Blog #19: Independent Component 2

Literal:

“I, Lupe Lara, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.”

• A lot of the sources I was using to help me complete my independent component were the sources I was using for research check. The book I was using most often was "Making Your Mark In Music: Stage Performance Secrets"  by Anika Paris. I also worked a lot with my fellow peers who have had a good amount of experience and performance. However, I did start working with Andy Ortiz and Laura Andrade who work together. They actually became part of my mentorship component as well because they were assisting me with stage presence but more with the composition of my song. Andy Ortiz writes a lot of his own lyrics and composes music as well. Laura is trained in using studio equipment and editing tools such as ProTools. 
• Spreadsheet posted on right hand side of blog. 
• For my independent component 2 I prepared for and performed in I-Poly's talent show. Part of this included collaborating with other musician's that attend I-Poly in order to receive a successful end result. I also worked on my own and with people who are experienced in songwriting and recording  to build a song of my own that was planned to be performed at the talent show as well.  

Interpretative:

The four videos below are some that I recorded throughout the process about my progress.

This was my performance of "Everything Has Changed" for the talent show.

This is the performance of "Wake Me Up" that I played piano and did back-up vocals for. 

This is an example of the beginning stages of the composing side of songwriting, my case in particular. 

This is an example of a hard copy or "rough draft" of the first stages of song writing. Usually pencil to paper is used and every idea that comes to mind is scribbled sown quickly until nothing else cones to mind. The secondary stages occur when you filter out good and bad material. 

I would occasionally record some updates on how my progress with practicing was going. Since a lot of the work I did was independent I decided that would be the best way to go for providing evidence later. My component really assisted me in knowing how much I need to prepare for a performance. Dedicating time for preparation and practice before a performance has always been something that I've struggled with. I have also been able to improve my instrumental skills throughout the component. I have been able to practice guitar and I can honestly say that I have drastically improved since it has never really been something I was good at. My understanding of song structure has expanded. My knowledge with what sounds good in composition is better than it was before I began this project. 

Applied:

The independent component helped me figure out how I was able to prepare weeks in advance to the performance in order to make it entertaining for the audience. Writing and composing my own song helped me further understand my second answer: connecting with your audience through lyrics. I was able to dissect my own lyrics and really think about how I would perform them live on stage, just like I learned from many of my research sources. 


How did the component help you answer your EQ? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped.