During my interview with Mr. Healy, I realized how little knowledge in music theory may be the biggest hindrance of me making music. A basic knowledge of music theory is much more crucial in creating even mainstream music. That is why, my focus will be shifted towards studying up on the basic music theory mechanics. However, in order to receive information from the most reliable sources, I will need to speak to the music theory teacher at my school or other schools in order to get a hold of a textbook or training programs. Hopefully, my school will have the resources I need, and it will just be a quick talk with my choir director (who is also the music theory teacher) to get all the supplies.
Not being able to take AP Music Theory was one of the biggest disappoints I felt going into this school year, but I am glad that I am being able to study it through the outlet of ISM. I think music theory knowledge will greatly enhance the quality of music that I make and would set me apart from many aspiring singer-songwriters. With my musical background, picking up the mechanics should not be too difficult, but I believe calling more professionals that could help me understand more difficult music theory concepts should be at the top of my priority list. Starting this week, also, I will be beginning my interview calling for the production side of my topic. Adding a few more contacts from the right department at colleges and universities will be needed in order to get a group of professionals who I believe will have great knowledge in music production.
0 Comments
Aside from cold calling for the first time this school year and looking back at my achievements in music to create my resume, the highlight of my week would undoubtedly be my first interview of my ISM 2 journey with Mr. Healy. Comparing to my previous interviews that were entirely with doctors, this interview was much more relaxed as we met in a casual setting. Although a miniscule detail, this difference really intrigued me. However, it lead to a really good conversation. It showed me that people who pursue doing music as a career are really passionate, and you need that passion to propel yourself to different opportunities in the things you love. This passion was what I saw in Mr. Healy, and I couldn’t help reflecting on myself and my own passions in music. I feel that I gave a more timid impression of myself as I am just “trying out” music composition and production to see whether I have any talent in it.
I believe this may have come off too unsure and it is something that I will have to think about in my future interviews. When one shows confidence in what they want to pursue, it gives a better image to those that are interacting with them. I learned to have a more focused topic during the interview and then branch from there with follow up questions. Comparing my interviewing skills from last year, I have definitely improved. My first ever ISM interview was around 20 minutes while this interview lasted almost 2 hours. The time flew by! I am looking forward to networking and meeting other professionals who can show me to ropes of music composition and production. Taking a small detour from my ISM plan, I had to spend this week playing catch up with other coursework. However, I took the time to look into the tools that I might have available to me as an independent music producer while writing my research assessment. It was surprising to see one of the programs that I came across during my research was Audacity. This was particularly surprising because I have it downloaded on my laptop and have been meaning to dabble into the program itself. Perhaps this program would be critical in my project and aid in visualising the notes and rhythms of my future music pieces. There were some other programs that I had come across, however, all required a paid subscription or a steep price for the program itself. Usually, institutions offer a student download to many programs that are crucial to a student’s study, so I may have those resources given to me as well from a future mentor.
I had also began to think of the different genres I would like to try to create. Since the vocals of the songs are planned to be done solely by me, I thought about the genres that fit my voice. My voice would be described as a bit light and sweet. My mixed voice is not as developed compared to my head voice. As a goal through the year, developing my mixed voice should be one of my priorities because pop music requires a lot of chest unless I want to take an indie route. Indie music does not always come to my liking, but it is a possibility to work on one song that would be fit the indie genre. All in all, this shows how there is a plethora of genres of music that I like. I would like to say I am a universal listener and there is not one genre that I absolutely do not enjoy. I wonder how this will translate into my own music. Third week into the school year and I can already feel the rush of excitement and nervousness to actually begin my ambitious journey in ISM. One thing I was not able to discuss before, but when I had given my introductory speech, it felt so much more different than giving the same themed speech my first year in ISM. I don’t know if it was because this was the second time around doing this or it was because of the topic that was discussed. Either way, it is encouraging to see a growth from last year in presentation skills. Never once was a 100 earned on speeches until now. It is oddly a very proud moment for myself.
While this week was spent more of compiling my list contacts, the list still needs to be revised. The search started with looking at college professors who are teaching music theory or composition, but maybe I should also call music producers that are in Dallas as well. The music hub is in California, so it was surprising to find music producers that help regular people record songs of their own. There are a few studios around where I’ll have to give a look. Unless I can connect with resources that will help me produce modern music, this may be a case where more than one mentor may be needed for both parts of my topic: one for composing and one for producing. Calling these contacts and setting up interviews will need to start before I get too ahead of myself. Even though last week, my mind was muddled continuously about pursuing a dream topic or sticking with a topic closely related to my realistic career goal, the conclusion has been made to test the waters and see if music composition and production is an inept talent of mine. Truthfully, it is a bit daunting for me as of right now not knowing if my future compositions and productions would be to the utmost quality of that of professional singer-songwriters, but at the same time, it gives a rush of adrenaline to think of how much fun and challenging this topic will be. I am truly excited to begin my research in this career.
Most of this is saved for the first assessment on the career outlook, but one thing that surprised me was that the average salary was lower than my expectations. I was thinking that it is at least in the one hundred thousands. This shows that to become a successful producer, there is so much to do with talent and just pure luck. There are so many songs out there that are gold, but do not get the attention they deserve from the public, and therefore, falling into obscurity. This is why I chose not to pursue this career in reality, but ISM is allowing me to test the waters. Without testing the waters, I would not know if this may be a career for me. There is so much uncertainty, but I am hoping for the best and am anticipating what there is to come. For this week, tasks such as building my brand and a name of contacts for mentorship will be crucial to shape my ISM journey for the rest of this year. When entering a new school year, one would think that everything would start from a clean slate, and there would be nothing to cloud one’s mind. However, it is different when you are entering a new school year in high school — nonetheless, senior year. Many say that junior year is the hardest, but the first semester of senior would like to challenge that myth. I was very confident in pursuing Music Composition and Production as a topic this year. However, when the thought of college applications came in, it would make someone question whether they should spend their last year in high school studying about a topic that is a hobby or should they study something that correlates more to what they plan to pursue in their higher education. That is how the summer was spent — the mind being an indecisive and muddled mess.
Come Thursday, and a new clarity rose within me. Ms. Martin’s words throughout her presentation resonated as she often talked about how one can get through the many uncertainties that come with taking a leap of faith. Studying Music Composition and Production is something completely different from the career I had in mind (neurosurgery). I am scared to share my music with the public, scared of their reactions, and scared of whether I would even be able to comprehend the complexities of written music in time to complete a full album by the end of the year. However, I am choosing to take this leap of faith and overcoming these trivial ideas in my head that are preventing me from truly expressing my colors in music. The motivation rushed throughout my body. In the coming weeks, I will delve further into the career outlook of a producer and the specific skills that are needed to become successful in such career. Knowing priorly, music theory is indeed an important knowledge to have. With the help of a fellow classmate that has taken AP Music Theory and the help of current music theory teachers in Frisco, it will allow to become better versed with the quirks of writing music. I must also look into possible mentors. I already have an idea about searching a mentor at the UNT campus, but cold calls are yet to be planned. Knowing about their incredible music program, a mentor from the UNT campus may be a good fit to aid me in my goal to fully produce my own album. This new ISM journey will different from the one I had experienced last year. Not only is the topic on the complete opposite side of the spectrum to medicine, it will really be a challenge personally to overcome this shyness that hinders me from expressing myself to fullest. With the communication and professional skills that was gained last year, I hope to incorporate those into this year and truly end my high school education career with a project that is meaningful to me as well as my father, who has influenced me the most in my endeavors in music. It makes my parents so happy when they see their daughter showing off her voice. As a child, there is so much to owe to your parents, and I hope make them happy with this final product. This year may have many challenges, but with enough effort, the results will be amazing. |
|