Over the past two years as a music student, I have taken part in a multitude of projects and completed a great deal of work. Here, I will highlight areas in which I have succeeded and areas in which I can improve, and how that has impacted my decision in choosing a final project. In the below image, I have created a mind map displaying projects from the current academic year and what skills have been developed through each one.
In Project One, I played a part in the production of a live event for the first time, which allowed me to take on responsibility within group work as, at multiple points, I was in a leadership position, helping guide others and organise effectively. With the BCB Radio interview, in support of the marketing campaign for our live event, I also managed to exercise my public speaking ability and gain experience in relaying information in a professional setting.
With Project Two, we covered a wide range of activities, including rehearsal and performance of a jazz setlist, completing UCAS applications, and learning how to use projection mapping. The UCAS applications opened my eyes to the potential of studying at university and helped me become a more accomplished writer, whereas playing jazz has taught me how to be a more accomplished bassist, understanding new concepts and playing techniques. The projection mapping side of the project was excellent in that I was starting fresh with new technology I had never encountered; this was a great challenge but one I enjoyed, as I am always looking to learn more and explore different creative mediums.
Lastly, we have Project Three. This was a project in which I had to write an academic essay with a minimum 1,500 words. I am now the most comfortable with writing – particularly in an extended academic setting – but I learned a lot regardless, including accurate Harvard referencing, the importance of structured plans within written work, and how to identify reliable and appropriate sources. This work will assist in future projects undertaken at university level, let alone throughout the remainder of my current course.
With regards to areas for improvement, I have not only looked at past work, but I have considered what skills/abilities I would need to complete my final project successfully. I plan to build an electric guitar from scratch. As this is a project requiring the use of machinery and tools, I will need to improve my health & safety awareness; I haven’t considered this a great deal on the course, other than a small part of planning the live event in Project One, so I will need to take great care in my research here.
I will also have to be incredibly organised if I am to achieve success. I have had to be organised in previous projects, but not to the extent in which I will need now. To become more organised, I will be more proactive in setting realistic targets within clearly defined timeframes, and reviewing said targets in order to stay on top of my workload and not become overwhelmed. This experience will help me become more successful when planning future projects, and give me great experience in tackling certain time-restricted challenges.
Finally, I want to mention research. Throughout my music education I have completed research, but the depth at which I will be researching will be greater than ever before due to the amount of new information I will have to find and take in. I want to improve my researching skills to ensure I am confident in such a thing when moving on to higher education. To achieve this, I will be looking at more varied resources, verifying sources by fact-checking and finding alternatives with supporting information, as well as contacting industry professionals in the hopes of learning directly from those with a wealth of experience.