| Candidate Name: Abigail Swift |
| Candidate Number: 10626680 |
| Pathway: Level 3 Music Performance and Production |
| Project Title: Production and Songwriting |
| Section 1: Rationale (approx. 100 words) |
| Before this course started, I knew almost nothing about music production and songwriting. I was confident in my performance abilities as a drummer and I had lots of experience of this before joining the course. I had some experience in music technology and setting up stages for live performances, but not lots. After joining the course, I learnt more about setting up performances, like how to use PA systems professionally. In project two, I learnt how to use Logic and midi keyboards, and learnt lots about music theory. These things inspired me to do songwriting and production for this final project as I can still improve on these fields. |
| Section 2: Project Concept (approx. 200 words) |
| The concept of this project is to write and produce two singles. The genre will be hip-hop and lofi influenced, taking inspiration from artists like Osquello, Q-Tip, Logic, MF DOOM and others. I will be working on the songwriting and production side, and I will collaborate with other students to create vocals and lyrics. Working from home and in college, I will be using live and programmed instruments, meaning I need resources like DAWs, midi keyboards, microphones, audio interfaces, drums, guitars and basses for these singles. I will use other skills like promotion to get a small following before they are released. I will present these songs by releasing them onto streaming platforms like YouTube and Soundcloud, even Spotify and Apple Music, depending on the time limit. For context, I will be looking at the history of hip-hop and Lofi, analysing songs from these genres to gain knowledge on how to produce a hip-hop/lofi track, and how the project and genre are relevant to today’s music industry. I will research how to improve on DAWs, putting production tips into the songs, learning how to professionally mix and master music, and how to release songs onto streaming platforms using a distributor. |
| Section 3: Evaluation (approx. 50 words) |
| My evaluations will depend on what work I do that week. If I worked on the songs a little during the week, I will evaluate once a week, however, if I work lots on different days, I will evaluate multiple times a week. They will include strengths, improvements and targets, which stay reflective throughout. |
| Proposed Research Sources and Bibliography (Harvard Format) |
| Fowler, M. (n.d). Demystifying Synths [Online course]. Soundfly. Available at: <https://soundfly.com/series/demystifying-synths> Hepworth-Sawyer, R. and Golding, C., (2010). What is music production? [Book]. Taylor & Francis. Jackson, B., and Huang, A. (n.d). Any sound will do [Online course]. Soundfly. Available at: <https://soundfly.com/series/any-sound-will-do> Light, A. et al, (1998). hip-hop | Definition, History, Culture, & Facts. [Online]. Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/art/hip-hop> [Accessed 1 March 2021]. Moez, S. (n.d). Playlists. [Youtube channel]. Youtube. Retrieved 1 March 2021, available at: <https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL81jEcl2bjp0QBKStbr93kGNziviG7AZZ> Owsinski, B., (2016). The music producer’s handbook [Book]. 2nd ed. Hal Leonard. Runstein, R. and Huber, D., (2013). Modern Recording Techniques [Book]. 8th ed. CRC Press. Senior, M., (2014). Mixing secrets for the small studio [Book]. CRC Press. |