Month: December 2022

December 2022 SMART Goal Project

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SUMMARY

By December 13th, in School of Rock and as part of my SMART Goal, I will have evidence of a developing original song created using a DAW. I will be using a tutorial as a frame of reference.

Focus / Instrument

My December SMART Goal session will focus on experimenting with beats. I will do this by increasing my understanding of DAWs and attempting to create an interesting and cohesive piece.

Intention (SMART Goal)

PRE-PRODUCTION – INQUIRY

Leader(s) in the Field / Exemplary Work(s)

“Avi”- Track 5 of Geidi Primes (First album- made on Garageband)

Claire Boucher, more famously known as Grimes is a self-educated Canadian musician/singer/songwriter and has been an active music producer since she first began her career in music. Resources reflect that she gravitated toward music around age fourteen and persisted throughout High School and into college before deciding to break away from her neuroscience degree in progress. Her first album Geidi Primes was released on January 10, 2010, at age 22. Grimes is a specific inspiration to me because I relate to aspects of her personality very personally, and I’ve felt motivated by the fact that her first album was created on Garageband. Her music is often described as EDM or futuristic dance pop.

Steve Lacy is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was born and raised in Compton and recounts an interest in music from a young age. The perspective imparted to him through his environment had such an influence that he was able to connect with fellow local musicians and join the touring band “The Internet” whilst still in high school. He has since maintained his Rnb sound throughout his current solo career but has experimented enough to also be considered an alternative indie musician. He is also an inspiring figure to me because of his use of Garageband as well. I found it impressive how he was able to create an iconic song independently using such an available resource.

Training Source(s)

The video follows the YouTuber along as he demonstrates his approach to an EDM song. I used this as inspiration for my approach. Watching this doesn’t seem crucial to the process but it gives me a good idea of how to layer and where to start.

SMART Goal Schedule

I intended to spend a minimum of 15 minutes a day exploring Garageband specifically. I stayed fairly consistent with this schedule, but it was flexible. When exploring and experimenting I would play with just about every loop I found which would relate to the tone of the song. I played with speed, keys, and instruments I was unfamiliar with during this time.

PRODUCTION

SMART Goal Starting Point Evidence

First few days on Garageband.

SMART Goal Ending Point Evidence

POST-PRODUCTION – REFLECTION

21st Century Skills

Ways of Thinking (Creativity, Innovation, Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving)

A big influence on my decision to make electronic music was my skill set. It was a compromise but it solved the problem nonetheless. I channeled a lot of creative energy into this project because I had written some lyrics prior to this session and felt the tune would work well with the electronic genre. I created the structure I needed to encompass my words and curated the song so that the instruments were complimentary.

Ways of Working (Communication & Collaboration)

I asked my sister for feedback throughout the process. Even though I don’t believe she understood my artistic vision, I valued her input. These exchanges were the extent of my collaboration.

Tools for Working (Info & Media Literacy)

The tools I used were YouTube (for reference/ inspiration) and GarageBand (for creation). On GarageBand, I discovered some features I’d been unfamiliar with, and it completely changed my relationship with the DAW and gave me more self-confidence.

Ways of Living in the World (Life & Career)

This project required me to experiment, and adapt. Important life skills. Not everything I imagined would be completely accessible (of course), but I could appreciate that restriction. It required me to try new things. Though, there were still some cool ideas I had to let go of.

Reactions to the Final Version

Self-Evaluation of Final Version

I’ve been conflicted since the early stages of the project about whether or not I would want to add vocals. It’s a shame because I’m still not sure which way I think works best. I created a version with them and a version without them. The issue is that I don’t believe I am particularly good at singing, but I really think this project would sound greater with the lyrics I wrote. Alongside this, the ending is far too abrupt. What I’ve uploaded here is the purely instrumental version of the song, and since my music preferences have changed since creating this song, I am not really impressed with the result. From an objective perspective, I think I created something mediocre with potential.

Grammar and Spelling

Grammarly