Senior Project Reflection

Title: Senior Project Reflection
Label: Presentation
Directions: Please answer the following questions and turn it in to the blog.
Due Date: The day after your block presentation by 8:00 A.M.


(1) Positive Statement
I am most proud of the creativity and quality of content that I put into my senior presentation. I used many mediums to present my info in- i.e. videos, audience interaction, diagrams, and hands-on props/materials. I believe containing all this is what made me excited to present and what made a fun exciting experience for my class room. 

(2) Questions to Consider

a.    Considering all I accomplished with my presentation, and the successful end result I would give myself an AE. 

b.    For the overall senior project I would give myself a P+, if not an AE because I feel like I worked really hard and attempted to go beyond what was expected of me on all components since I have a topic that I am authentically passionate about. 

(3) The presentations (10min. 30min.) we did throughout the year is what really worked for me. They truly helped prepare me for the final presentation and they got me to find a specific direction for my senior project. 

(4) What didn't work for me was the ESA because I had an arts project so it was difficult for me to find data to create statistics. If I would have known that it would have been that difficult to find the data I would have started earlier and became more creative with my search process. 

(5) Finding Value
The senior project really helped me improve in my performance skills and assisted me in understanding what I want to do in music for my future. Throughout the senior project I've discovered that I love songwriting and composing maybe a bit more than performing. The research that I did helped lead me into songwriting and composing and I am minoring in music when I begin to attend school this coming fall- with an emphasis in composing. 

Mentorship

Literal:

Hours are posted on blog. 

Adolf Pacheco: (909)680-0003 - Clearview Church 

Laura Andrade: (323) 710-8253 - Recording Engineer Studio

Interpretive:

Well, from Mr. Pacheco I learned a lot of new things that I didn't know such as melody and rhythm of music. I also got to fit in a lot singing practicing time when mentoring with Mr. Pacheco which led to some improvement in my voice I believe. One of the most important things I received from this mentorship besides what is listed above is techniques used on a microphone and monitor I picked up throughout the process. 

Laura Andrade really got me to practice understanding my lyrics, and connecting them to my physical body so that I could produce a better sound. As a recording engineer she taught me that a singer must be able to connect to their audience during a performance. Once they become better at moving their audiences in real life they are better able to reach through audio and move their audiences through headphones. This actually became my best answer. 

Applied 

Using all the guidance and advice from both my mentors I went out and applied it all to some real life situations. During performances I would use technique that Mr. Pacheco taught me and combine it with some of the connection ideas that Laura helped me tap into. I noticed that I began to feel more comfortable with my performances, and feedback that I was receiving from audiences became really encouraging. Not only did I start enjoying myself more on stage but people began to enjoy my performances more. 

Being able to test out what advice from my mentors worked best and made most of an impact in my performances very much assisted me in answering my essential question. 

 

  

    

Exit Interview

What is the best way a singer can create a fun atmosphere during a live pop performance?

• A singer can create a fun atmosphere during a live pop performance is by assuring the audience quality sound by understanding vocal mechanics and technical equipment in use.
• The best way a singer can create a fun atmosphere during a live pop performance is by connecting with their audience through the lyrics.
• A singer can create a fun atmosphere during a live pop performance by engaging the room through audience participation.

My best answer is connecting with your audience through lyrics. I chose this as my best answer because I believe it's really essential to adding that certain atmosphere to a performance. I've had many experiences where the performer sounds really amazing but they have no emotion on their face, or displayed through their body. It seems to ruin a performance, and I believe it really defeats the purpose of a live performance. Most audience members attend a live performance because they were moved by the song's lyrics and somehow connected to them. It can be a real disappointment if they don't receive that genuine emotional connection with the singer.

I believe both my mentor's assistance with my independent components really affirmed this to be my best answer. I sometime have a difficult time with my vocal ability while singing a song and I become very frustrated. When my mentors would see this, they would always say that I just really need to think about what the song is about. To use my own experiences to step into the songwriter's shoes and really feel during my performance what they have been through to be able to write that song. Taking the time to do this really helped me with the vocal part of the song and my presence on stage during my performances. I noticed this year that audiences really seemed to enjoy my performances more, and I've been receiving more positive feedback.

Also, a lot of the research I do gives me similar advice, so it only confirms what I've learned.

One of the main problems I faced towards the middle of the senior project was keeping up with my mentorship. I would touch bases with him occasionally but it wasn't something I was doing regularly. What I did though was start meeting with him every Sunday because those were both days that we have down time. I also obtained another mentorship closer to home, so that I might be able to fulfill more hours.

The two most significant sources I used are the Working Singer's Handbook by Roma Waterman and Making Your Mark In Music: Stage Performance Secrets by Ankia Paris. They both gave me a lot of content that I could work with for presentations, and they gave me information to look further on and ask about in my interviews.

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. 

Additional Post: March

Since the talent show is coming up very soon (3 days exactly) I thought I should probably mention that somewhere in my blog. 

I was intending to do an original song of my own that I have been working on for quite some time now. However due to a high demand of slots for the talent show I wasn't able to do that. Instead I'm going to be performing a lovely song called "Everything Has Changed"  by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran with a fellow peer, Angel Flores.

My big goal is to be able to play guitar as an accompaniment, which would be my first time doing so. 

At the moment I'm really trying to master my chords structure since at times my finger placement can be a bit off. 

The chord that is giving me the most trouble is the D chord, which looks like this:

It is one of the easier chords in the song but it will be the death of me. Practice makes "perfect" so I won't stop trying to replicate it until it sounds right. 

Blog #18: Third Answer

What is the best way a singer can create a fun atmosphere during a live pop performance? 

The best way a singer can create a fun atmosphere during a live pop performance by engaging with audience participation. 

• Create a strong memory for each audience member through an experience that entices most of their senses. (lighting, props, sound) 
• Making It In Music: How Can I Improve My Stage Presence 
• Tear down "the wall" between the stage and the audience at every venue you perform at.
• Making It In Music: What It Takes To Win Over Your Audience
• Have a one size fits all mentality. Not only perform original songs (especially if you're a not too well known musician) but covers as well so that the audience can do a sing along. 
• NewMusicBox.org: Playing with the Audience 

Creating a fun atmosphere for the audience during a live pop performance is not only an audio responsibility but also visual. Singer's need to create an experience that the audience will remember by indulging in all their senses.

Additional Post: February

                                       

On the 20th of February I attended a songwriter's workshop up at Cal Poly. One of the guest speakers, who has written songs for Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Jonas Brothers, and similar artists, ran a master class. while he did that the other guests were pulling aside students to work one-on-one. I didn't get a chance to work with one of them because I'm not a student of the music program. Being there to hear the students work and listen to the feedback that the instructor gave was really helpful. Overall I had a lot of fun getting to listen to everyone's writing styles. There were so many talented people that I'm excited to hear more from!