Looking Ahead (WR 12)

There is one final event for ISM this semester; Research Showcase. At Research Showcase, we will be displaying ourselves and all the research we have been conducting this semester. With this in mind, the next couple of weeks will be all about preparing for this event. I have already previously created a mock-up of what I hope my display board to look like, I now just have to create it. Even know I have a plan, I will still need to put it together and make adjustments as needed. Another aspect of Research Showcase is creating a atmosphere at your table. Most people simply put cookies or drinks out, but I am not most people. I plan to bring my home studio setup to show off my work, and also have a 'create your own song' activity. People will be able to walk up and within a matter seconds create their own song. I am still working out the exact logistics, but I plan to have it all setup within a week and have people test it before the showcase. This is a very different and unique idea that is sure to set me apart and hopefully leave a lasting impression of those in attendance.

Wrapping up (WR 11)

This previous week, we did not have a whole lot going on in ISM. We were mainly focused on finishing up/tying any loose ends of the second six weeks. The main thing this included was posting the video we took of our research presentation to our class website. We did this so that our peers could watch our presentation and give us come constructive feedback/criticism. This will be very helpful moving on because I will get some suggestions to what I can make better for the next couple of speeches, both in class and at research showcase/final presentation night.

Speaking of research showcase, this next six weeks will be all about preparing for it. Looking ahead, I plan to conduct my last research interview, create my display board, and prepare for the research showcase. For those of you wondering, the research showcase is a night (Tuesday, December 16th at Heritage High School) where all of students involved in the ISM program will be displaying themselves and all of the research they have done all of the first semester. I am very excited for this night because I will get to display all of the stuff I've been working on so far. Personally, I will also get a 'checkpoint' where I can see where I am at, and compare this to where I want to be. Then, I will address this and make my goals for the next/final semester in ISM.

Time Flies (WR 10)

I accomplished two things this week. Each one of them ended a chapter of my life just as a period ends a well written sentence. But the thing about periods that makes them interesting, is what lies after. The first major thing that ended, was Marching Band. Although I love it, Marching Band takes over a season in my life. During this season, I have little to no free time to work on projects outside of school. Now that this season is over, I can not wait to get back to writing/producing music; both at home and with my future mentor.

The other big thing I accomplished this previous week was giving my research presentation. For this assignment, I had to give a 10-12 minute presentation about all of the research I have been doing. At first, I felt overwhelmed at the idea. I didn't see how I was going to talk for 10 minutes, but once I began to make my slide show I saw that I could talk about my topic for hours if I had to. During the actual presentation, I even went over the time limit by a few seconds. The most important I learned through this whole process is that having a strong introduction and conclusion is the most important part of a speech. It is the first/last thing the audience will hear and probably the only thing they will remember. 

Research Speech (WR 9)

This week in ISM my main focus has been preparing for my research speech this Wednesday. For this assignment, we have to give a ten to fifteen speech to the class over all that we have researched so far. At first, I was pretty nervous and I did not think I could talk for fifteen minutes straight but the more I work on it the easier it seems. I'm actually having to cut out parts because it is too long! The first step I took was making a google slide (powerpoint) presentation. This is where I made somewhat of an outline for my speech. After making the presentation, I now know all of the content I want to include in my speech and the general flow of the whole presentation. The only thing I have left to do is write a strong introduction/conclusion to my speech and rehearse it a few times.

This upcoming week other than present my speech, I plan to schedule my 5th and final research interview and begin to choose a mentor. I am really excited to choose a mentor because I believe that this is when experiences of ISM really start to begin.

Planning Makes Perfect (WR 8)

Theres an old saying that practice makes perfect. While I completely agree with this, I also believe that in order to be successful in life it its very important to have a thorough plan. A big part of ISM is having a professional, yet creative display board to showcase your work. The board is not due for a while, but I have already started creating a plan of what it will look like, what information it will include, and what creative elements it will include. Last friday in class, I completed a full color sketch of what I plan it to look like. For colors, I strategically picked black, silver, and orange. I am using these colors because they are my 'color scheme' for this year in ISM. Why these colors? Simply because they match the tie I will be wearing. I like to keep things simple and not overly complicated. I am also planning to bring my macbook and put studio monitors into my board so I can display some projects I have been working on, and maybe do a compare/contrast of how my work has improved.

Another day, Another Interview (WR 7)

This past week, I successfully completed my fourth research interview. On Thursday, I interviewed Bruce Faulconer of cakemix recording studios. Mr. Faulconer is a very successful composer who worked on projects such as 243 episodes of Dragon Ball Z with cartoon network and even some full feature films such as Bystander Theory. In this interview, I learned a lot of the composition side of music. He also gave me insight to what it takes to be a professional music composer and some things I can be working on right now to prepare me for this possible career. Another thing we talked about was the fact that it is hard to be a music composer in Dallas. He said that if he could do it all over again, he would have moved to LA or New York because it is much easier to get started in these places as a music composer.

Also, this week I have been doing a lot of assessments and research to prepare for our research speeches next week. These speeches have to be 10-12 minutes long and cover most if not all of the research that we have been doing, both online and through in person research interviews. This coming week, I have another research interview scheduled and plan to do some more research to help me get ready for the big research speech next week.

Professionalism (WR 6)

I had quite an eventful week this past week. On wednesday morning, I had an interview with Aaron Carpenter from fifty50 studios. It was amazing to say the least. He was a very down to earth guy and I learned so much invaluable information. We talked about a vast majority of things and I gained information that I couldn't get anywhere else. One thing he said was that as i'm learning ProTools (Industry standard recording software), I need to be learning as many keyboard shortcuts as I can. He said when a client is paying for your time in the studio, you need to be as efficient as possible and not be wasting the clients time and money. He also told me about some plugins that aren't very well know, but are very great so I will be looking into those. Another cool thing about the interview, was I got to tour his studio. I felt like a kid in a candy shop! It was an old '70s studio that they renovated and modernized. It was a very cool experience to be in a professional studio.

Another big thing that happened this week was the annual ISM Business Symposium. At Business Symposium, every ISM student gets the chance to get interviewed by professionals that volunteer their time. This helped me be more comfortable with getting interviewed and boosted my confidence with interviews. The professionals also gave me some critique about my resume, and some were even able to give me some contacts.