Realistic or Modern Eastridge Music Academy.

[MintPatrick]

Eastridge Music Academy is the boarding academy for the 15-19 year olds that are - of course - incredibly musically talented. With a wide range of playable instruments, you might be surprised at the types of students attend this school, from the hardcore rockers to the elegant classical students. Of course, we also ensure that Maths, English and Science are also covered, but the main subject is Music, which is known to be mainly practical. Each student also shares a dorm room with one other student of the same gender, and the changing of dorms for any length of time is strictly forbidden. Built back in the 1900's, the school has been converted to four floors and also boasts at least 6 large musical classrooms, and 10 fully equipped practice rooms, along with 5 sound-proof recording studios. There is also a large 550-seat auditorium with excellent acoustics. The ground floor has the library, canteen, reception area, one of the common rooms, and the ground section of the auditorium. The next floor has the upper floor of the auditorium, and all of the music rooms, practice rooms and recording studios. The 3rd floor has the rest of the classrooms and labs for Maths, English and Science and a second common room. The top floor is where all of the dorms rooms are located.


However, perhaps the highlight of the academy has to be the end-of-term concerts.


Each concert is two hours long and invites the family members of the students and members of the general public to attend - provided, of course, a ticket for each attendee is purchased beforehand. These concerts generally sell-out, and the front-row seats are often occupied by talent agents and record labels, hoping to find their next big musician. This makes these concerts very desirable for students, especially as not every student can take a active part in every concert. Week-long auditions are held for all students, and only 20 students are selected - meaning that competition can get pretty tough, especially for those students that are hoping to get themselves noticed!


Since the auditions for the next end-of-term concert are coming up in just a week's time, students are already starting to get competitive. Practice rooms are getting booked out in advance, and a lot of students are on edge. Well, they should be, especially as the rumours that a large record label company would be attending this concert have all been confirmed true. I guess, if you want a place in the concert, you had better come up with something to really impress the tutors!

 

[MintPatrick]

We begin on a Saturday morning, just a couple of days before auditions are due to start.


Edward was still in his dormitory room, consulting the plan that he had written for the day the previous night. It had several different things that he was planning to do, and he intended on following the plan for the entire day - as he usually did. So far, he was still on track, as he had spent nearly all of the allocated time getting ready before he was due to go to the canteen for breakfast. He had washed, gone around his room to tidy it up (although it didn't really need to be), carefully concealed and covered his bruises, and he had dressed into a white dress shirt, with a dark red tie, and black formal trousers. On his feet were a pair of plain black shoes. He then left his dorm, locked the door and started to walk to breakfast, having about 5 minutes - according to his day plan - to get there. He walked somewhat briskly, greeting the other students that happened to be awake and out in the corridor at this time with a smile, sometimes accompanied with a "Hello,".

 

[TakAttack]

Ayla sat up in her bed, her alarm ringing beside her bed with the ferocity of thunder. Her thick, brown curls found themselves caught in tangles. "Unnnh," she whined to no one, running her hand through her large tuft of hair. "Cortana," she said to her phone, voice groggy and all. A familiar beep sounded, thus ending the alarm's reign of terror. "What do I have planned today?" she said through a yawn.


The phone replied, "Practice." Her eyes shot open, allowing the sun to reflect the blue rays of her optics. A grin crossed her face as she threw herself out of bed, grabbing her phone and rushing to the bathroom. There was nothing better than getting ready for something that made her day - and she was glad she learned that at a young age. Who would've thought a little 15-year-old would be able to live alone... Successfully? Even she found it hard to believe.


After a quick shower, she dressed herself in a blue jean skirt with a bright yellow tee, black leggings underneath. The attire perfectly fit her; she was colorful for the timebeing. Slipping on some sneakers and grabbing her large acoustic guitar she named "Bee", she headed outside, locking her door behind her to start her day.

 

[BELL]

Gale Autumns sits in his room playing guitar. He has his guitar plugged into the amp, his headphones plugged in so as not to bother anyone else. He's silent and his fingers dance across the fingerboard like firelight.

 

[Ahribelle]

Genesis is a highly unusual girl in many ways. For one, she's afraid of dentists. For another, she hated summer more than any time of the year. And she also happened to do so many things, in the dead of night. Plus, she gives weird and unusual names for pets.


It was Saturday in the morning, and she was lying on ner stomach in bed, the blankets drawn right over her head like a tent, a flashlight in one hand and a large leaher-bound book propped against the pillow. Well, it was morning, but the curtains were close, as well as the lights. She moved the tip of her pencil down the page, frowning as she looked for something that would help her write a song.


The pencil paused at the top of a likely-looking paragraph. She moved the flashlight closer to the boom, and read:

You don't have to come to the piano with an entire song already in your head before you start composing. Just start with one simple melodic phrase. That melody will be the centerpiece for everything else in your composition. It's the foundation and the focal point of your piece. As you begin to compose, improvise on that melody and see where it naturally wants to take you. The musical place it leads you to is usually your 'hook', or what I'll refer to in this article as your chorus. Think of your chorus as your melodic destination.



​

She put her pencil between her teeth and reached underneath her pillow for her sharpener, which she randomly keeped under her pillow. Slowly and carefully, she began to sharpen her pencil. After that, she began to write music notes, pausing every now and then to check if it was good.

 

[MintPatrick]

Eventually, Edward got to the canteen, which was very quiet, aside from the quiet mumblings of a few students talking with each other, and the occasional scrap of a chair being pushed back, or the clatter of a knife and fork on a plate. It was quite the nice environment, and he would have stayed a little longer, if he didn't have a schedule to stick to. Yes, it was unusual, but Edward always thought that it helped if one knew exactly what they were going to do in a day, and have a timing to stick to. It also meant that there would be no excuse to just wander around or procrastinate from any work that needed to be completed. Besides, it also meant that he would be organised and prepared for the day. He was also aware of - as students sometimes 'helpfully' reminded him - any unexpected events that could happen, or if something went wrong, in which all he had to do was work to a backup plan that he would have. Fight in the corridor? Take another route. Unexpected conversation with a tutor (or another student)? Walk and talk (he didn't have time to stand idly around, having a lengthy conversation with someone). Particularly slow queue in the canteen? Go to the library, switch a few things around and return later. It almost always worked for him.


Anyway, Edward took a blue tray for his food, and he picked up a plate. Approaching the food counters, he picked up a couple of slices of buttered toast, a red apple and a glass of water. He then walked back out to the dining section, and he chose to sit at an empty table to eat his breakfast at. Since it was empty, there would be no distractions for him. He had allocated to himself 20 minutes to have breakfast, which would be enough time to eat, and allow himself to digest it a little, before he went to the practice rooms. He had, of course, booked himself to use one of the practice rooms a few times this week and early next week about a month ago, so that he did not have to join the rush of students that would be racing to get a practice room when one of them was free. Well, with the auditions coming up fast now, there was usually a large, hectic rush to get to one of the practice rooms so that students could rehearse and finalise their pieces that they wanted to audition with.

 

[MattS]

Jonothan had been up for quite some time and was practicing a rendition of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata First Movement on his six string bass. He wanted to make sure his audition in the next few days would be flawless.

 

[FictionalReality]

Arthur was in the cafeteria, leaning dangerously far back on one of the chairs as he alternated between bites of food and the jazz music he was reading to prepare for the concert. He wasn't particularly worried about it, after all, he could only do his best, but he preferred to be prepared for anything. He hadn't exactly gotten a practice room, but he could always just practice in his head. Or his room. Sure it might annoy the people with rooms around him, but if he was quiet. Maybe he would just ask Lis whether he could use the one she had booked. He looked up from his booklet. "Hey sis, can I use your practice room?"





"Absolutely not" Lisabet replied calmly, not looking up from her book. She, unlike her brother, was stressed out, both about the concert and school itself. She knew that the type of music she played was not something many people wanted, and so she would have to truly play her best. However, all this practice had meant that she didn't have time for her studies, unless she wanted to be up until the sun rose, so she had to use any spare time to brush up, for fear of dropping below her grade average. She shivered simply thinking about it. 'Perish the thought' Her food lay untouched on her plate, as she didn't want to drop any on her dress. Today she was wearing a Tudor design, modelled after the one Anne Boleyn had worn in her famous painting, and it had cost her quite a bit to get. She marvelled at how scandalous it would have looked in her period.

 

[TakAttack]

It wasn't long until Ayla found herself in the canteen, having run out of songs to play and her own couple of chords to play around with. She didn't want to get serious outside, knowing how other students got 'inspired' by others' music whenever it came around. So, she kept her more intricate plays to herself, that is, until she could get into a practice room. With Bee strapped across her torso, she found herself with a plate of a basic meal in her hands, searching for a table that wasn't already full. Her eyes laid onto a quite lonesome one, accompanied by one male. She raised an eyebrow and made her way to the table, hoping that she wouldn't make anything awkward. Besides, they wouldn't talk much - it was just breakfast.


She took a cautious seat across from the male and said softly, but with enough enthusiasm to keep things normal. "Hi." He placed her food in front of her, gaze switching from the plate to the male quite frequently.


@MintPatrick

 

[MintPatrick]

Edward had been thinking about his audition piece and what he was going to do. He had a lot of options laid out for him, but he still hadn't decided on the music that he wanted to play. After all, he had to select a piece that he knew that the judges would like, but not something that he had already done. He had often been asked, somewhat harshly, by one of his tutors 'How much do you want to be in the concert?' so he wanted to haveva guaranteed place.


Out of the corner of his eye, Edward noticed someone sitting down. He very briefly looked up to see who had joined him at his table. "Hello," he greeted, and he went back to eating his breakfast. After a quick glance at the clock on the wall, he saw that he had about 10 minutes until he was due to leave breakfast and go to his booked practice room. He had nearly finished anyway, just with his glass of water left and a slice of toast. He was hoping that he would not be caught up in a conversation, especially as he'd have to get moving soon.

 

[Physiicz]

Jason was at his set up in his dorm. His headphones were around his neck. He was trying to mix a few more tracks before auditions. Jason was one of a small amount of DJs in school but none came close to Jason, talent wise. The volume was up full blast and made the room shake.


"EVERYBODY DROP" the speakers roared the music stopping for only a second until the bass dropped. Jason head banged along loving the sound of this. Almost every weekend he was out at parties doing some music which made him well known. Most people knew him as Ace even his friends would call him that.

 

[FictionalReality]

Arthur pouted, finishing his food and jumping up "Fine." He pouted, picking his tray up and heading to his dorm room, grabbing his saxophone. He was only going to practice, he hadn't decided on the song he was playing for the talent show yet. He honestly doubted the record company would like his style anyway, and he, unlike many of the other students, didn't really care about the show. It was like normal lessons really. An obligation. And if there was one thing Arthur hated, it was obligations. He sat on his desk, not caring about the stupid work spread out over it. He had detention anywhere, who cared about it being a while longer.





Lisbet looked up as he left, and decided that she should do some practising anyway. She took a small bite of her food and grimaced, throwing away the rest. This school really needed to get better food. She swept away, lifting her dress up to stop it from dragging on the floor. She would change into her dress for the concert before practising. It was more simple than her other dresses, but still beautiful. She was performing a lute and vocal cover of The Lady Of Shallot, and she would be lying if she said she wasn't proud of herself. She rushed to change, then headed over to her booked room, beginning to practise immediately.


The Lady of Shalott by Loreena McKennitt with Lyrics - YouTube


(The song she is performing)<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_01/dress.jpg.ce53ffc0001be35e6633d6998368bd5b.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="99321" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_01/dress.jpg.ce53ffc0001be35e6633d6998368bd5b.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>

 

[Physiicz]

The music settled now with a fine beat until Jason rose the BPM and started mixing again. It grew louder and louder, the music pounding on the walls. Jason was in his element. While most people would be trying to get noticed by the record company, Jason could couldn't care less. He was earning decent money from the parties and nightclubs and also has a full time job as a stage technician. That was really how he got into Djing. One night he was working on stage as a David Guetta concert and he really liked the music.

 

[MattS]

Feeling he'd practiced enough for the moment, he set the bass down and exited the dorm and went down to the canteen to get some breakfast.

 

[TakAttack]

With a slight pout, the girl ate her breakfast, a little disappointed that the stranger had no interest in at least sparking a conversation. She cut him slack, though; he was probably stressed about auditions. Everyone was. She sighed to herself and finished up, standing to take her plate and throw away her plasticwear. As she left, she looked back at him and called out gently, "Have a good day, stranger." She grinned and continued on.


She made her way to her dorm, her mind trailing on what she'd do next. Class would be starting sooner than later, and she'd have to attend if she wanted to keep her decent grades - besides, where would she be able to hide? Gently placing Bee in his respective case, she grabbed her books and binders,but before heading out, she sat and gazed at a couple pictures of her and her family, only one including her father. A near million thoughts flushed through her conscience as she took into heart the memories of her old man. "Hm..." she said to herself calmly.

 

[Physiicz]

Then the music stopped. Jason panted as he removed his headphones. He walked over to his bed and chnaged his shirt. He was starting to feel hungry so he decided to go get some breakfast.


He opened the door and walked out. Jason was in a good mood today but not for any particular reason.

 

[FictionalReality]

Arthur practiced for a while longer, but began to get hungry again. He knew that Lis had some snack bars hidden in her room for studying, so he decided that, instead of going to the cafeteria, he would simply steal a few from her. He found his key to her room, and let himself in, grabbing about five of the bars before rushing back to his room, determined not to get caught.


Lisabet attempted to practice, but she was hungry, and that made it difficult. Sighing slightly, she placed her lyre on the small plastic chair in the corner of the room. She should provably try to make some friends. After all, it would be nice to have something to do other than learning music and studying. She headed back towards the cafeteria after locking the room, readying herself at the thought of having to eat the food they prepared.

 

[BELL]

Gale finally puts down his guitar. He gets up and walks out of the dorm.

 

[EricSings]

​

A beautiful Saturday morning, the birds were chirping and students were all buzzing about Eastridge Music Academy. This was an important time for the students here, seeing as how each of them were to prepare a piece for their end-of-term concerts. Melina, like many of the students here, were excited to impress many talent scouts at this concert in hopes of expanding their musical careers. Of course, only if they made the 'cut'. Many of the rehearsal rooms were booked in advance at this time, and time to practice in these rooms was very precious right now.


"I wanna make the best of what is left, hold tight..." sung Melina, her voice soft as she was in the canteen, but angelic nonetheless. As soon as she woke up this morning, Melina was practicing several vocal exercises, the melodic tones she was producing now being a result of this. On her tray was only the remains of her fruit bowl. The chatter and sounds around Melina were almost nonexistent now, the last bite of mango now chewed and swallowed. With her tray in both hands, Melina rose and shook the food particles into the trash before placing the tray on the platform above. Melina was to be in her booked practice room in about twenty minutes, and she planned to do what she always did when she had time to spare before practice. Sing. Requesting she practice simply on her vocals, Melina's guitar was in her room.


Stepping swiftly past several tables, Melina noticed a young man who was known as Edward. She has seen him several times before, but made no effort to introduce herself. She stopped at his table and turned to him, noticing he was nearly done with his breakfast. "Hello. I am Melina," she began, offering a smile of warmth before finishing, "I presume you are preparing for the concert?"





@MintPatrick (Finally whipped up something!)


For the record, I had Ellie Goulding - Beating Heart (Cahill Remix) in mind. ^^;

 

[BELL]

Grey walks around the campus, thinking about what he'd do.

 

[MattS]

Jonothan arrived at the canteen. He got his breakfast and sat down at a table near melina and edward and began to eat

 

[BELL]

Grey sits alone in the canteen.

 

[FictionalReality]

Arthur ate almost half of the store of energy bars in his sister’s room, but he was still hungry. He sighed, but grinned slightly as well. He was going to get shouted at by Lis, and all for nothing as well. He looked at his watch to see when his detention started. “Hm, I have a while yet.” He said out loud to the silent room. Wondering whether there would be any seats left in the cafeteria, he ran down to it.





Lisabet entered the cafeteria, hoping that no one would stare. It was normal around the school now to see her in medieval dresses and corsets, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t get any weird looks when she went to class wearing one. She was always embarrassed when people stared, but she loved the fashion too much to give it up. She grimaced as she grabbed a tray, and placed as little as she could on it without seeming weird. She sat down at one of the few free tables, slouching over in her seat. She pulled some school books out of her bag so that she could study while eating.

 

[Physiicz]

Jason entered the cafeteria walking slowly. He piled his tray to the brim and looked for a table to sit. His eyes settled on the weird girl wearing the dress. He smirked and walked over and planted his tray right in front of her before sitting down and tucking in to his mighty breakfast.

 

[FictionalReality]

Arthur was caught by a teacher on the way, who dragged him straight off to the detention room. He followed behind, deciding that today really wasn’t his day. Seriously, why would there be detentions at the moment? He thought to himself as he sat in the room, wishing he had something, anything, to do. His phone was almost out of battery, and he had left his DS (yes, he still owned one) in his room.





Lisbet looked up as a boy placed his tray on the table. She inwardly sighed, wondering if the day could get any worse. She eyed his full tray, wondering how he could eat so much of the terrible food this school supplied, but looked away quickly, not wanting to seem rude. She sat there in silence, expecting that he thought her weird. After all, it was normally seen as slightly strange to see a girl wandering around looking as though she had just stepped out of the 1500. For this reason she didn’t try to talk to him, and simply slumped further down in her chair.