1. While writing your paper, what did you learn about the research process?

In writing a research paper I learned that there are so many aspects that need
special attention in order to accurately and effectively capture the facts.
Researching doesnt have to be purely on the internet, though it is a very helpful
tool. I used a book for the bulk of my research on the salary, locations, and helpful
tips and tricks in being a musician and composer. Researching a Musician and
Composer can be quite hard at times, but there are always sources in this world that
will meet the requirements you are looking for to include in your research paper.
2. How was the research related to your mentor hours?
I researched the different aspects of the music industry for my research paper. I
decided to hone in on the field of music recording. My mentor hours surrounded
the study of the recording arts. I learned about common technique used in song
creation and ways to change up my playing to keep a song interesting.
3. Summarize the mentor hours that you completed.
I visited my mentor once a week for an hour learning a different technique in
performance and in recording music every time. I learned about how to operate
different recording softwares and their different aspects that differentiate them
from one another. Some tips were given to me as well when recording such as
constantly checking tuning, add in effects and pedal effects later, and take it slow
to help better match harmonics together. I learned different songs so that I could
have a better understanding of important techniques to recording such as volume
output, string muting, and others to help me really express what I wanted in my
Pride Product. My love of harmonics in music made it a technique that I insisted
upon learning to apply in songs a wanted to write. I learned about tapped, pinch,
octave, and fifth harmonics.
4. How did working with your mentor affect your understanding of the topic
area and /or the professional world?a. If you mentor was not directly related
to your topic, what did you learn about the profession that can be translated
to any future professional setting? b. If your mentor contributed to the
development of the product, how were they involved?
My mentors job profession in music was a private educator, but he had through
his years of experience in music a reputable amount of knowledge in musical
recording. What I took away from the time with my mentor was that cooperation is
key to learning and completing a project you have. You must be confident in what
you're doing to truly believe your project and strive to complete it. My mentor,
Jesse Vetrone, used other professional studio musicians such as Jimi Hendrix and
Jimmy Page as examples to help explain to me how they created the sound they
made in their music. My mentor helped me with my Pride Product by allowing me
to use the Studio he works at while giving me ideas to enhance my Pride Project
when I was stuck on how a certain point should be.
5. How did creating a product and completing the hours challenge you
personally?
The mentor hours and the product forced me to walk outside of my social norms to
start creating music. The first boundary was asking my mentor to be my mentor.
The next was having to ask peoples opinion on my song for constructive criticism.
These are things that I dont do very often at all. When I had my song completed
the next big obstacle was finding a bassist and a drummer to accompany me with
the song. The drummer was less of an obstacle, but the only bass player I knew I
really didnt know. I basically asked a total stranger to collaborate on a song for
my Pride Product which seems weird and disturbing to me. When learning
different recording techniques I had to keep a lid on my excitement because there
were so many options that had become apparent to me. This sort of hindered the
completion of my song because I wanted to experiment with so many different
rhythms, sounds, and methods that add a different flavor to my song.
6. Do you feel prepared academically and emotionally for the presentation?a.
If not, why? What challenges do you still face to feel prepared?
I still feel unprepared for the presentation portion of my senior project. I feel
academically unprepared because I have not yet learned the proper way to present
a formal presentation . I still need to gain more confidence in front of a crowd of
people.
7. How did the entire process stretch you as a learner and as an individual?
The process was able to stretch social boundaries that I never was required to
expand. Stretching my social barriers allowed me to feel more comfortable around
new crowds of people and confronting them about things that I need done. I hope I
can continue to push myself out of my comfort zone in terms of people and
hopefully make many new friends and opportunities. This process stretched me as
a learner by putting my creativity to the test and expanding my ability to create.
8. Other than time management, describe an obstacle you encountered and
how you overcame it.
An obstacle that I encountered over the course of this process was creating the
song. There were so many things that I could consider for my song I basically had
a musician overload. I heard a song and discovered some really cool technique and
wanted to integrate that little bit into my song. When it didnt work I would find
another technique or discover a riff on my own and try to integrate it to my song.
This confused my project to an unnecessary point. I overcame this obstacle with
the help of my mentor. He reminded me to keep it simple and when we have a for
sure song already built that I could then begin building upon the foundation of my
product.
9. What life skills did you acquire and how will they help you in the future?
I acquired improved understanding of other people, and better communicative
skills. During this process I needed to make a song that I feel would be appropriate
for the product. I talked to a number of people about my Pride Product and their
opinions on it. I came to find that there was various opinions on what I could do
better and I had to sort of pick and choose what I felt needed to be improved upon.
A basic understanding of other people allowed me to take considerations with a
grain of salt. When the song was in production
10. If you had to go back and do parts of the project again, what would you do
differently?
If the choice to perform the project differently were given to me I would plan out
the steps to my mentor hours and Pride Project more accordingly. The luxury of
having a solid plan was one I could not afford though it would have helped the
process flow much easier. By setting personal deadlines for myself for my Mentor,
Pride Project, and Pride Presentation I would have felt less pressure towards the
end of the whole process. Another part of the project I would have done differently
is how I presented the project. I chose to create the product in the form of a
recording format. I chose this process over performing it live in front of the judges.
The challenges and failures I went through the start the proper recording process
sort of made me wish I had just presented in front of the judges.
11. Based on the entire Pride Project experience, do you plan to pursue this
field as a career or college area of study? If so, why? If not, why? Please be
specific
This project has invigorated my aspirations to work as a musician in general.
Learning about the recording process has allowed me to expand what I can do at
the home setting which I love. I adore improving the music I have created in the
past and seek to improve those skills in the span of my life or college. I do not
know if getting a degree in music is the best choice. I feel that I should get a degree
in another interest and pursue both a music and other career, but I fear of what I
will miss out if I either minor in music or dont take the course at all.