Proposal Pitch
Essential Question:
- What is the process of creating a song from start to finish?
- How can I distribute a song to online stores and how does it compare to my expectations?
- Utilizing my filmmaking skills and background knowledge in documentary production, how can I document my process?
Why:
Since I’m studying film production in college for at least the next four years, I want to explore my interest in music composition/production further before I focus primarily on filmmaking. While I will definitely continue to use my knowledge of music for my film projects, as I have done in the past, I wouldn’t have enough time to really focus on music, better my understanding of it, and complete an ambitious project like this. Turning this into a senior project will help me stay productive and motivated by having an expectation for a final product and a clear plan to help me along the way. Making a song and having it released has been a dream of mine since I was little, and turning that into my senior project will allow me to push myself and make that dream come true.
Week 1:
- Reviewing music composition from online tutorials and assigning mini-projects for myself (creating short piano pieces for practice)
- Learning about essential plugins and production techniques from online resources and trying them out myself; assigning more mini-projects for myself (short beat loops for practice)
Week 2:
- Practicing piano, bass, and ukulele to think of possible chord progressions and melodies for the song (recording them so that I can figure out which one I like best)
- Creating a rough layout of the chords and melody in Logic Pro X (using only piano and maybe drums so that I can focus on the song composition itself before the instrumentation)
- Brainstorming possible topics for the song’s lyrics
Week 3:
- Making edits to the rough layout and establishing the instrumentation and genre(s) of the song
- Begin writing lyrics; figuring out the melody and rhythm of them
Week 4:
- Finalizing lyrics
- Recording vocals
- Finishing the mix of the song
- Getting feedback from mentor and incorporating it into the mix and lyrics
Week 5:
- Learning how to master tracks from online resources
- Mastering the track and adding any final edits/finishing touches
- Planning/creating cover art
Week 6:
- Finalizing cover art
- Distributing the song to online platforms
- Editing together a video showing my process of making the song and reflecting on that experience
Final Product:
My final product for this project will be a completed song distributed to various music streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and more. I will also create an edited video describing my process of making the song as well as reflecting on that experience.
Action Plan / Action Items
- Action Item Area: Materials (All materials needed are already accessible to me via FileWave, Creative Cloud, and I also have access to my dad’s recording equipment which I can use in the recording portion of my project)
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Reason for Item: Music production software (Logic Pro X) for producing, recording equipment (microphone, MIDI cables, etc.)
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Notes: I already have access to these items.
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Resolution: I’ve learned how to use most of these items from my dad, but for the ones I’m less familiar with, I can look online and/or consult my dad, who uses this equipment regularly.
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Action Item Area: Connections (Dash Hammerstein)
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Reason for Item: Looking for feedback on my music itself, as well as guidance in terms of correctly categorizing my genre of music, distributing my music, promoting it, etc.
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Resolution: Dash is my neighbor’s son, so we’re planning to meet occasionally over Zoom or possibly in person to answer the questions I have.
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Action Item Area: Research/Book (“The Beato Book”)
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Reason for Item: Learning about contemporary music theory and improvisation
- Notes: The Beato Book 4.0 – PDF | Rick Beato
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Resolution: My dad bought this book for himself already and will provide me his own copy.
The key change I have made to my project plan from this post was adding a book for me to read during the course of this project that can help me better understand music theory, especially music theory for more contemporary music, and put it into practice.
Learning Goals, General Work Plan, & Documentation Plan Post
In the blog post, list the key learning goals for your project and how the project will provide a pathway for you to make progress towards these goals. You should probably have 3-5 goals. These goals should address the key skills, dispositions and areas of knowledge that your project will address
- Learn the process of creating a song from start to finish; create more than one song (possibly an EP) if I have time
- Learn about independent music distribution and how it compares to my expectations
- Find out if distributing music has become easier and more accessible now than it was before through these distribution services and digital streaming platforms that have launched in recent years
- Making a short documentary to document my process (possibly a music video if I have time)
In the blog post, provide a general outline of how you plan to spend your time each week over the six-week experiential portion of senior project. While this plan is likely to change once the project starts, outlining it now will help you to shape the project to meet the requirements with respect to time.
Week 1:
- Reviewing music composition from online tutorials and assigning mini-projects for myself (creating short piano pieces for practice)
- Learning about essential plugins and production techniques from online resources and trying them out myself; assigning more mini-projects for myself (short beat loops for practice)
Week 2:
- Practicing piano, bass, and ukulele to think of possible chord progressions and melodies for the song (recording them so that I can figure out which one I like best)
- Creating a rough layout of the chords and melody in Logic Pro X (using only piano and maybe drums so that I can focus on the song composition itself before the instrumentation)
- Brainstorming possible topics for the song’s lyrics
Week 3:
- Making edits to the rough layout and establishing the instrumentation and genre(s) of the song
- Begin writing lyrics; figuring out the melody and rhythm of them
Week 4:
- Finalizing lyrics
- Recording vocals
- Finishing the mix of the song
- Getting feedback from mentor and incorporating it into the mix and lyrics
Week 5:
- Learning how to master tracks from online resources
- Mastering the track and adding any final edits/finishing touches
- Planning/creating cover art
Week 6:
- Finalizing cover art
- Distributing the song to online platforms
- Editing together a video showing my process of making the song and reflecting on that experience
Final Product:
My final product for this project will be a completed song distributed to various music streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and more.
Documentation Plan: Telling the story of your learning is a crucial component of the senior project experience. In addition to any work produced as part of their project, students are asked to engage in regular critical reflection on their learning. Students should consider what form this reflection should take that best aligns with the nature of their work.
In the blog post, provide a description of how you plan to document your work and reflection. You should also indicate what types of products your project might produce. Below are some examples of different kinds of written documentation. You can also find some other examples here on the senior project blog.
I will edit together a video describing my process of making the song as well as reflecting on that experience through frequent video updates throughout the process. The unedited video files will be uploaded as they are filmed over the course of the project to a Google Drive folder so my mentor, advisor, or anyone else who needs these updates can see my progress in real-time. My final video will compile all of these progress updates into a final video that can be viewed on the blog itself.