SUMMARY

I learned audio engineering, basic elements of guitar, music theory, and “leducian processes” as i’ll call it.

how would you explain this class to a friend in one to two sentences?“

It’s a freeform music class where you can learn how to play an insturment, music theory, audio production, and other music related stuff. the big thing I like about it is that it’s a very self driven course, where students are given the freedom to chose how they want to learn what they want to learn.

FINAL PROJECT

Final Rubric (Google Docs) (20 Points)

Going through this assignment I learned a lot about audio production, and learning the guitar as part of my final project…

• 1 (NOT MY THING!)
• 2 (not really)
• 3 (sorta interested)
• 4 (interested)
• 5 (YES! – I LOVE THIS STUFF!)

Your score: 3

Note on bias: I’ve been approaching this class from the perspective of someone getting into music as an artform for the first time, and who is mainly interested in music as a hobby and skill, not as a potential career or major passion, so that may majorly affect my response as i’m approaching this class from an angle it may not entirely be intended for.

Keep this in mind for the all reflective material i’ve made during the course.

MICROPHONE RECORDING PROJECT

This project was hard for me for a few reasons, mainly some mental health issues and some schedule problems, but overall I thought it was a valuable experience that taught me a lot about the audio production and editing process.

• 1 (NOT MY THING!)
• 2 (not really)
• 3 (sorta interested)
• 4 (interested)
• 5 (YES! – I LOVE THIS STUFF!)

Your score: 4

PRACTICE ROOM (LESSONS)

Write a reflection on what you learned. How interested were you in learning to play the guitar, bass, ukulele, piano, etc.?

Once again i’d like to mention how much I appreciate the level of freedom and self direction this class provides, which is an element I have enjoyed in this class aswell as my previous experiences with leduc’s teaching/class style, but I would like to mention a minor criticism, mainly being that for the first week of the I had a hard time…

• 1 (NOT MY THING!)
• 2 (not really)
• 3 (sorta interested)
• 4 (interested)
• 5 (YES! – I LOVE THIS STUFF!)

Your score: 5

CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS)

Write a reflection on what you learned. How interested were you in learning about music theory and song analysis?

I think many of the concepts of music theory such as rhythem and melody and such were quite interesting, but weren’t explained extremely well in practical terms of how to use melody and rhythem in a creative work (at this point my only understanding of rhythem is “when a song has a timed pace” and melody is “when a song has a consistent tune progression” or something) so I would’ve appreciated a more straightforward guide on how to actually implement such techniques into the song creation process.

• 1 (NOT MY THING!)
• 2 (not really)
• 3 (sorta interested)
• 4 (interested)
• 5 (YES! – I LOVE THIS STUFF!)

Your score: 4

LAB (THEORY PRACTICED)

Write a reflection on what you learned. How interested were you in learning about HookLab, HookTab, and/or other topics in this ‘room?’

Near the beginning of the class I spent a good portion of my time on hook theory and think I was able to get some useful information from it, as it was an easy way to experiment with making music and trying out different musical ideas.

I think tools like hooklab are absolutely useful resources in some cases, but for me it did feel like I used it as a bit of a crutch to avoid doing practice since I didn’t know what I was doing and it felt much more approachable, so in the ladderhalf of the program I ended up ignoring the tool and used the lab period to work on other things, i’m not entirely sure if that was in the intention of the period and would appreciate more clearification on the purpose of each period and how students may modulate the schedule to fit their own needs (doing other work during set work periods).

Overall I mostly used the period as an extended practice period and I don’t think I really used to time for what it was intended for, but I don’t know if that has to do with a problem of the format of the period itself or as a just a consequence of me as a student individually approaching the period in a different way.

• 1 (NOT MY THING!)
• 2 (not really)
• 3 (sorta interested)
• 4 (interested)
• 5 (YES! – I LOVE THIS STUFF!)

Your score: 2

OUTSIDE (CREATIVITY & THE BRAIN)

Write a reflection on what you learned. How interested were you in learning about topics related to the brain, creativity, emotional health, and productivity?

Being able to take a break during the day was nice to move around and think about things, but I would’ve appreciated the period being a bit longer, (like 20-25 minutes instead of 15) since I didn’t feel quite satisfied with the time we were given, and oftentimes we’d have to head back inside before I felt like I had a full refreshing break, so a mild time increase would be appreciated for this period, but otherwise I mostly enjoyed being able to take breaks and move around a bit throughout the day, as sitting around at a desk all day can be quite tiring.

Regarding the subject itself, I found a lot of value around the material regarding psychology and productivity and such.

• 1 (NOT MY THING!)
• 2 (not really)
• 3 (sorta interested)
• 4 (interested)
• 5 (YES! – I LOVE THIS STUFF!)

Your score: 5

STUDIO (SONGWRITING)

Write a reflection on what you learned. How interested were you in learning about songwriting, music composition structure, and music production?

I used this period as basically just another “do anything that feels productive” or “practice” period, maybe I would’ve liked a few more resources regarding some basics of song writing, aswell as some more content on lyrics since that was an element of the class I felt like was notably missing, but otherwise I enjoyed taking the time to work on whatever I liked.

Regarding songwriting as a subject itself, it wasn’t exactly

• 1 (NOT MY THING!)
• 2 (not really)
• 3 (sorta interested)
• 4 (interested)
• 5 (YES! – I LOVE THIS STUFF!)

Your score: 5

CONTROL ROOM (RECORDING & MIXING)

Write a reflection on what you learned. How interested were you in learning about recording, engineering (sound effects, EQ), and mixing?

Once i’ve gotten to this point of the blog I actually realized I was susposed to write about the subject of the period and not just the experience of the period, so i’ll go back and add some further notes on the subjects and not just my experience with the period, but anyway moving onto this period itself:

Regarding the subject of recording and mixing, I found a lot of the material regarding audio production very valuable on a technical level, but it’s note exactly what i’m mainly interested in in regards to the class, so in terms of developing actual skills in music this is a subject i’m quite interested in as it relates to other work i’m interested pursuing (game design and technical theater), the subject itself isn’t a major passion for me.

on the experience of the period itself, I mostly used this period as another “work on whatever I need to work on” period.

• 1 (NOT MY THING!)
• 2 (not really)
• 3 (sorta interested)
• 4 (interested)
• 5 (YES! – I LOVE THIS STUFF!)

Your score: 3

STAGE (SHARING)

This period felt a bit undefined in terms of structure, sometimes we’d discuss a song a student chose or some other piece chosen by Disten, but it felt rather unclear on what the exact purpose of the period was aside from having some conversations regarding music.

I don’t remember any of the specifics regarding what we covered here (partly due to the free flow format of the period), but I did enjoy being able to discuss different music pieces with the class.

• 1 (NOT MY THING!)
• 2 (not really)
• 3 (sorta interested)
• 4 (interested)
• 5 (YES! – I LOVE THIS STUFF!)

Your score: 4

THEATER (DOCUMENTARY & HISTORY)

Write a reflection on what you learned. How interested were you in what we watched and discussed?

I think in the abstract this material is interesting, especially for someone already heavily invested into music history and music as an artform, but as someone just getting into music I didn’t find this material very useful during the class time, so I would’ve appreciated some content more catered towards a casual audience over heavy investment into the deep history of music.

• 1 (NOT MY THING!)
• 2 (not really)
• 3 (sorta interested)
• 4 (interested)
• 5 (YES! – I LOVE THIS STUFF!)

Your score: 1

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

I enjoyed being able to practice learning how to play the guitar, at this point I think i’ve learned how to hold the guitar, how to tune it, how to pick and strum the strings, and how to play chords (E minor and E major), which was one of my major goals for the class, so I appreciate being able to make progress on that interest of mine.

As I mentioned a bit in my blogpost for it, I had some emotional issues regarding the podcast project because of gender dysphoria, but in the end I was able to finish the project (despite it taking me a lot longer then intended) but i’m glad I was able to finish the project and manage my issues, mostly by taking breaks and getting some guidence on the project with Leduc and Mr. Disten.

THE COURSE’s ACTIVITY EVALUATION (OVERALL)

I’ve been writing for like a solid 20 minutes straight or something and i’m getting pretty tired, i’m gonna take a break and get back to finishing the blog around 9:40ish probably.

Content (The WHAT)

Rating: OK  – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5  – HIGHLY ENGAGED

Rating: 4

“What interested you most about the CONTENT material in this class?“

I enjoyed a lot of the content involving mental health and productivity.

Process (The HOW)

Rating: OK  – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5  – HIGHLY ENGAGED

Rating: 4

What did you like most about the CLASS STRUCTURE, ya’know the day-to-day work process? Why?

I liked having the freedom to chose what I wanted to do instead of having to follow a a more rigid traditional class structure, I liked doing the blogging because it let me reflect on what I was doing so I could figure out what exactly I was struggling with and why alongside finding ways to move forward, and I liked the material on mental health and productivity.

“What didn’t you like most about the class structure?“

Breaks didn’t feel complete enough for me, sometimes class material (videos, group actvities, ect) got in the way of me working on the things I was working on.

“If you took the class again, what would you change?“

Slightly longer breaks (20-25 minutes instead of 15), a few minutes of transition between periods (similiar to passing periods in regular school, probably just like 2 to 4 minutes to transition between periods), and some more introductory instruction on how to play the instruments and maybe some more advice on how to start practicing, I felt like my progress on playing the guitar was somewhat stunted in the first week-ish of class because this program was the first time i’ve ever done anything related to music so I had no idea how to start practicing or learning how to play an instrument, so for the first week I was mostly using the online tools because I found them much more approachable than going straight into the guitar, which while I think I learned a few things doing that, it definitely used up time I could’ve been practicing on the guitar, and I would’ve appreciated a more formal inclass initial support for just learning some basic stuff about practice and the instrument I was playing, so actually getting into practice wouldn’t have felt as intimidating.

THEATER (DOCUMENTARY & HISTORY)

School of Rock Movie

BONUS MATERIAL

Dr. Gebrian’s Brain-Friendly Practice Ideas

Dr. Gebrian’s YouTube Playlists on Practice Techniques and Brain Research

Annie Dang’s Songwriting YouTube Channel

Annie Dang’s YouTube Resources for Songwriting and Publishing

How Years Of Gaming Affect Your Brain

https://youtube.com/watch?v=xaICKlp9kQc%3Fstart%3D634%26feature%3Doembed

Link to How Years Of Gaming Affect Your Brain by HealthyGamerGG on YouTube

RESOURCES FOR THE CLASS

• Mr. Le Duc, sleduc@osd.wednet.edu
• Mr. Disston, gdisston@osd.wednet.edu
• Class web page, https://capitalcomtech.info/summerschool
• ‘Rooms’ Schedule Sheet 
• MusicWill.org
• Practice Log
• Professional Quotient Rubric
• Atomic Habits Resources
• Your New Playlist by Jon Acuff, L.E. Acuff , McRae Acuff

SUMMARY

Finishing Final Composition, exporting and reflecting.

PRACTICE ROOM (LESSONS) 8:30-9AM

Due to the limited time of the period I figured I’d use the time to come up with a plan for the day, i’ll start by making a list of objectives:

1. Finish The Final Composition
   Ok, but like, how though? let’s break this into parts
   – A. Ask questions on things in the rubric
   – B. Write a plan for the song (song organization, artistic ideas, assignment requirements).
   – C. Record a 1st draft (in the morning)
   – D. Record a 2nd (and final) draft in the afternoon (perhaps with the help of Mr. Disten.

I made the list above over the period, I was able to put down a few questions I had onto a list on the back of the final composition rubric along with some formatting/organization stuff for the song I was writing.

CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS) 9-9:45AM

I got started with experimenting with different tunes on the guitar to figure out what I was gonna do for the full song, I had already made an organized list for how I was gonna format the song (Intro, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus, Outro) so I started going through the strings of the guitar and went back to a pattern I used near the beginning of the class, I tried using a form of the E chord I learned earlier and was able to put together a sort of first draft for the bridge piece of the song.

OUTSIDE – (PRESENTATION & VOICE) 9:45-10:15AM

Watch How to Speak so that people want to listen

Bonus videos to watch on your own…

Watchhow to present with power and poise

Watch Want to sound like a leader? Start by saying your name right

Reflection: I spent most of the time outside pacing around and getting a bit frustrated with a conversation I had with Leduc, he’s been very restrictive with his policy of phones and I feel like he’s been kinda unreasonable with his enforcement, I think his main issue is that he sees phones as a fundamental issue, and I think he’s just wrong about this.

I think for some students having a phone in class can be a problem for them, but I think the “phone issue” is just a symptom of a larger problem regarding student discipline, that being students being able to manage themselves and not need too much intervention from others just to be productive.

I think Leduc’s just been way too hard on me regarding the phone thing, despite the fact that it hasn’t had any real impact on my productivity at all, and overwhelmingly my issues have stemmed from me just not taking care of my personal health very well (hygiene, sleep, diet) along with struggles regarding managing my progress on work in the class (The podcast project, regularly practicing with the guitar, and the final composition), I feel like he’s been way too focused on the phone thing despite the fact that it hasn’t been causing any issues for me at all.

LAB (THEORY PRACTICED) 10:15-11:15AM

I spent roughly the first 15 minutes of the period going back and finishing some parts of the blogs, partially because I was just feeling very frustrated during the last period with some things and wanted to take a moment to put my thoughts down, i’m gonna go drink a V8 and figure out what i’m gonna do next, probably try to get back to recording some pieces for my final composition…

I tried “taking a short break” by drinking my V8 but I was still feeling pretty bad emotionally afterward, so I spent most of the period just trying to cool down re-regulate myself so I could get back to work, I think i’m going to try to finish my final composition after lunch and then submit it sometime around 1:30ish hopefully

LUNCH 11:15-11:45AM

I spent pretty much all of this period thinking about Elden Ring lore stuff, it was nice to take some time to think about something not work related.

STUDIO (SONGWRITING) 11:45-12:45PM

I spent the period working on recording the first part of my final composition.

CONTROL ROOM (RECORDING & MIXING) 12:45-1:45PM

Soundtrap Exporting and Mixing Resources

Prepare a mix in Soundtrap, have someone from your team share it with Mr. Le Duc and Mr. Disston in Soundtrap, and export an MP3 and place it in the STAGE section below.

• How to export a Soundtrap composition so you can mix it
• Audio Mixing: Beginners Guide to Sounding Like a Pro (Soundtrap Tutorial)
• Mixing and Effects in Soundtrap (Support Topics)

Reflection: I spent this period continuing to work on my final composition, I put together what I could of a first draft and showed it to Mr. Disten, he asked if he could help out with it a bit and he tried something with the peddleboard and I didn’t like it, so I asked him if I could continue working on it tommorow, so for now i’ll submit my first draft and see if tommorow I can go into a side room to finish a second draft.

Right now i’m just not feeling great about the whole composition so, I just want to take a break on it and finish it tommorow, as I said I finished something of a first draft today, there are parts I like and parts I don’t like, I’m glad I was able to incorporate a lot of the stuff I learned and I hope to put it together in a more complete fashion in the morning tommorow.

Final Composition Draft 2 Is The audio Below.

OUTSIDE – PART 2 (INSPIRATION / IDEAS) 1:45-2PM

“Watch The Unfair Advantage That Introverts Have by HealthyGamerGG on YouTube”

STAGE (SHARE) 2-2:30PM

I finished exporting the song to my blog, i’ve already reflected a lot on my feelings on the blog so i’ll just note down that I took this period as a break, I also watched through about half of the introvert’s unfair advantage video, which I thought was somewhat interesting but once I got halfway through I figured it wasn’t really relevent to what I was doing, so switched to clearing up my google calendar and put in the date for the beginning of the 20266 CHS School year.

FINAL PROJECT ACTIVITY UPDATE

Final Rubric (Google Docs) (20 Points)

Add an audio file of the FINAL version here…

Write a couple of sentences as an update about what you completed on your ‘afternoon’ song project in this blog post section. Highlight your contributions to this final version of what we will listen to in the included audio file above.

I edited the song with a little help from Mr. Disten, and I played the whole song myself on my electric guitar.

I’d also like to request that my song not be played for the class, i’m not very happy with it (at least at the moment) and i’d be very uncomfortable to have to play the song to the whole class.

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

Learned how to export a song from garage and convert it to an mp3.

I had trouple figuring out how to format my composition so I started writing out ideas on the back of the rubric sheet for the assignment. Writting out an organization format and ideas for the song helped me figure out what i wanted to do and how I should progress.

TODAY’s ACTIVITY EVALUATION

• Give feedback on the class Content and Process
  • Participation will be part of your leadership project due at the end of the course
• Fill in the Daily Activity Evaluation

THEATER (DOCUMENTARY & HISTORY) 2:30-3PM

“Watch part of Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten“

RESOURCES FOR THE CLASS

• Mr. Le Duc, sleduc@osd.wednet.edu
• Mr. Disston, gdisston@osd.wednet.edu
• Class web page, https://capitalcomtech.info/summerschool
• ‘Rooms’ Schedule Sheet 
• MusicWill.org
• Practice Log
• Professional Quotient Rubric
• Atomic Habits Resources

Note: Moved summary to the end of the blog so I wouldn’t forget at the end of the day to do it.

PRACTICE ROOM (LESSONS) 8:30-9AM

Atomic Habits Resources continued

• • Read How to Create a Good Habit and fill in the Implementation Intention Template with your own habit intention from James Clear’s Atomic Habits
  • Read Habit Stacking and fill in the Template with your own habit stack from James Clear’s Atomic Habits
  • Read Chapter 3: How to Build Better Habits in 4 Simple Steps from James Clear’s Atomic Habits
  • Read Chapter 2: How Habit Shapes Your Identity from James Clear’s Atomic Habits

Todays Objectives:
1. Finish Podcast project.
2. Learn how to play a chord on guitar
3. After learning how to play a chord on guitar, record a chord progression on the guitar and post that for the final project.

Practice Reflection: Since it’s the morning and I don’t know what to do, i’m gonna use this time as a sort of planning period to figure out what i’m going to do.

Leduc came over to check on me, I told him I was struggling with stuff and he helped me out with making progress on the podcast project, i’ll probably spend a few minutes in the next session to finish up the podcast project along with my planning period work, then hopefully move onto practicing with the guitar again so I can finally do something for my final project.

CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS) 9-9:45AM

used this time as a planning period, putting together a list of objectives for the day.

OUTSIDE (INSPIRATION / IDEAS) 9:45-10:15AM

LAB (THEORY PRACTICED) 10:15-11:15AM

I had a hard time at the start figuring out what to do so I decided the best thing to do was to write a list of objectives for the day on a notecard, after about 10:50ish I decided I wanted to try to work on the guitar but wasn’t sure what to do next, so I decided to try to learn a chord on the guitar and looked up a video tutorial on playing chords, by the time I got about halfway through the video the period ended, so i’ll have to finish the video and do some guitar practice with the chord during the studio section.

LUNCH 11:15-11:45AM

Leduc showed me a photo series of the construction of the PAC, thought that was cool.

STUDIO (SONGWRITING) 11:45-12:45PM

Mr. Disten brought us into the recording room for another group circle acticity, asking us to share compliments with each other and I complimented Anderson for his great participation in the class, I felt like his work and insights have been a great boon to the class and I appreciate him being here.

Afterwards we went back into the room, and as of writing I’m still figuring out what i”m gonna do with this time, I wanna practice on the guitar but i’m worried Disten’s gonna interupt me while i’m practicing to do our conference, so I don’t know if I should just practice or prepare for the conference with Disten.

CONTROL ROOM (RECORDING & MIXING) 12:45-1:45PM

Soundtrap Exporting and Mixing Resources

Prepare a mix in Soundtrap, have someone from your team share it with Mr. Le Duc and Mr. Disston in Soundtrap, and export an MP3 and place it in the STAGE section below.

• How to export a Soundtrap composition so you can mix it
• Audio Mixing: Beginners Guide to Sounding Like a Pro (Soundtrap Tutorial)
• Mixing and Effects in Soundtrap (Support Topics)

Write a reflection on what you did during this time.

I used the video tutorial below to learn how to play E minor and E major, then I tried out string pattern on the guitar I thought was neat, but then another student started, I don’t even know what to say, making a bunch of noise that I found quite distracting, so I stopped experimenting with my instrument and started writing this section in my blog because I couldn’t focus on practicing.

OUTSIDE (INSPIRATION / IDEAS) 1:45-2PM

Watch Shawn Anchor’s TED talk about happiness

• • “We believe we should work hard in order to be happy, but could we be thinking about things backward? In this fast-moving and very funny talk, psychologist Shawn Achor argues that, actually, happiness inspires us to be more productive.”  – TED.com

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM

STAGE (SHARE) 2-2:30PM

Instruction (keeping for later): “Prepare a mix in Soundtrap, someone from your team shares it with Mr. Le Duc and Mr. Disston in Soundtrap, AND export an mp3 and place it in the STAGE section below.“

I wanted to record an E chord progression or some type of guitar improv so i’d have something to submit, but I was having tech issues with Soundtrap and Garage band so I wasn’t able to record anything, i’ll have to submit something on monday since it’s already 2:20 as of writing so I basically have like no time to record and upload anything today.

FINAL PROJECT ACTIVITY UPDATE

Final Rubric (Google Docs) (20 Points)

I spent most of my time today finishing up the podcast project and I was able to learn how to play the E minor and E major chords, so at least I can play some type of song with the chord, so once i’m able to record at this point I can at least play something, but since it’s been taking me so long to finish the podcast project, and more importantly the fact that it’s been taking me awhile to make progress with practicing with the guitar I don’t think i’m ready to make a whole song yet, so for the final project i’ll probably just record myself playing a chord progression and turn that in, since I don’t have the skills yet to do much beyond that.

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

I learned how to play the E minor and E major chords, and I kinda learned the names (or at the the order) of the chords (to my current memmory I think it was: E A D G B E), and one problem I was able to solve was

TODAY’s ACTIVITY EVALUATION

• Give feedback on the class Content and Process
  • Participation will be part of your leadership project due at the end of the course
• Fill in the Daily Activity Evaluation

THEATER (DOCUMENTARY & HISTORY) 2:30-3PM

Finish RUMBLE: THE INDIANS WHO ROCKED THE WORLD

SUMMARY

RESOURCES FOR THE CLASS

• Mr. Le Duc, sleduc@osd.wednet.edu
• Mr. Disston, gdisston@osd.wednet.edu
• Class web page, https://capitalcomtech.info/summerschool
• ‘Rooms’ Schedule Sheet 
• MusicWill.org
• Practice Log
• Professional Quotient Rubric
• Your New Playlist by Jon Acuff, L.E. Acuff , McRae Acuff
• Atomic Habits Resources

SUMMARY

Write your daily summary last, at the end of the day, here… Only one to two sentences.

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM\

PRACTICE ROOM (LESSONS) 8:30-9AM

Atomic Habits Resources continued

• • • Read How to Create a Good Habit and fill in the Implementation Intention Template with your own habit intention from James Clear’s Atomic Habits
    • Read Habit Stacking and fill in the Template with your own habit stack from James Clear’s Atomic Habits
    • Read Chapter 3: How to Build Better Habits in 4 Simple Steps from James Clear’s Atomic Habits
    • Read Chapter 2: How Habit Shapes Your Identity from James Clear’s Atomic Habits

Write a few key things you learned and which videos you learned from today.

a thing Leduc talked about that I wanted to reflect on:
“testing is the best way to remember what you learn” (not exactly what he said but that’s the jist).

I’m not particularly keen on this point from Leduc, primarily because, from my experience what ends up happening when it comes to testing is that i’ll study for a test for a few days, finish the test, then practically the next day I couldn’t tell you crap about what was on the test. I don’t know if this is an unconscious type of thing like “maybe you don’t consciously know, but internally you still remember what you learned” or something, but this doesn’t make full sense to me.

The concept of practice makes much more sense to me when it comes to learning, since the repetition establishes a pattern in the brain that makes it easy to recall, it’s like how people might not always remember the lyrics to a song they’ve listened to a dozen times over, but they’ll likely be able to remember the underlying melody and be able to hum it to you.

Practice reflection: I wasn’t sure how to progress with the guitar, so I watched a video on how to play the pentatonic scale but I don’t think my fingers are big enough to play it so I switched to watching a video about playing chords and then the period ended, so I wasn’t able to do much with the time I had.

CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS) 9-9:45AM

Listen to the arrangement, mixing, and production of U2’s Demo of the song Twilight and the album version of Twilight.

Reflection.
Demo: Vocals were incompetent, instruments were too repetitive.
Album: Vocals were done better, more variation in vocals and instruments, effects made tones impact more.

Watch Max Martin’s Behind the data: the secret to songwriting

Reflection: We didn’t end up watching any of the other videos in this section of the blog after listening to the demo, I tried practicing some strumming before realizing I didn’t know what I was doing, and then I went online to look for a tutorial on strumming

OUTSIDE (INSPIRATION / IDEAS) 9:45-10:15AM

Watch Sleep is your superpower

Reflection: I’m starting realize that maybe one of the major reasons why my life sucks so much is because I ruined my sleep schedule, crap.

LAB (THEORY PRACTICED) 10:15-11:15AM

Reflection: Leduc Suggested I use this time to work on the podcast assignment so I decided to edit some of the audio. having to listen to my voice on audio is really uncomfortable due to, uh, gender dysphoria stuff, is the only way I can put it, so doing this whole project is kinda rough for me due to those dysphoria issues.

LUNCH 11:15-11:45AM

STUDIO (SONGWRITING) 11:45-12:45PM

Watch Making a Copy of a Soundtrap Composition

Prepare a mix in Soundtrap, someone from your team shares it with Mr. Le Duc and Mr. Disston in Soundtrap, AND export an MP3 and place it in the STAGE section below.

Reflection: I tried getting back into the project after lunch but my dysphoria issues are getting worse, i’m feeling really bad about myself right now, so i’m gonna take a break to do something to see if i’ll be able to improve my mood, and if that doesn’t work I might just wait until I get home or until sometime early in the morning to finish this project, because right now this is doing a number to my head when i’m already kinda tired, so i’m gonna move onto something else so I can still be productive.

CONTROL ROOM (RECORDING & MIXING) 12:45-1:45PM

Soundtrap Exporting and Mixing Resources

Prepare a mix in Soundtrap, have someone from your team share it with Mr. Le Duc and Mr. Disston in Soundtrap, and export an MP3 and place it in the STAGE section below.

• How to export a Soundtrap composition so you can mix it
• Audio Mixing: Beginners Guide to Sounding Like a Pro (Soundtrap Tutorial)
• Mixing and Effects in Soundtrap (Support Topics)

Reflection: I decided to focus on some of the stuff Leduc mentioned about Atomic habits (I noted down a few habits on the back of the habits scoreboard and came up with some future plans regarding those habits) and I took a look at the implementation intension sheet and wrote down my plan to finish the podcast project (this project is getting rough on my mental health because of some personal issues, so i’m just gonna have to take my time on it), and now i’m trying to figure out what I can do to improve my productivity, because i’m really starting to figure out just how bad things are for me when it comes to productivity.

OUTSIDE (INSPIRATION / IDEAS) 1:45-2PM

Listen to Freakonomics – Where Does Creativity Come From (and Why Do Schools Kill It Off)? (Ep. 355)

Read what WYNTON MARSALIS tells his music students when they join his class…

• • “The first thing I have my students do is write a mission statement. And that mission statement has three sentences. What do I want to do, how do I achieve it, and why am I doing it? And based on that mission statement, I teach them. And I have, my fundamental teaching to them is, I want you to rise above the cycle of punishment and reward. I’m not going to reward you or punish you. This is information, and you can do what you want with this information. So, you’re always actualizing. And I always tell them, if you want to learn something I can’t stop you. If you don’t want to learn it, I cannot teach you.”

Go for a walk and think about what this podcast meant to you.

Journal here about that. The more detail, the better.

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM\

STAGE (SHARE) 2-2:30PM

Listen to a few mixes from class projects, so far…

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM

FINAL PROJECT ACTIVITY UPDATE

Final Rubric (Google Docs) (20 Points)

Write a couple of sentences as an update about what you completed on your ‘afternoon’ song project in this blog post section.

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

Tell your daily story here!  Highlight what you learned and enjoyed most, and at least one problem you solved. Problem-solving is one of the most important skills you need in life. Employers want to know HOW you get stuff done as much as WHAT you get done.

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM\

TODAY’s ACTIVITY EVALUATION

• Give feedback on the class Content and Process
  • Participation will be part of your leadership project due at the end of the course
• Fill in the Daily Activity Evaluation

THEATER (DOCUMENTARY & HISTORY) 2:30-3PM

Finish RUMBLE: THE INDIANS WHO ROCKED THE WORLD

RESOURCES FOR THE CLASS

• Mr. Le Duc, sleduc@osd.wednet.edu
• Mr. Disston, gdisston@osd.wednet.edu
• Class web page, https://capitalcomtech.info/summerschool
• ‘Rooms’ Schedule Sheet 
• MusicWill.org
• Professional Quotient Rubric
• Your New Playlist by Jon Acuff, L.E. Acuff , McRae Acuff
• Atomic Habits Resources

SUMMARY

Timeline:
Topics:

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM\

PRACTICE ROOM (LESSONS) 8:30-9AM

Creative Habits and Routines

Review the creative routines of some of the people below… 

Atomic Habits by James Clear

• Atomic Habits Resources
  • • Fill in your own habits into the Habits Scorecard from James Clear’s Atomic Habits book (chapter 4) 

Prince and Practice Habits

Watch Prince’s guitar solo at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert

• Watch this exploration of Prince’s music creation habit

Reflection: Leduc went over the microphone podcast project with me and a few other students, and my plan is to spent a period of the day finishing up that project as soon as possible (since i’ll be leaving early for some dentist appointments today

CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS) 9-9:45AM

Watch The Mistake All Beginner Songwriters Make (and how to avoid it!) by How To Write Songs on YouTube

Take notes to help you with your song creation

Listen to Radiohead’s Weird Fishes

Take notes to help you with your song creation

OUTSIDE (INSPIRATION / IDEAS) 9:45-10:15AM

The Marshmallow Experiment and Delayed Gratification

“…a seemingly simple experiment devised by Walter Mischel to test will power: put a kid in a room with a marshmallow, and tell her if she can resist eating it for 15 minutes, she can have 2 marshmallows. It turns out the kids who could wait were much more likely to be successful as adults. “- RadioLab.org – Your Future in a Marshmallow

• Two sources for more information on your success and delayed gratification
• Radio Lab
  • RadioLab.org – Your Future in a Marshmallow
  • Listen from 5:00 to 16:25 minutes
  • Take notes
• This American Life
  • This American Life podcast Back to School
  • Listen to Act 1 from minute 3:45 to 37:00.  Then skip to Act 2 from 43:00 until the end.
  • Take notes
• The Best Marshmallow Test on YouTube –Theo – Ten Minutes! Ten Minutes! Ten Minutes!!!!
• Take notes on important steps to help you succeed
• Go for a walk and think about what this video meant to you.
• Journal here about that. The more detail the better.

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM\

LAB (THEORY PRACTICED) 10:15-11:15AM

Explore the tutorials for your collaborative composition and work on your final composition.

Explore SpeedSongWriting.com resources

• From Idea to Song: How Storyboard Templates Can Revolutionize Your Songwriting Process

Write a reflection on what you learned.

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM\

LUNCH 11:15-11:45AM

STUDIO (SONGWRITING) 11:45-12:45PM

Compose another vertical slice, 8 to 12 measures of a verse or chorus or bridge

• This is a solo activity
• At least 3 tracks
• All work needs to be student-original, no loops or samples
• Include audio effects to at least one track
• Include a vocal track using one of the class microphones
• You will save the audio file under the CONTROL ROOM section with a screenshot of the tracks.
• You will share with the class during the STAGE part of the day

Write a reflection on what you did with “STUDIO” time today.

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM

CONTROL ROOM (RECORDING & MIXING) 12:45-1:45PM

Finish the vocal and audio effects project and have ready to share with the class during the STAGE part of the day.

Embed your VERTICAL SLICE mp3 composition here. This should include multiple tracks of one song section like a verse, chorus, bridge, etc. …

Take a screenshot of your tracks by holding down COMMAND (the Windows key) + SHIFT + 4 keys at the same time and drag over the area you want to take a picture. The screenshot will be on your desktop.

Embed the screenshot in this section of the blog post.

Write a reflection on the key topics of your musical verticle slice.

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM\

OUTSIDE (INSPIRATION / IDEAS) 1:45-2PM

The Secret of Musical Imposters by Cameron at Venus Theory on YouTube

Take notes on important steps to help you succeed

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM\

STAGE (SHARE) 2-2:30PM

We will listen to some microphone recordings.

Reflect on what you heard from other students today.

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM

FINAL PROJECT ACTIVITY UPDATE

Final Rubric (Google Docs) (20 Points)

Write a couple of sentences as an update about what you completed on your ‘afternoon’ song project in this blog post section.

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

Tell your daily story here!  Highlight what you learned and enjoyed most and at least one problem you solved. Problem-solving is one of the most important skills you need in life. Employers want to know HOW you get stuff done as much as WHAT you get done.

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM\

TODAY’s ACTIVITY EVALUATION

• Give feedback on the class Content and Process
  • Participation will be part of your leadership project due at the end of the course
• Fill in the Daily Activity Evaluation

THEATER (DOCUMENTARY & HISTORY) 2:30-3:00PM

Watch RUMBLE: THE INDIANS WHO ROCKED THE WORLD

CLASS RESOURCES:

• Mr. Le Duc, sleduc@osd.wednet.edu
• Mr. Disston, gdisston@osd.wednet.edu
• Class web page, https://capitalcomtech.info/summerschool
• ‘Rooms’ Schedule Sheet 
• MusicWill.org
• Practice Log
• Professional Quotient Rubric
• Atomic Habits Resources

SUMMARY

Timeline: Practiced with guitar, did some studying on music history (Smells Like Teen Spirit)

Topics: Practice and inspiration, productivity, major projects.

PRACTICE ROOM (LESSONS) 8:30-9AM

Practice your instrument…

• Watch The 7 LEVELS of Seven Nation Army
• Watch Jens Larsen: 7 Guitar Skills That Pay Off Forever (10:07)
• Watch Rhett Shull: 5 Things I Wish I Knew As A Beginner Guitarist (13:42)
• ReadHow to Practice Guitar Chords: Exercises, Tips, and Advice
  • –
    • Image embedded from guitargearfinder.com

Write a few key things you learned and which videos you learned from today.

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM\

CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS) 9-9:45AM

masterclass.com/classes/st-vincent-teaches-creativity-and-songwriting

Notes: Near the beginning she talked a bit about the creative process and some of the equipment she uses, and I liked how she talked about, to put it in school friendly terms, “mess around, get around” as a way of learning new instruments and making new pieces of music. After the first couple of minutes I kinda tuned out because I didn’t find the content of the video interesting or relevent to what I was working on, and went back to work on my own practice projects.

1. Meet Your Instructor: St. Vincent a.k.a. Annie Clark
Annie Clark, who performs under the name St. Vincent, welcomes you. She shares songwriting, guitar, and performance tips, and how to approach the world as a creative person.

2. Nun Mode: Discipline in the Creative Process
Annie shows you how joy and discipline can converge in your creative practice.

3. Every Song Needs an Epiphany
Learn how Annie creates emotional journeys in songwriting. She also explores songs by Nirvana and Leonard Cohen that have been important to her.

4. Basic Tools for Bedroom Composing
Annie shows you the setup she uses to write and record most of her music before she enters a professional recording studio.

OUTSIDE (INSPIRATION / IDEAS) 9:45-10:15AM

Listen to Brian Eno explain Scenius and the need for creative communities.

The whole idea I got from this was how communities come together to build skills

LAB (THEORY PRACTICED) 10:15-11:15AM

I spent this period practicing with the guitar.

LUNCH 11:15-11:45AM

STUDIO (SONGWRITING) 11:45-12:45PM

Final Collaboration Composition Project

Final Rubric (Google Docs) (20 Points)

• Embedded screenshot of all tracks with track titles showing who did what at the top of Day 14 Blog Post
• Embedded MP3 file at the top of Day 14 Blog Post
• 90 seconds up to 4 minutes in length
• Have an identifiable song structure; verse, chorus, bridge, etc.
• Foundation – The instruments that provide the groove or pulse of the song – usually drums and bass
• Pad – Long sustaining notes that glue the mix elements together – usually organ, electric piano, strings, guitar power chords
• Rhythm – The instruments that provide motion to the song – usually percussion, rhythm guitar
• Lead – The focal point of the song – usually lead vocal, lead, or solo instrument
• Fill – The instruments that fill in the spaces between the lead phrases – usually solo instruments, background vocals
• Mixed with an attempt to have a balance of sound level volume consistent throughout the recording, not one sound excessively louder or quieter than another

Today, compose a vertical slice, 8 to 12 measures of a verse or chorus, or bridge, of a song section with multiple tracks, or as we state, a VERTICAL SLICE, and save the audio file under the CONTROL ROOM section with a screenshot of the tracks.

CONTROL ROOM (RECORDING & MIXING) 12:45-1:45PM

Took a nap for a bit near the beginning, spent a lot of time today during the periods (including this one) switching between practicing with the guitar by following along the main video series i’ve been using (Link) and studying the song “Smells like teen spirit” because I found it compelling, i’ve watched a few videos about it which I thought were insightful, but as i’m getting into the afternoon my energy is kinda tanking (despite the fact I just had lunch) and i’m still learning how to play the guitar so I don’t really know how to make music yet, so i’ll be spending some more time today and tommorow

Embed your VERTICAL SLICE mp3 composition here. This should include multiple tracks of one song section, like a verse, chorus, bridge, etc. …

Take a screenshot of your tracks by holding down the COMMAND + SHIFT + 4 keys at the same time and dragging over the area you want to take a picture of. The screenshot will be on your desktop.

Embed the screenshot in this section of the blog post.

Write a reflection on the key topics of your musical VERTICAL SLICE.

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM\

OUTSIDE (INSPIRATION / IDEAS) 1:45-2PM

• Reflection: Motivation is a lie, the important thing is to lock in on having a set schedule, where you do the best you can do to make progress, even if ya don’t feel great, because starting and going at it is the best way to get going or something i’m tired as hell lol.

STAGE (SHARE) 2-2:30PM

We will work on MusicWill.org materials when ‘on stage’.

This is the performance room for sharing and playing together.

Reflect on which instrument you picked and what we played today.

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM

FINAL PROJECT ACTIVITY UPDATE

I’ve had a hard time moving forward with the project, especially since I was absent yesterday i’m gonna need to also finish my podcast microphone project, so I wasn’t able to make much progress. Today i’ve mostly been trying to develop my skills with the guitar so i’ll have the skills to put together a song and i’ve been studying older pieces of music (some music from Joan Jett, today I was studying the song Smells Like Teen Spirit) so I can learn what makes a good piece of music, here are my goals for tommorow:

1. first thing in the morning I want to take some time to finish up the microphone project
2. Finish the guitar tutorial series i’ve been following throughout our program
3. attempt to put together a foundation for the song, and/or come up with a clear concept for what I want my final project to be.

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

I had trouble in the afternoon getting work done, so I took a nap for like 10 minutes and felt a bit better and was able to write some stuff in my blog.

one thing I learned (partially from this problem): Personally, I tend to be a bit more productive towards the beginning/middle of the day, and as the day goes along, roughly right around lunch time my productivity drops and I start to get sleepy, so my plan for the future is to focus on more energy intensive tasks in the morning (fixing problems, microphone project or the music final project, anything that takes lots of focus) and put more easy automatic work towards the end of the day (guitar practice, making tweaks to existing works, ect).

TODAY’s ACTIVITY EVALUATION

• Give feedback on the class Content and Process
  • Participation will be part of your leadership project due at the end of the course
• Fill in the Daily Activity Evaluation

THEATER (DOCUMENTARY & HISTORY) 2:30-3PM

Watch RUMBLE: THE INDIANS WHO ROCKED THE WORLD

Citation: “‘Ring and Spring’ Microphones” by jschneid is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

Summary

Recorded my voice in a variety of microphones to figure out which one fitted the best, this project made me more familiar with the audio production process by using microphones, editing audio, and exporting + uploading audio files to a seperate source.

Microphone Audition Podcast

My Favorite Microphone

My favorite microphone was the Sennheiser e609 because it had the most clearity compared to the other microphones.

Info Below Copied from Capital Comtech Website:

Sennheiser e609

• The e609 is a super-cardioid dynamic microphone
• Designed for recording guitar cabinets face-on and extremely close to the source
• Provides isolation from other onstage signals
• Also suitable for recording drums, especially toms
• Read more: http://recordinghacks.com/microphones/Sennheiser/e906
• Watch the overview video for guitar amp recording

Terms and Concepts

• Microphones
  • Dynamic – The sound waves themselves create the electrical signal by moving the membrane diaphragm of the microphone. Very popular and very well known. It is good for the low and middle range, NOT the high range.
  • Condenser – The membrane has an electrical current that waits for sound. When the sound waves hit it, it responds instantly. They are all over the place, but they need an electrical charge {amplifier} from something {battery}.
• Polar Patterns
  • Omni – Picks sound up from all directions equally. This is used for interviews because it can pick up more than one person, without having to have two separate mics.
  • Cardioid – Picks up one half of the microphone, also known as a ‘directional mic’. Most sensitive in the front, about 180 degrees. Shaped like a heart.
  • Bi-directional – ‘Figure of 8’, picks the front and behind of the mic, but the 90-degree angle on both sides does not get picked up.
• Transduction – Converts one form of energy to another.
• Voltage – An electric force or a potential difference shown in volts.
• Phantom Power – Activates the condenser in a microphone. DC powered mostly between 12 and 48 DC voltages.
• Sensitivity – Voltage at its known sound level. It can be called by its voltage or decibels. A higher number indicates greater sensitivity; most values are negative. Sound pressure.
• Frequency Response – The range of sound the microphone can produce and how sensitive it is within the range. You want it nice and flat.
• Transient – A variation in current, voltage, or frequency.
• Placement – Placement of the microphone is key; depending on the sounds you want, it can just be the distance from you or the instrument from the microphone. This part of the microphone can affect others emotionally in a way to connect with the audience.
• Proximity Effect – Decreased sensitivity to low mics, which reduces background noise and vibration, and counteracts when used very close to the source.
• Output – A place where the sound leaves the system.
• Characteristics – This is the Relative Response and Frequency measured in a Hertz graph to show how good or bad the microphone is. This can show the quality of the mic.
• Noise Rating – The signal (sound source) to noise ratio measured in decibels (dB). Noise is any sound in the background you don’t want. Electricity vibrates at 60dB, so you want the ratio of the signal and noise to be higher than that. Preferably 90dB or higher.
• Hardware
  • Clips – A clip is something that you use to hold a microphone on something (for example, a stand), but using the wrong kind of clip can affect the performance; make sure it is tight so it has the correct effect.
  • Stands – This ties in with a clip; this is what the clip will connect to. This keeps the microphone towards the object you want to hear without having to hold it or keep it still.
  • Windscreen – Something that covers and protects the microphone, mostly a foamy material.
  • Direct Box – A device used to connect an instrument directly to the audio mixer.

What I Learned and Problems I Solved

What I learned: How to edit audio in an audio software (making cuts and managing audio levels), how to export and upload audio files.

What I struggled with: Emotional pain. I have problems with the way my voice sounds because of gender dysphoria, this made the project emotionally straining for me, but with help from my teachers and by taking breaks I was able to finally finish the project. in the future if I have a problem like this again where emotional issues are getting in the way of a project, i’ll try to take breaks as a way of reducing stress while working on the project.

RESOURCES FOR THE CLASS

• Mr. Le Duc, sleduc@osd.wednet.edu
• Mr. Disston, gdisston@osd.wednet.edu
• Class web page, https://capitalcomtech.info/summerschool
• ‘Rooms’ Schedule Sheet 
• MusicWill.org
• Practice Log
• Professional Quotient Rubric
• Atomic Habits Resources

SUMMARY

1. Timeline progression: Midpoint of the program.

2. Major topics covered: Goal planning strategies/resources (“The Half Year Reset” activity, video tutorials), research (Music history via studying Jett Joan), and practice (learning strumming technique, building a song list I can practice with and use for inspiration.)

PRACTICE ROOM (LESSONS) 8:30-9AM

• Watch Paul Davids: 8 Things I regret not doing when learning guitar (10:00)
• Watch Essential Hand Stretches For Guitarists or Any Instrumentalist
• Continue Justin’s 117 Free Lessons YouTube Playlist
  • Justin explains 3 Types of Songs You Should Practice (To Play Guitar Better)
• Want a bigger challenge? Complete Jake Lizzio’s 5 blues guitar tutorials
• Embed a YouTube video link or links you watched (Just one is fine)
• Write a few key things you learned and which videos you learned from today

Video:

Reflection: Choosing songs to play in order to practice, particularly by catagorizing them as “campfire”, “developer” and “dreamer” songs can help make the process of practice more engaging, since you’ll have a goal you’re trying to achieve.

I’m going to make a google doc song list with pieces that fit into the song categories of “campfire,” “developer,” and “dreamer,” that I can use for my own practice/goals.

CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS) 9-9:45AM

Watch The Half Year Reset: how to turn your year around by Struthless on YouTube

• List:
  • The Half-Year Reset PDF

Pick one song from below, watch, and write a reflection

• ExploreHolistic Songwriting’s Artist Series
  • EXAMPLE: How Billie Eilish Writes A Song
• ExploreGenius’ Songs Deconstructed Series
  • EXAMPLE: The Making Of Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” With YoungKio | Deconstructed
• Explore Rick Beato’s What Makes This Song Great Series
  • EXAMPLE: What Makes This Song Great? Stairway to Heaven Recording Techniques
• Embed a YouTube video link or links you watched
• Write a reflection on the key topics that got your attention

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM

OUTSIDE (INSPIRATION / IDEAS) 9:45-10:15AM

• Read Mike Errico’s What The Brain Likes and Music (It’s a text file in the folder and also an audio file to listen to, if you want) (15 minute listening experience)
• Go for a walk and think about what this video meant to you.
• Embed a YouTube video link or links you watched
• Journal here about that. The more detail, the better

Reflection: From The video the main thing I got from it was that, in order to make a compelling piece of music, it’s better to describe the experience of a feeling (the environment, the thoughts, the context of the feeling) instead of the just the feeling itself.

(EG: “I’m sad because I found my dead dog in the kitchen” isn’t as compelling as “crumpled down to the kitchen floor, tears in my eyes, at the foot of my dear dead doberman.”)

LAB (THEORY PRACTICED) 10:15-11:15AM

For The most part I spent this period looking for inspiration online, looking up songs to add to my songlist with the goal of practicing them to develop my skills on guitar, i’m planning on doing more guitar practice in the afternoon after lunch.

LUNCH 11:15-11:45AM

STUDIO (SONGWRITING) 11:45-12:45PM

Masterclass Article

• Read and write a few notes about the Masterclass.com 10 Songwriting Tips

Oblique Strategies Cards by Brian Eno

• About the cards
• Cards as a webpage
• Amazon

Holistic Songwriter

Pick one from below, watch, and write a reflection

• Watch Holistic Songwriting: Songwriting Corner
• Watch Holistic Songwriting: Songwriting Exercises (you do not need the cards)
• Watch Holistic Songwriting: 5 Minute Lessons (you do not need the cards)
• Embed a YouTube video link or links you watched
• Write what was most interesting to you

Music Machine Songwriting “System”

• https://www.makemusicyourlife.com/automatic-music-machine
• https://www.makemusicyour.life/enrollments
• https://trello.com/b/LRMbfkCJ/insert-your-names-music-machine
• Mike’s Trello Board: https://trello.com/b/VwqHYicu/mike-mondays-music-machine
• Le Duc’s Guerilla Creating, Recording, Performing, and Song Publishing Milestones (Google Sheets)

Write what was most interesting to you.

I spent most of the time in this period trying to practice some guitar, but couldn’t really focus because Distten was dong a lesson on song writing I think but I wasn’t interested, but the noise was still distracting so I couldn’t focus on working with my guitar, so I ended up doing some research into some Music History, particularly looking into the artist Jett Joan since I thought some of her songs were interesting

CONTROL ROOM (RECORDING & MIXING) 12:45-1:45PM

Pick one from below, watch, and write a reflection

• Watch Clark Eagling: Soundtrap tutorial 5 – Arranging the song, Mixing and adding effects
• Watch all five videos in the playlist, if you are interested.
• Use Soundtrap Support (Effects and Mixing)
• Search for other creative people online using Soundtrap and see how they are using it, like Swick’s Classroom Recreating Chainsmokers on Soundtrap.
• Embed a YouTube video link or links you watched
• Write a reflection on the key topics that grabbed your attention

Reflection: I spent the period following the 2nd video of Kevin Nicken’s guitar lesson series (the “second guitar lesson”) and mainly I learned how to count when strumming, and I was also able to improve on my strumming technique aswell.

OUTSIDE (INSPIRATION / IDEAS) 1:45-2PM

Mostly took a break and walked around, not much happened, was nice to go outside and take in the air though.

STAGE (SHARE) 2-2:30PM

The class analyzed a piece of music, I didn’t participate much in the conversation but here are my thoughts on the piece: I thought the song was a bit long, kinda dragged on a bit, it also felt a bit one note, not enough development, could use some more variation or contrast (i’m starting to realize I seem to highly value contrast in most of the music I like).

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

I learned how to count when strumming and I started putting together a list of songs for inspiration and practice purposes.

Learning how to strum/count strumming has helped me with developing my skills in becoming proficient with the guitar, and putting together a songlist has helped me find inspiration in what I want to work on, and I can practice the songs to practice my skills on the guitar.

TODAY’s ACTIVITY EVALUATION

• Give feedback on the class Content and Process
  • Participation will be part of your leadership project due at the end of the course
• Fill in the Daily Activity Evaluation

THEATER (DOCUMENTARY & HISTORY) 2:30-3PM

It Might Get Loud

RESOURCES FOR THE CLASS

• Mr. Le Duc, sleduc@osd.wednet.edu
• Mr. Disston, gdisston@osd.wednet.edu
• Class web page, https://capitalcomtech.info/summerschool
• ‘Rooms’ Schedule Sheet 
• MusicWill.org
• Practice Log
• Professional Quotient Rubric
• Atomic Habits Resources

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM

SUMMARY

1. Timeline progression (beginning, middle, end, other details)
2. Major topics covered: Thing A, Thing B, Thing C.

We covered some psychological elements of music, the creation process, and more technical aspects like chord progression and such.

during practice I worked on: Chords (practiced a D chord), Songwriting (attempting composition and looking for inspiration), and Objectives (figuring out my goals and what I should do going forward).

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM

PRACTICE ROOM (LESSONS) 8:30-9AM

Watch Mary Spender: Powerful advice from 10 Professional Musicians you need to hear (14:15)

Start his 117 Free Lessons YouTube Playlist

Start the series of videos, follow his directions, and check out his website, justinguitar.com.

Reflection: Looked up the linked playlist and I watched the video about playing a D chord and tried practicing the D chord, I don’t feel too confident in playing chords yet but at least I think I know a bit more about hand placement when playing chords.

• Screenshot from JustinGuitar.comBe curious about Justin’s lessons.
• Mr. Le Duc considers him the best beginning guitar teacher online. He’s not the only one that thinks this.  Check out some of the celebrity endorsements at justinguitar.com.

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM

CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS) 9-9:45AM

Song Exploder and U2 songwriting

Link to the episode

Write your reflection here…

How to Scare a Mouse and Soing Structure

Mr. Le Duc shared a passage from the book Hit Makers by Derek Thompson, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30901608-hit-makers

It highlighted the patterns that people and mice need to reset their attention. Here are screenshots of the passage.

Write your reflection here…

Holistic Songwriting by Friedemann Findeisen

Write your reflection here…

An Example: The Swift Formula – One Note Melodies

• • Pick a video essay from Holistic Songwriting’s Artist Series and watch it.

Write a reflection on the key topics that got your attention.

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM

OUTSIDE (INSPIRATION / IDEAS) 9:45-10:15AM

Watch Jane McGonigal: The game that can give you 10 extra years of life.  (20 minutes)

Go for a walk and think about what this video meant to you.

Journal here about that. The more detail the better!

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM

LAB (THEORY PRACTICED) 10:15-11:15AM

Explore the tutorials (but you do not need to watch all of them – just pick what looks interesting to you) from the:

• Video Links:
  • Songwriting Series. (4 videos)
  • Lyrics to music videos (2 videos)

Reflection: I watched one of the first videos about chord progression, and the main thing I learned was that I could change the way the chords sounded to give them a different feel using the tools in Hoodpad, I could also put two or more chords together in a group in a way (I don’t know the official term for it) for smoother transitions or other things.

I’ve been having trouble sleeping recently, i’ve been kinda falling asleep during class and it’s been affecting my work, thought i’d make a note of it and jot down a plan for how to deal with it when I go home today: I’ll ask my mom what I can do for dinner and go to sleep as soon as possible, and i’ll probably just try to wake up in the middle of the night after getting to bed by around like 7 or something.

LUNCH 11:15-11:45AM

STUDIO (SONGWRITING) 11:45-12:45PM

Watch Holistic Songwriting: Do THIS with every song you write | Hit Song Architect S1E3

Explore Song Writing “Systems”

• Le Duc’s Guerilla Creating, Recording, Performing, and Song Publishing Milestones (Google Sheets)
• https://www.makemusicyourlife.com/automatic-music-machine
• https://www.makemusicyour.life/enrollments
• https://trello.com/b/LRMbfkCJ/insert-your-names-music-machine
• Mike’s Trello Board: https://trello.com/b/VwqHYicu/mike-mondays-music-machine

I attempted to do some composition work in hoodpad but didn’t find much success, I was able to put together a melody (I don’t know if that’s the right word)

CONTROL ROOM (RECORDING & MIXING) 12:45-1:45PM

Watch Clark Eagling: Soundtrap tutorial 5 – Arranging the song, Mixing and adding effects

Watch all five videos in the playlist, if you are interested.

Reflection: I wasn’t finding much success with composition so I ended up deciding to do some research online about music and history to find some inspiration for my composition work.

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM

OUTSIDE (INSPIRATION / IDEAS) 1:45-2PM

RadioLab podcast Behaves So Strangely 

Write your reflection here…

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM

STAGE (SHARE) 2-2:30PM

We will work on MusicWill.org materials when ‘on stage’.

This is the performance room for sharing and playing together.

Reflect on which instrument you picked and what we played today.

DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS DETAILED ABOVE AFTER COMPLETING THEM

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

I didn’t have any real technical problems today, mainly my issues have been psychologically based, that being exhaustion from issues with sleep and confusion with focus on song writing.

For my issues with sleep I was struggling to pay attention and get work done in the morning, which is somewhat to be expected since i’ve never been a morning person and tend to struggle with mentally straining tasks in the morning, but it’s been becoming a problem to the point that i’ve been kinda falling asleep in the middle of class and missing out on sections of instruction.

To address my issues with sleep during the day i’ve tried the 10 minute nap method Le duc suggested, which was somewhat effective but I think I was so exhausted that the method didn’t work to fully address the issue, so I tried drinking an energy drink I had in my bag and that seemed to work much better, so my current solution is this:

in the short term, if i’ve having issues with staying awake and focused during work, i’ll just make sure to pack an energy drink in my bag and drink it to give me some easy energy to get through the day, but in the long term i”ll focus on fixing sleep schedule so I can avoid the issue before it becomes a problem.

Next i’ll cover my song writing issue, which extends out to my more general issue of focus: During the afternoon indepent work time I kinda trailed off on hookpad by putting together somewhat of a composition but I got stuck after a bit and couldn’t find a direction to go in, mainly (and i’m pretty sure this was actually mentioned by Leduc at one point) I didn’t have a clear idea of what idea or feeling I was trying to convey with the music, so it ended up feeling hallow because I didn’t have a real objective with what I was doing and I was kinda just messing about in the program.

My current solution: looking up inspiration online from other songs or media to come up with an objective for what i’m making.

So far i’ve had the idea of going into a video game music direction, likely going for something like boss fight music or some kind of ambience piece.

Now that i’m thinking about it I feel like i’m still missing a focus on what exactly my goals for the class are currently, so i’m gonna spend more time figuring out what I want to accomplish with the time we have left.

Currently the main things i’m thinking of focusing on are
1. learning more basics of using the guitar (I think I somewhat understand strings and tuning works, so I’ll move onto trying to play chords and hopefully pursue playing some piece of music, whether it be of my own creation or someone else’s, since I want to be able to show that I can actually do something interesting once i’m done with the program.)

2. Songwriting, I’ve been messing about in hookpad a lot so I think I wanna spend more time figuring out how to put together a piece of music, probably working on things like rhythem and melody or whatever (I still feel like i’m missing a level of understanding of how to put together a song even if we’ve gone over a few things, the terminology and ideas still don’t make sense on a beginner level) and hopefully i’ll be able to put together some piece of music by the end of the program, likely something very short, like somewhere between 2 minutes to 30 seconds.

TODAY’s ACTIVITY EVALUATION

• Give feedback on the class Content and Process
  • Participation will be part of your leadership project due at the end of the course
• Fill in the Daily Activity Evaluation

THEATER (DOCUMENTARY & HISTORY) 2:30-3PM

It Might Get Loud