My proof of concept has been coming along well. After purchasing Native Instruments East Asia sample library, I am able to incorporate a variety of Chinese instruments that I otherwise wouldn’t have access to. This is a great tool for me to come up with ideas and lay down parts within my DAW without having access to the instrument itself. I am still in the process of writing my composition, but so far I’ve created a melody and harmonies that my song will revolve around. I plan to add Chinese percussion to give my song a rhythmic back bone and incorporate the lyrics in the form of a rap or spoken word. Overall, the process has been challenging but fun. Exploring the sample library has been a highlight as they offer so many different instruments and parameters.
Reflecting on my meetings with my committee members, I’ve received a lot of great feedback and advice. Prof. Klotz, my committee chair, offered a lot of great production insight into my project. He brought up that I should use studio G as a recording space and helped me work through the scope of my project. I originally wanted to create multiple tracks, however, he recommended that I create one first and do more if I’m able to. He is a great resource for me when I start mixing and mastering so I’m excited to receive feedback on my music. Prof. Osei is another committee member who offered me some great feedback and advice. He suggested that my project was auto-ethnographic which changed the way I viewed and approached my project. In addition, he helped me a lot with my research giving me key terms and authors to look at. His expertise makes him a great committee member for my project. My next deliverable will be a draft of my theoretical framework section of my paper. Now that I’ve done substantial background research for my project, I think writing a draft and receiving feedback on this portion of my paper will be a good next step.
I haven’t thought too much about the future of my project but I plan to release it on YouTube and possibly Spotify. It would be great to reflect on my work after it’s all done and create a space for it online for people to see. If it turns out well, I may create more songs extending it to a full album. This project is a personal and critical so it will definitely have a home in my portfolio. Being able to reference a project like this one will hopefully open me up to more opportunities in the future and I look forward to where it takes me.