Venetianer

Name: Jessica Venetianer

Guiding Question: Would I like to take up playing the banjo as a hobby?

(optional) Use this space to list possible activities, tasks, experiences. Remember everything you do should help you answer your Guiding Question. Lessons, practicing, reading about the history of the banjo, listening to music, going to jam sessions.

(Required) This plan is a “best guess” as to what you and your mentor think you will be doing. It is not meant to be a hard and fast schedule for your Exploration. The plan should illustrate how you intend to complete a minimum of 80 hours.


 * = Date ||= Location/Activity ||= Number of Hours ||
 * = every saturday ||= mentor's house/ lesson ||= 15 ||
 * = every day ||= my house/ practicing ||= 35 ||
 * =  ||= my house or library/ reading ||= 10 ||
 * =  ||= my house/ listening to banjo music ||= 10 ||
 * =  ||= Hockessin/ attending jam sessions ||= 10 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||

Journal #1: So far my exploration is going very well. I have been following my plan of action and have done a lot of reading and listening to music so far. I also have been doing a lot of practicing along with my lessons. This past leasson I talked with my mentor about setting up a jam session with some other musicians so hopefully that will happen in the near future. We also talked about starting to arrange pieces so this week I started to arrange music to the piece "I'll Fly Away". So far I have 13 hours but with the end of my IB testing I should be able to quickly accumulate more hours. I am really enjoying playing the banjo and learning about the history of the instrument. //5/21: Can't wait to hear you pick your way through "Foggy Mountain Breakdown"!!!!! R. Bernard //

//Journal #2: My exploration is still going very well. I have been doing a lot of practicing and am currently working on arranging the song "Amazing Grace". This past lesson I worked with my mentor on common beginnings and endings of songs and this week I will be working on trying to incorporate them into the pieces I already know. I have been working on the song "Cripple Creek" which is a very common and well know banjo tune. I am following my plan of action pretty well although it is hard to accumulate as many hours as I need. At first I started out listening to music that was just folk music that was banjo oriented but I have started trying to listen to a more diverse rage of bands. I've started listening to bands that aren't always focused around the banjo but still use it. This has provided me with a better view of the different ways that the banjo is used in music. This Friday I will attending a concert for the band "Okkervil River" which is an alt. country/folk band and they use the banjo in some of their songs so it will be a great experience to hear some live banjo playing. Right now I have about 40 hours so throughout this next week I will need to spend a lot more time on my exploration. //

Journal #3: My exploration experience went very well. I had a great experience and am really glad that I got to learn something new. Last week I worked on arraging a new song and practicing some of the songs I already knew. When I attended the concert on Friday I did manage to get a video of the banjo being played at the begining of one of the bands songs so I will try to upload that at some point. I don't have any pictures of me playing the banjo because usually I am by myself when I am practicing so instead of showing pictures of me playing at my presentation I will give a live preformance. I will most likely be preforming the song "Cripple Creek". I had a great time during my exploration and I plan to continue my banjo lessons throughout the summer so the answer to my guiding question, would I like to take up banjo as a hobby, would be YES!