Jul/090
Coundon Court School Concert
On Tuesday I went to my old schools Summer Concert. To start off with I think it was an excellent concert. The students that played there are very talented. I would love to play an instrument, I tried guitar once and badly failed, but yeah!
Few things that annoyed me:
Lighting It was bad, sorry, it was. I mean, whats with lighting up the back of someones head, it really does work. If their lighting bar had been positioned correctly, they would have a good coverage of the floor as well as the stage, since the floor seems to be used at most productions. Secondly, some of the lighting has been there longer than I have been a student there, and I left Coundon Court two years ago, make an investment! Thirdly, the colour changing on the “band” in the corner looked really bad, do something about it. Fourthly, the glitter ball looked weird just because of the shadow it created, it missed like half of it out. Thats all for now, but seriously do some investment!
Sound One of the musicians or teachers making adjustments in the “band area” just doesn’t cut it for a concert. Use the skills of the students that can do sound and get them the right side of the speakers and do a proper mix! Mic people up! Half of the time I couldn’t hear the person presenting, she was too quiet. A bit of support would have helped loads, especially for people who’s hearing is worse than mine. Next, mic up or get an input from the instruments, even if its just the lead ones. I know it might be easier said than done, but with a stage hand its really not hard. When the two guys were doing their guitar thing (BTECH I think), I couldn’t hear them. Position the speakers correctly, what’s the point in them both being at the right of the room? Sounds completely out of place when there playing a backing track to the person thats on stage..
Stage Setup There’s an absolutely huge stage which is used for probably 10% of the concert. Every thing else seemed to be floor level, or on one height of movable staging (if you get me). This is rubbish for those that are sitting at floor level that are expected to see through peoples head. Move the band from the corner, onto stage, make full use of the stage for the orchestra, and if you need to do a scene change, at least you have curtains.
Credit OK, some teachers move on, it seemed half of the time the teachers/staff were the centre of attention. The attention needs to be back on the students really, it their concert. Give them full credit at the end, get them involved in the organization and the ones that have shown exception reward them instead of giving flowers or whatever to one teacher that has decided to make a slight career change.
Overall I thought it was a good concert. I’ve got some friends who were in it, and they performed very well. Sorry for the rant, mostly technical stuff but since I was sitting with David, who only half cared and Ciara who didn’t care, I had to release it somewhere!
Luke
Jul/092
Combined House Group
OK,
At my church, we have house groups. Most churches I know of have them, or something similar at least, where a small number of people meet in someones house (kinda why there called house groups) and discuss a particular topic between them.
At our church, we have, once a month, (last Wednesday of the month, or the first one if the first Wednesday is before the first Sunday, basically the Wednesday before the Sunday Evening Service), which is called combined house group. First, the name, its not a house group its in no ones house, and its not a house group because its a prayer meeting.
Anyway, every time its on, I have a moan to particular people about it, try and find excuses not to go and usually I end up going. I like meeting with God in church (yeah the church building), but it feels different than at home. But at these meetings it often gets away from how I like to pray. I like to have time quietly, with God with other people fine, but I like to pray my personal prayer without having to listen to other peoples.
Secondly it annoys me that we have to get into groups of people most of the time, and annoys me more that its always people that aren’t our friends, because its “cheating”. I know what a lot of my friends are going through, so if I’m told to pray in a group, it would make sense that I knew them well and knew a lot of their thoughts and what there going through. I was lucky enough to end up with David in the end, so I prayed with him, choosing my words carefully, but asked God to help him with decisions that him and Katie have to make and to bless them with things coming up in the future.
What’s also annoying about groups is that were meeting together in church because were praying together as a church. I know I’m contradicting myself, because I don’t want to be there, but if I am, why am I lumbered with people I don’t want to pray with.
Next, it creeps people out! I know of young people that have been to this meeting before and been creeped out with the praying. When have they been taught about laying hands on people, speaking in tongues etc?
Next, I don’t like the song we seem to sing all the time. It gets boring, plus why am I expected to know the words?
I go cause I have to, I’d rather just go to house group. This isn’t aimed at the one this week, its annoyances that have built up over the last x number of “Combined House Groups”. The simple solution would be to have a prayer meeting once a month for people that care about going, and the week that we would have the meeting, we have house group as normal where we discuss the previous Sundays “word”.
Thanks for listening to me rant about stupid little things. Apologies to those that I have directly or indirectly named, that didnt want to be named. Let me know and I’ll take you out if it causes a problem.
Luke
Jul/091
OK, try two…..
Hi,
Second attempt really at making a blog. Reasons for doing this really is cause sometimes I have a lot of different things in my head I want to get out. They might be a. because I cant be bothered to write the same thing to everyone, b. I want to get it into the air and no one I’m talking to at that time would be even slightly interested, or c. I feel I want to share those thoughts with the world!
Going to put things on here that I find interesting, technically wise, IT wise, christian wise, friends wise, uni wise and things I find funny!
Don’t know what else to say here, but I’ll write my about me soon anyway.
Luke