senior project work log

Product Work Log

Name_Hannah Karenna WeryDate __April 18, 2012___Product _Music composition

Date/Time:

1. July 2011

2. August 2011 - (May 2012) 55 minutes every school day

3. August 2011 - March 2012 60 minutes once a week

Activity:

I began writing the piece I originally intended to be my senior project. I did not have access to technology at the place I was staying for vacation, so I wrote my composition with pen and paper.

Commentary:

It was frustrating not to be able to have a program play the song for me, so I could only hear it in my head, not out loud. Despite these conditions, I managed to put a tune to the words I had written.

Activity:

Learning AP Music Theory from my project facilitator.

Commentary: This is by far the best class I have ever taken. I have learned so much, and it directly relates to my intended major. Learning the technicalities of music has really helped me with my composition skills.

Activity:

Voice lessons and piano lessons.

Commentary:

The voice lessons help train me vocally, especially in the style of opera. They also

Comment/Suggestions:

4. August 11, 201130 minutes

5. August 15, 2011 3 hours

6. August 16, 2011 2 hours

have helped my voice to mature. This training has shown me not only what I can do with my own voice, but also how I can train others to use their voices. The piano lessons have introduced me to piano compositions, which will help me write the piano part in my own composition.

Activity:

I stayed after school to practice for my upcoming audition for Allstate Chorus, and I met a freshman in chorus with a beautiful soprano voice name Caroline. I approached her after practice and offered to train her in voice and the basics of music theory. She accepted with a smile.

Commentary:

Since we both have the same lunch period, I plan on teaching her at that time. I'm excited to gain some teaching experience.

Activity:

I worked on the composition I began in the summer, called "Notre Etoile", which is French for "our star".

Commentary:

Since I have already written the lyrics and the tune, all I had to do was write the piano part, which is turning out to be difficult, seeing as I have had little exposure to how piano music is written. I got about halfway through the song, which shows me that composition is very time-consuming and requires a good amount of revision as well.

Activity:

I worked on my composition.

7. August 18, 2011 50 minutes

8. August 27, 2011 10 minutes

9. September 2, 2011 45 minutes

Commentary:

I got most of the way through the song. I already have ten pages of work, which makes me feel very accomplished.

Activity:

I went online and searched for a pre-test to print out and give to Caroline. Also, I did more work on my composition, and I now have 14 pages of work.

Commentary:

I think that giving Caroline the pre-test was a good idea because it will help me gain an idea of how much music theory she already knows and what I need to teach her. My AP Music Theory teacher had the class take a pre-test at the beginning of the semester, so it must be beneficial in the classroom too.

Activity:

I started brainstorming lesson plans for teaching Caroline.

Commentary:

I think that it is important for any teacher to have a plan for how the class should go each day. Of course, I will evaluate Caroline's progress so that I know what pace I should be teaching. Overall, I am very excited to see what it would be like to teach private lessons.

Activity:

I made Caroline some flashcards with key signatures.

Commentary:

I think that flashcards are a great way to


11. September 8, 2011 2.5 hours


study, and I think they will make learning key signatures easier for Caroline. I plan to test her over them in a week to make sure she is on the right track.

Activity:

Today, I had Caroline do some vocal exercises so that I could determine how big her range is.

Commentary:

Caroline can sing about two and a half octaves comfortably, which is impressive for someone her age. However, since I feel that she is more comfortable singing high, I would like to spend more time training her soprano range.

Activity:

I spent two and a half hours composing today.

Commentary:

Although I do enjoy composing music, it is frustrating at times. Finding inspiration is difficult, and I think taking a break is a good idea so that I can return to my composition feeling refreshed.

Activity:

I planned out how I would teach Caroline intervals and the circle of 5ths.

Commentary:

I feel good about having a plan for what I will be teaching her next. However, these are advanced concepts, so it may take longer for her to fully understand them.

Activity:


14. September 14, 2011 5 hours


I helped Caroline rehearse for her solo for the upcoming chorus concert.

Commentary:

I like being able to teach her to sing instead of strictly music theory. I can tell she has a great amount of potential as a vocal performer. Also, I now know that training students how to sing is more difficult than I had imagined.

Activity:

After taking a break from my composition, I came back to it and did five hours of work on it.

Commentary:

Giving myself that break allowed me to look at my work in a new light, and inspiration came easily to me. It may not be perfect, but I did manage to finally finish it.

Activity:

I introduced to Caroline intervals and the circle of 5ths. I also showed my voice and piano teacher my composition, and she rather liked it.

Commentary:

Despite all this, I still crave more music in my day. This is a good sign, considering my intended major and career. Someday, I hope that music will be a part of my everyday life, moreso than it already is. On another note, my teacher said my composition is a bit lengthy and suggested that I shorten it.

Activity:





I helped my chorus friend Kayleigh with her solo in the upcoming chorus concert.

Commentary:

This provided me with practice for training Caroline vocally. It also opened my eyes to how different people's voices can be and how assisting one person with singing can be completely from different from how I would assist someone else with the same thing.

Activity:

I revised my composition for half an hour.

Commentary:

It seems to be coming along nicely. I am proud of the work I have done, and I cannot wait to share it with the world.

Activity:

I prepared lesson plans for Caroline for after fall break.

Commentary:

I like being able to get ahead on lesson plans. I think I will review what I have already taught her after break to make sure that she still has a firm grasp on it.

Activity:

I graded Caroline's pre-test.

Commentary:

It took a very long time to grade it. Next time I will remember to make an answer key before attempting to grade a test.


21. September 27, 2011 60 minutes total


Activity:

I made a few changes to my composition.

Commentary:

It is amazing how quickly time flies when I am working on my music. I only made a few small corrections, and it took me twenty minutes. I thought it would have taken about five.

Activity:

I helped Caroline rehearse her pieces that she had to learn for All-State Chorus. I also warmed up the class and directed a song called "Ubi Caritas".

Commentary:

Warming up the class was no big deal, but conducting was a completely different story. If I ever want to conduct a piece, I will need to know the song well beforehand.

Activity:

I went over the "Loch Lomond" solo with Caroline for audition purposes.

Commentary:

I wish I could have spent more time working with Caroline, but since she is my only student, I have to work around her schedule. I completely understand that sometimes schoolwork takes away from me being able to teach her.

Activity:

I graded Caroline's interval test.

Commentary:


24. October 3, 2011 35 minutes



She seems to be learning well. Unfortunately, the most a teacher can do is introduce the concept of intervals. To master them, the student has to train his or herself outside of class.

Activity:

I have begun working on another piece. This new song is in English.

Commentary:

I was advised to compose something else because the French would be difficult to sing in. I took my facilitators advice and started writing the words first rather than trying to create both the words and the melody at the same time.

Activity:

My project facilitator sent me the link to a brief online biography of his so that I could use that to complete a resume about him to turn in for approval.

Commentary:

I am quite pleased to see how qualified he is as a musician. I know I have made an excellent choice in selecting him as my project facilitator.

Activity:

I made an interval worksheet to help Caroline learn the intervals visually, not just aurally.

Commentary:

I've learned it's difficult not to fall behind with teaching because it takes a good bit of time to prepare lessons. I feel that my time




is well-spent if the worksheets help her learn intervals, which is fundamental to her understanding of music theory.

Activity:

I wrote 48 measures of music as an assignment for AP Music Theory.

Commentary:

I used this as a chance to put into practice new composition techniques I have learned in the class. Composition is harder when I follow these new guidelines, but I feel that my composition skills have certainly improved.

Activity:

I was excused from my seventh period class to teach the girls in beginning chorus a song we will perform at the holiday concert.

Commentary:

They seemed to really enjoy learning from me, and they picked it up very quickly. I felt that I could really connect with them, which made teaching them enjoyable.

Activity:

I made Caroline another interval worksheet.

Commentary:

This should further solidify her understanding of intervals. It should also compound on the other interval worksheet I gave her.

Activity:

30. Nov.4.2011 45 minutes

31. November 6, 2011 3 hours

32. December 5, 2011 2 hours

I wrote the piano introduction for my new composition, "A Rose Without Thorns".

Commentary:

I think my composition skills for piano music have definitely improved at this point. It is not easy for me, but I am willing to push myself.

Activity:

I worked for three hours on "A Rose Without Thorns".

Commentary:

I began working with the vocal parts, which was difficult for me because I had to create harmonies that would make all four voice parts sound good when sung together and when sung with the piano part. Luckily, my knowledge of music theory and chordal structure has been a great aid in this endeavor.

Activity:

I attended a Creekview band concert. Seeing the band concert inspired me to work more on my own composition.

Commentary:

I learned about band instruments from a band student. This will help me in the future as a music major if I ever compose a piece for band instruments. I have finished the vocal parts for my own piece. I added in some modulations, since I recently learned about them in music theory.

Activity:

I made another interval worksheet for Caroline.

33. December 7, 2011 25 minutes

34. January 13, 2012 30 minutes


Commentary:

This should be the final interval worksheet that I make for Caroline. Intervals do not seem to come as easily to her as they do to me, but with practice, she could get a firm grasp of them.

Activity:

I did some more interval training with Caroline.

Commentary:

I have come to realize that there is only so much I can do with a freshman in high school. This is why I plan to teach college-level students so that I do not have to go through the basics of music theory with them. I think it is more difficult for me to teach the basic concepts because they are so second-nature to me. I have also learned that the fact that music comes to me naturally is a gift that may take others more time to learn.

Activity:

I worked briefly on my composition.

Commentary:

My composition is mostly complete, except for the piano part. It really is frustrating when the song is so close to being finished, but yet I still have to create the piano part.

Activity:

For about an hour, I worked on my composition. I took a break and came back to it in the evening. For three hours, I made some revisions and added more vocals to

36. January 23, 2012 4 hours total


38. January 31, 201230 minutes

39. February 1, 20121.5 hours

the end of the song.

Commentary:

The piano part is mostly done, except for the middle section with the modulations. This is the most difficult part of the song, so writing the piano part for it should be difficult as well.

Activity:

I have finally finished the rough draft for this composition.

Commentary:

My next step is to record it and send it to my facilitator for his feedback. I hope that he likes my work. A musician as advanced as he is will surely have some criticism for me.

Activity:

I revised my composition.

Commentary:

I began making the changes that my facilitator instructed me to. I started at midnight, so I only worked for 30 minutes. I will work more tomorrow.

Activity:

I made more revisions

Commentary:

I finished making revisions on my piece. I hope that my facilitator approves of my work.

Activity:

40. February 6, 2012

41. February 15, 20122.5 hours

42. February 16, 201235 minutes

I recorded my composition and e-mailed it to my project facilitator for review.

Commentary: I hope this new version of my composition is acceptable. I changed one of the modulations in the middle of the song to make it sound less "abrupt" or out-of-place. I knew it would be difficult, but I was up for the challenge.

Activity:

I made my final revisions of "A Rose Without Thorns".

Commentary:

Revision is difficult work, but I am glad to have finally finished this composition. I will record it for my facilitator another day.

Activity:

I recorded my composition using Noteflight.com.

Commentary:

I made four separate recordings. The first one was of just the accompaniment. The second was a demo version of me singing the soprano 1 part. Using this recording, I recorded me singing the soprano 2 part on top of that. Finally, I made one with me singing the alto part on top of that, so the final one had me singing all the women's voice parts at the same time. I sent the one of just the accompaniment to my facilitator.

senior project work log

Education