Today is my last day! Unfortunately, this will be my last blog post too. I have developed many new appreciations while working on my project and as an intern for Maria. One of which is that I now have a very strong appreciation for musicians that make a living out of writing music, because let me tell you it is not easy! I also am appreciative of my mentor for taking me in under her wing as an intern and supporting me through the songwriting process. One of the many great qualities in Maria is that she can very easily write melodies. She can hear an instrumental and write the melody as she is listening to it for the first time. She is also very personable, and always willing to help even if she doesn’t get much out of doing so. I’d like to think that Maria and I are similar, but I would like to develop the traits that make her such a great teacher and mentor even more so. Now that externship has come to an end, I can truly say that my perspective of life beyond high school has changed. I have realized that if I am really passionate about something, I must do myself the favor and make a living out of it. I have always had that idea in my head, but now it is something I am certain of. Maria is a perfect example of someone who has done exactly that. After this experience, I am now very motivated to continue to write original music because it is a feeling I cannot quite explain in words. On my way home yesterday, I listened to my song in the car and I literally got goosebumps because I felt so proud of myself. I was so excited for everyone to hear it. I definitely think this externship will influence the direction of my life. Even if I don’t pursue music as a career, it will still always remain a huge part of my life. The image below is a stack of CD's. They are all empty now, but as days go by at the studio, a new song is recorded onto each and every one. This could be a metaphor for my future because every CD on this stack is like a new opportunity for me to pursue my passion. This externship was one of them and I can't wait to see what my next one will be!
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It’s the last thursday of externship! Today, I recorded my original song. I am so happy with how it turned out and I can’t wait to share it. I measured the success of my project by the way Maria and I felt about it after recording the last verse. I have also seen a very positive response to the sneak preview of the song on my personal instagram. From this, I learned that if you put your all into something, it may turn out to be something great! I definitely made a meaningful contribution to myself throughout this process. Not only have I written and recorded my very first song, I have bettered myself as a musician because I now know that this is something I am capable of doing on my own. However, I am lucky enough to have had the support of my mentor Maria, who taught me everything I now know about writing music, such as using the correct format, rhyming patterns, and writing lyrics that tell a story from beginning to end. This experience is meaningful to my education because I planned, critiqued and executed a creative project from scratch. In school, I am accustomed to participating in peer critiques to most effectively give and receive feedback and improve my work. However during my externship, I had to do a lot of self critiquing and re-writing, especially since Maria was not always available to give me feedback. I think this was a very important skill to acquire because soon, I will be attending a university where I will have to do most critiquing of papers and such on my own. This process has taught me to work better independently. My project initially began months before externship started. I have a journal that I do a lot of creative writing in outside of school and I had been experimenting with writing songs one day and wrote the first verse for “Unforeseen”. At the time, I never thought I would end up finishing it, and even less recording it in the studio! When planning my project, I knew I wanted to write an original song, but I didn’t think I would look back through my private journal for inspiration. I am glad I did, because that portion was written during the time I had been experiencing exactly what I was writing. It was a very raw and real experience for me to be writing about at the time and that is why it stood out to me among all of the other journal entries and lyric drafts. That first verse became the core of the story I wanted to tell. And then it grew and developed into more of a journey that I take you on throughout the entire song as opposed to a simple confession. You can really see how my perspective changes, especially on the first chorus (the chorus is usually the part that displays the writer’s emotional response to the verse). I have learned that my work ethic doubles if I am working on something I am passionate about. As a result of being exposed to music all day, I would come home and stay up late exposing myself to more of it, which would usually end in me writing a few verses. Instead of posting a bunch of pictures today, I thought I would release the song right here... right now. Just scroll down and click the button to hear!
It's Tuesday and It's great to be back from the long memorial weekend. I talked to Maria today about how she got to where she is currently; working as a vocal coach at the Royal Academy of Performing Arts (RAPA) and as a music producer for independent artists in the greater San Diego area. Right after high school, Maria began taking voice lessons at Mesa College and Miracosta College. She was hired right out of high school as a voice teacher at a school in Del Mar called The Studio Academy. Maria says that at the time, she did not have experience teaching. As a result, she began to observe the way her professors were teaching and applied their techniques to her own lessons. Maria has inspired me to pursue whatever it is I am most passionate about. This externship has definitely influenced my potential college/career path. I did some research on the music program at UC Berkeley (where I will be attending) and it seems like a very doable option for me! I am looking forward to taking music classes, just like Maria did! This experience has made me realize that college is about taking classes that interest YOU, no matter what career you might have in mind initially. Because at first, I was caught up in the idea that you have to know what you want to do before starting college and stick to it throughout. But ironically enough, that is the exact opposite of what college is all about! College is about exploring your passions and learning about different fields, so that you can know yourself better in terms of what potential careers you might pursue in your lifetime (yes, there may be more than one)! Overall, this opportunity to intern with Maria has allowed me to spend a month doing one of things I enjoy most. I am lucky to be attending a school that allows me to partake in a unique and worthwhile opportunity such as this one. Shoutout to HTHI! Stay tuned for Thursday's blog! It's Friday! I am posting today because yesterday I was doing a photoshoot for a clothing brand! Today, I got a lot of work done on my project. While Maria was working with her students, I decided I would spend a few hours working on my song in the empty room next door (which is normally used for acting lessons). I made a lot of progress on my song and I am excited to record next week! Maria has taught me the proper format to write songs and it has made writing songs a lot easier for me. Songs usually begin with a few verses that sound similar but using different lyrics. Then, the chorus comes in (usually the catchiest part of the song and where most titles of songs are found). Then, more verses come in like the ones in the very beginning, but using new lyrics. Then, the bridge of the song comes in, which is the part in the song that is never repeated and is usually completely different than the rest. And a bridge has to lead to something, right? In songwriting, it's the chorus! The song can end with the chorus or another verse may be added. Maria and I also spent time writing the piano backing that I would like to sing over. I think the song is going to be called Unforeseen. I can't wait for everyone to hear it!
It’s Tuesday! Today’s topic is Self Advocacy. During my externship, I have advocated for myself by reaching out to Maria for support when working on my songs. I have also asked for recording time even though her schedule is very busy. The reason why self advocacy is important is because if I did not ask, I probably would have not received the amount of support I needed to be successful. In a workplace, this is an important ability to have. For example, if I were employed and I believed that I deserved a raise, I would be able to ask for one rather than wait to be offered one. Sometimes, you have to advocate for yourself in order for others to advocate for you. I have been reaching out to Maria constantly for musical support because writing my song has been a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. One night after externship, I went home and stayed up very late writing a song on the Ukelele. I finished it and showed it to Maria the next day, and although she liked what I had, she treated it as a rough draft and gave me a lot of feedback. I am glad she did because she is helping me develop my song into something I would want a lot of people to hear. Working with Maria has been so great because we are very similar and get along very well. She has a funny personality, and positive attitude that I admire very much. I am going to miss this place! Stay tuned for Thursday’s post!
I made it to week two! I am so glad I chose to intern with Maria De La Paz at the Royal Academy of Performing Arts. As a result of being exposed to so much music throughout the past week, I have been very inspired to improve musically. I have taken it upon myself to learn how to play an instrument so that I can eventually write music that is entirely my own. I chose to start off with an instrument that is easy to learn and that best compliments my preferred style of singing; the Ukelele. I have learned how to play “You and I” by Ingrid Michaelson, and “I Don’t Know My Name” by Grace Vanderwaal. I have also assisted Maria in songwriting for two of her students. One of the songs was about math fractions and the other was a country song about young love. Here is a recording of the math song:
https://drive.google.com/a/hightechhigh.org/file/d/0B2SKK2SOzSZYdEZqZFZtb0FuLVU/view?usp=sharing I believe I will have enough time to finish my project, which is to write and record my very first original song. I will arrange a time to utilize the professional recording equipment so that I do not interfere with the singing lessons and songwriting sessions. I also would like to attempt to write an additional song on the Ukelele! It's Thursday! I have had so much fun at my externship for the past few days with Maria De La Paz. From observing her singing lessons so far, I have noticed the passion and commitment Maria puts into her craft every single day. I am impressed with how patient she is with younger children in particular who have difficulty reading lyrics. Today, one of her younger students (age 6) asked Maria, "How do you sing so beautiful?" and with her sarcastic and funny personality, Maria said "Because I'm perfect...Just kidding, I practice every day, that's how!" Her philosophy is that anyone, no matter what age or amount of previous musical experience can learn how to sing. After each lesson, she sends her students home with a recording on a CD of the song they chose to record that day. She teaches her kids to listen to their recordings with a critical ear; to identify the good parts and the parts that could be further improved. I think this relates to the High Tech philosophy that encourages students to constantly improve whether it be through personal or peer critique. I, myself, am developing several vocal techniques from observing lessons. For example, I never realized how much of a difference it makes when you enunciate while singing. I also learned that depending on the mood of the song, you can determine which kind of singing voice would suit the song best. (Head voice vs. Chest voice). The chest voice is loud and sharp, and the head voice is breathier. I want to learn how to properly use runs when singing. Runs are when a singer starts off at a very high note and drops quickly through the scale down to a very low note in the space of a second or two. They can really add character to your voice and are very impressive when done sparingly and correctly. On a separate note, last night I had the opportunity to sing the national anthem at an Albion Pros Soccer game. Singing in the key Maria taught me, I was able to hit all of the high notes perfectly, because I didn't have to switch keys in the middle of the song. It went really well! Unfortunately, my mom's video stopped recording right before I started singing, so here is a screenshot of the first few seconds of the video: One of Maria's students sang "How Far I'll Go" and I got a recording of it. It is one of the cutest things I've ever heard!
Today was my first day of externship! When I arrived, Maria showed me around the Royal Academy of Performing Arts (where her studio is located). Then, she showed me the two songs she wrote today for her client. One of them was written for her client's husband Omar because their anniversary is coming up! The other was written for her client's teacher back in India, who was a father figure and an important mentor to her client. What struck me was how quickly Maria was able to write a quality original song for someone else when only given a basis of what her client wanted to portray in the lyrics. Writing music seems as if it comes so easily to Maria and that inspires me to push myself to learn as much as I can throughout my time interning with her. Tomorrow, I will be singing the National Anthem at an Albion Pros soccer game, so I sang it for her and Maria helped me find the key that felt most comfortable for my range. It was in the key of E. She had me record the first few notes of the song on my phone, so that I can listen to it right before I go up to sing. She also sent me a karaoke version of the song in my key so that I can use it to practice. Then, her first student Bridget came in for a vocal lesson and once she was done recording, I helped Maria record a quick music video of Bridget. In terms of my project, Maria and I decided that I will be writing my own song and she will be assisting me in terms of format and piano backing. We discussed what my ideas are for the song, what kind of vibe I am going for and she gave me some ideas as well! At the speed we are coming up with this first song, I think I will end up recording more than one. I am excited about being immersed in an environment I love as well as learning hands on from a professional. I am not particularly worried about anything yet and I think that is a good sign! Below are a few pictures from my first day: This coming Tuesday is my first day of externship! I will be interning with singer, songwriter, vocal coach, and music producer Maria De La Paz. My project will consist of utilizing what Maria will teach me about writing music to write my very own original song. I will be recording this song using Maria's professional studio recording equipment. I am most excited about learning how to properly write a song, because although I have written songs before, I have never followed any particular format. I am nervous about revealing personal parts of myself through the music I will be writing, but I am looking forward to putting myself in that uncomfortable situation so that I can learn to become comfortable in it. I have not spoken to Maria in depth about my project plan yet, however that will be the first thing I do next Tuesday!
STAY TUNED! |