Unit 36: Interview Techniques

Research Document
Order of contents:
Topic Research for item 1:
Guest Research for item 1:
Topic Research for item 2:
Guest Research for item 2:
Topic Research for item 3:
Guest Research for item 3:
Topic Research for item 4 (If used):
Guest Research for item 4 (If used):
Each student takes a topic and researches it extensively. Share your
finding with your team members so they can input your findings
into their booklet

You need to carry out EXTENSIVE research on your topic and guest.
You need to demonstrate why you have used your guest for this
topic. You need to reference where you found your research.
(Referencing is KEY)
Interviewee: Jared Walker
Research of topic: Folk Music
Key Facts:
Folk music is a very cultural music genre that focuses a lot more on
communities and traditional music. This is because folk music in the
traditional music of the people that is passed down from generation
to generation, and is played by the average person for the
community as opposed for the masses.
The typical instruments that are used in folk music are percussion
instruments, flutes, bow instruments or trumpets. The instruments
do not have to have a known inventor, which is why people tend to
see more obscure and less well known instruments in the folk genre.
There is also no specific type of material needed for an instrument
to be used in folk music. The only kind of instruments that are not
seen in the folk genre are electronic instrument as well as music
made using music production software.
During the industrial revolution in the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries multiple communities were destroyed. Due to folk music
being passed on vocally from person to person and not being
written down in physical form, a large amount of folk music was lost
during this time period. After this event occurred folk musicians
started to write the folk songs that were made down so that they
would not disappear altogether.
In the 1950s in Britain folk music was made popular again due to a
wave of American folk music coming over and being performed in
Britain. This caused folk music to become a popular music culture in
Britain again, causing several folk clubs to appear all over Britain.
Since then the popularity of folk music has declined and given way
to more modern music such as the pop, electronic, dance, RnB and
rap genres, which are designed to appeal more to the masses as
opposed to the communities.
The folk music that is produced has a resemblance to some of the
music in the indie, rock and punk genres. The artists that produce
this style of music are not necessarily professionally trained either,
but are self-taught instead. Folk music is also not aimed at a mass
audience like most pop music is but are for more rural communities

instead that are able to relate to the lyrics and music. This is also
due to the lyrics of the songs talking about modern and sometimes
controversial issues such as drugs, homelessness, race, politics and
love.

http://www.cs.rpi.edu/~haydent/folk/folk.html
http://folkmusic.about.com/od/glossary/g/FolkMusic.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_instrument
http://www.musicatschool.co.uk/year_8/Folk_sheets/folk.PDF
Potential areas of interest:
The potential areas of interest that could be used in my interview
are the communitys opinions of folk music and how their lifestyle
was influenced by folk music. I could also talk about what the
culture behind folk music and how people got into folk music.
Another thing that I could focus on are the comparisons between
folk music and how it is seen by the wider audience.
Areas of concern:
An area of concern that I would probably try and avoid would be
talking too much about other genres and folk musics resemblance
and relationships with the other genres, this is because it is leading
the topic away from folk music slightly. I want the interview to be
more focused on the culture and audience side of it.

Research of Guest
Primary Research: (Interviews with guest to find out what they
know; interviews with friends of guest to find out about guest) Insert
voice recordings /notes
The way that I have researched the guest is through a face to face
interview with the person in question.
Jared Walkers main instrument to play is a six string guitar. From
this he is then able to play different styles of music from the guitar.
He can play lead, base and rhythm. Jared has also had ten years of
professional vocal training. When he first got his guitar he taught
himself to play it in the first four years of having it. After which he
felt that he could not progress that much further by himself so
chose to get professional help to further his musical ability.

When it comes to playing folk music Jared tends to prefer to play

finger style guitar as opposed to playing chords, but does still play
both styles.
Some music artists that play a similar style to him and that he also
gains inspiration from are Jack Johnson and Ed Sheeran.
His whole family has a very musical background with everyone
playing some kind of musical instrument. The music that they
played was centred on the folk genre. As a result of this he was
exposed to folk music from a very young age, which is largely what
caused Jared to originally become interested in folk music in the first
place. This was especially true from his parents, as his dad has been
in 2 3 different folk bands and is able to play almost any kind of
instrument that is given to him, while his mother has been in
multiple string quartets, and is able to play the harp as well.
Something that Jared has done ever since he was a child was to go
to folk music festivals with his family. Due to folk festivals being a
large part of his life, he has fond and vivid memories of his time
there and is able to explain in detail what it is like to be at a folk
festival, and the differences that there are to other more mass
appealing festivals such as Reading festival or Glastonbury festival.

Secondary Research: (Internet /books)

I have researched and got this information of off Facebook and
talking to mutual friends and contacts.
He is 19 years old and lives in Oxfordshire but was born in
Lincolnshire
Jared is also a Multi- instrumentalist playing both the piano and a 6

string acoustic guitar. He has played alongside lots of musicians

throughout the folk music circuit in Oxfordshire, and Lincolnshire. He
is studying as a sound engineer in Oxford Brooks University which is
a direct result of his experiences in the folk music genre as well as
playing the music himself. Jared has also supported a variety of folk
musicians in the Oxfordshire music festival as well.

Interviewee: Steve Morano

Research of topic: Writing music and Lyrics. Music Distribution.
Country Music
Song writing is based on a structure of ideas, and then filled out
with a melody, harmony and lyrics

Potential areas of interest:

Writing his own music

What the lyrics mean to him, whether he hopes other people will
connect with them
Travelling
Areas of concern:
How he goes about writing music.
If he finds writing music difficult at any point
Distributing/recording music
How it was to travel with his music
Influences/Themes

Research of Guest
Primary Research: (Interviews with guest to find out what they
know; interviews with friends of guest to find out about guest) Insert
voice recordings /notes

Secondary Research: (Internet /books)

Interviewee: Adam Lords

Research of topic:
Key Facts:

Started in 1961 and its still going

Started in Reading and doubled up with Leeds in 1971 when it

changed from Reading Rock to Reading Festival

Genres: Rock, indie rock, alternative rock, heavy metal, punk

rock

8 stages for all the different genres

In 2014 the festival held 90,000

Figures show drug of choice is linked to music taste

Police reveal they seized 100k of substances at last

summer's gigs
Potential areas of interest:
The change between Reading Rock and Reading Festival

Areas of concern:
Drug use may be an area of concern because its a controversial
topic

Research of Guest
Primary Research: (Interviews with guest to find out what they
know; interviews with friends of guest to find out about guest) Insert
voice recordings /notes

Been attending Reading Rock/Festival since the 70s

People have always done drugs at festivals, however they are

now more artificial which means its harder to know your limit

He attends lots of different festivals and wherever he goes the

people are always extremely friendly.

Enjoys all sorts of music

Secondary Research: (Internet /books)