May Extra Blog

Yeah so I'm done or whatever

Blog 23: Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?

I am very glad that my lecture content time was well over the thirty minute mark. I was very worried I wouldn't make time. I am also proud that my viewers asked lots of questions even after I met the time limit. The fact that they asked lots of questions after I met the time requirement made me feel like they were genuinely interested in my topic. I am also very happy that the audience was really engaged during the activity. 


(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation (self-assessment)?

AE       P          AP       CR       NC

AE-

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?

AE       P          AP       CR       NC

P+

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

I felt my activity worked very well because it dressed my best answer and the students were very interested and eager to complete the activity.

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?

If I had a time machine, I would go back and make sure all the technology was working properly. I had a minor technical difficulty, but I was still able to perform my activity and achieve my intended results. I also did not talk about my mentorship as much as I would have liked to. I feel I sort of rushed over that. I also felt that I spoke very quickly and should've slowed down a bit, but I am over all very happy with my presentation.

(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.

This project has made me aware of all the crucial steps required in making music available for leisure. It also has made me more interested in music and becoming a entrepreneur in music. However, I feel the best part of this project is working with a mentor. My mentor has taught me a lot of useful information as well as organized performances for myself and motivated me to make my musical ideas become reality. This project overall has made me want to pursue a career in music.

Blog 22: Mentorship

    Literal

1) See mentorship hours

2) Runson Willis, Self-Employer

    Interpretive

The most important thing i gained from this experience was all the information I learned about music. I was able to thouroughly understand the ins and outs on the music industry, such as booking invents, working indepemdently, and writing for a specific purposes. This information can easily be applied while making music as an entrpreneur.

   Applied

What I learned while working with my mentor helps answer my EQ, which is, "What is the best way a musician can manage their own career in music and film?" because I was able to actually work with music and learn ways to be productive in music. These ways to be productive included learning about different fields of music to practice and be involved with, as well as creating music individually. I was able to form answers from these findings because I realized that to mange something successfully, you must take initiative (gathered from making music individually) and maintain productivity (being involved with multiple aspects of the music industry.)

    .

Blog 21: Exit Interview

(1) My essential question is "What is the best way a musician can manage their own career in music and film?" My first answer is "By being involved in multiple aspects of the music industry," my second answer is "By creating a reel of work to use a resume and promotional tool," and my third is "By taking initiative of their own career." My best answer is my third answer because it is a smart career move in any field. Succeeding individually is more effective and fulfilling than relying on people to succeed. It also eliminates the distraction of unprofessional colleagues, and allows one to work productively while maintaining  a sense of independence.

(2) I came to these answers by reading a variety of articles and having long discussions with my mentor. The music industry is very broad and competitive, and it is very likely that a musician will never find success in the business. I learned that many successful music entrepreneurs are involved in many different areas of music, and they increase their chances of getting acknowledged by being experienced in many different aspects of music, which is how I developed my first answer. I am specifically interested in composing scores for films and I researched that extensively. Most jobs a scorer would get hired for have to be applied for by submitting a reel of their work. This allows employers to see what they are capable of and if they are fit for the position. The better the reel is, the more jobs they will get, which is why I felt my second answer is valid. Scoring is something most musicians do individually. This fact made me wonder if musicians work better alone as opposed to in a group, so I questioned my mentor on the pros and cons of not working with others. He convinced me that writing and performing everything yourself is a much better way to go about a career in music because people will often get in the way of a musician's career. However, doing everything independently means a successful career will be more difficult to obtain because of the more work a musician would have to do, especially if they are involved with multiple aspects of the music industry. I realize that if a musician is independent, they will never get anything done if they do not take initiative of their careers, which is why I chose my final answer to answer my essential question.

(3) In the very beginning of the year, I was stuck without a decent mentor. My mentor during summer was irrelevant to my topic because he was completely unrelated to music. I kept on thinking of people who could help me out, but none were useful mentors. I then went to my old guitar teacher. He was not a very exciting mentor, but he got the job done. This went okay at first, but after a while he informed that he was not able to mentor me because he did not have anything for me to do. Again, I was left without a mentor, until one literally magically showed up. I was with my dad at a coffee shop and he made a new friend who happened to work with music. He kindly said yes to me when I asked him to be my mentor, and all was good. So, the problem of finding a decent mentor was solved by luck.

(4) One book that helped me a lot throughout this project was "How Music Works" by David Byrne. This book is like the length of the bible. It is a very useful source because it talks about the relevance of each aspect of music (writing, recording, collaborating, funding, producing, distributing, managing etc.) The book is very credible because Byrne, who is the founder of the band 'Talking Heads,' provides a thorough understanding on the music industry from his experiences. Another source that I found very helpful was an article written by Christiana Usenza called, "The 7 Biggest Challenges DIY Musicians Face - And How To Conquer Them." I found it helpful because it introduces musicians to solutios of problems that can negatively affect a musician's career. It brings up wise points that I can add to my lecture content as well, such as surrounding yourself in a place where you can excel and having a professional, economically attitude. 

April Extra Blog

So, senior presentations are fast approaching. At the moment, I'm not too worried about mine. I'm sure I'll do fine, I'll just have to prepare a bit. I was lucky to get the exact slot I wanted in the presentation schedule. I'm presenting on Tuesday, the 27th, 2nd block. In other news, I've made appointments with my mentor and I'll be meeting with him very soon. I'm going to finish the last few hours I need to complete. I also finished my BYU science class that I needed to take to graduate. That's a huge weight off my shoulders. It was pretty difficult, but I suppose it was pretty interesting too, learning about ecosystems and whatnot. Now that the class is finished, I can put more attention into my final presentation. My birthday is also coming up soon. I'll be 18 on the 12th. That's pretty exciting. My second independent component was lots of fun making. I'm going to continue adding  on to it even though the project's over. I made this EP that I'm really satisfied with. Hmmm, what else can I say? Tomorrow is iFest and I'll be playing bass during a set. That's pretty useful to my senior project because it's experience with the performing aspect of my answer 1 and it gives insight on playing with other musicians. Well, that's just about it for now.

Blog 19: Independent Component 2

Literal

A) I, Diego Moreno, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 34 hours of  work.

B) Letang, Shaun. "How To Make An EP Album - Step By Step Extended Play Perfection."
          MusicIndustryHowTo. 5 September 2012. Web. 3 April 2015.

http://www.musicindustryhowto.com/how-to-make-a-ep-album-step-by-step-to-extended-play-perfection/

C) See independent component 2 log under senior project hours link

D) I wrote, produced, recorded, engineered, performed bass, performed guitar, performed keyboard, performed drums, and sang on an EP.

Interpretive

This met the 30 hours requirement by composing every song on each instrument, researching how to do sound engineering techniques and recording each individual track. The significance of this is providing experience and insight on what the process of making an EP or album is actually like from every aspect of doing so. You can listen to the EP I made by clicking this link dieg.bandcamp.com.

Applied

This project pertained to every answer to my EQ. My first answer is "Be involved with multiple aspects of the music industry to increase your chances of success." Producing, engineering, performing, and recording are all multiple aspects of the music industry and I partook in all four aspects in making the EP. My second answer is "Make a reel of your work to use as a resume." This EP, or fragments of it, is something to include on the reel, which will make the content of the resume more broad. My third answer is "Take initiative of your own career." This answer relates to the project because I made the EP completely by myself.


This photo is of the space and equipment I used to record the EP

Blog 18: Interview 4 Preparation

1. What is it like being involved with multiple aspects of the music industry?

2. Have you ever made a reel or a resume to apply for jobs?

3. How important in your opinion is it to take initiative and not rely on others in this industry?

4. How often do you work?

5. Is your work stressful when you do many different things

6. What does it take to find success in this industry?

7. What exactly is sound engineering to you?

8. What exactly is producing to you?

9. What is like having been working in the music industry for several years?

10. Do you prefer collaborating or working independently?

11. What are the negatives of collaborating?

12. What are the negatives of working independently?

13. What is some entrepreneurial advice you can give?

14. What is some music advice you can give?

15. Which one of your projects do you like the best and why?

16. How often are you in the studio?

17. Do you prefer performing or writing?

18. What are your intentions of your career?

19. What are some things to avoid in the music business?

20. How is the music industry evolving?