselves in 1998, and broke up in 2001. The reasons for this was in 1998, they lost one member due to 'differences' between the group which suggests lack of communication, and agreement with each other. There were law suits against Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice) due to the fact that the girls had signed a contract to attend a photoshoot as the 'Spice Girls'. A lot of controversy between the group was caused due to plans changing and a lot of opportunities for the Spice Girls being lost. This was due to the fact that audiences expected the 5 girls, as opposed to 4. Similarly to S Club 7, as once they became S Club, they only had a year more of success before they announced their disband, whereas Spice Girls had 2 years before they broke up unofficially.
I think that the fact that the Spice Girls didn't announce their break up to the audience shows lack of communication towards their audience and admirers, whereas S Club announced their disband on one of their live performances, which made it a more memorable moment between themselves, and their viewers.
Hannah Spearritt and Paul Cattermole started dating in 2001. This was when the band was at it's most popular. During this time was when the band released their funk single "Don't stop movin'", and the fact that their relationship isn't obvious in the music video, meant that their relationship wasn't part of S Club 7, and therefore they remained professional which would have made rehearsals easier for the rest of the ensemble, by the fact that they weren't distracted.
I think that the different genres in music that the band released, would have had an impact on their communication skills both with each other, and the audience. They would have needed to focus on what the fans were demanding, what was popular on the charts, and what suited their band. Due to the fact that each member of the band had a different personality, I could imagine that this would have been difficult to discuss because they all suit different things, however their songs achieving so much success would have suggested that they had good communication skills and understanding for each other.
Below I have linked an interview that S Club had. It says in the video title that it was in 2000, however the woman interviewing them refers to them as 'S Club' as opposed to 'S Club 7', and there are only 6 of them, which would meant that Paul had left the group at this point. Also, their movie 'Seeing Double' came out in 2003, which would have been when this interview was. In the interview the ensemble are listening to each other, and laughing with each other which could resemble close relationships with each other. I would imagine that this would have helped them achieve more in rehearsals, and allowed rehearsals to be more positive.
Other Bands at the time:
I think that the fact that the Spice Girls didn't announce their break up to the audience shows lack of communication towards their audience and admirers, whereas S Club announced their disband on one of their live performances, which made it a more memorable moment between themselves, and their viewers.
What Makes S CLUB 7 a good ensemble?
I think that overall, I have found out that S Club 7 was a good ensemble, because they were able to form a group together from complete strangers, and find a ground in which they can communicate with each other to form a group that suits each of them, and that reaches out to a wide range of audience. I think that their mutual decision to disband shows their strength as a group, because they all wanted to move on and find new opportunities, and instead of all leaving the group, they discussed it and worked it out together to show good co operation skills and communication skills between them. I also think that their ability to change their genre of music per song (remaining mainly within pop) shows their relationship with their audience and their want to make them pleased. I feel that their success and their careers show that their band worked hard, and this would have taken focus, and professionalism in rehearsals which meant that they would have to be positive and energised as an ensemble should be.
Our Presentation:
In groups we devised a short performance of our collaboration of research into two different bands. My group researched S club 7, therefore our devised performance was based on how the group was formed, and their journey up to when they split. We split the research so that everyone had something to say and we all spoke in our characters from the band. For example I researched Hannah from S Club 7 and played her in our presentation. I spoke about the research I found such as when she was born and how she joined the band. We all spoke about similar facts based on our characters, simply when they were born, where they were born and how they joined the band.
My contribution to the project was the research into Miami 7 and bringing the knowledge of the bands first appearance together. I feel as though this was important information because this is how the band was formed and is how they were discovered by a large audience.
Our Presentation Project:
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