The Judges Committee has awarded this submission

EXCELLENCE IN DIGITAL MUSIC

PROJECT SUMMARY

Back in November of 2021, our school hosted a virtual music festival. There, participants learned all about music, from theory to production. With what I learned, I made a small song.

WHY?

I’ve always been interested in music in one form or another. When the Virtual Music Festival came around, I was in my EDM phase, and I wanted to learn how to create sick beats and nice melodies on my own. The Festival provided me with the perfect opportunity to step into the realm of music.

HOW?

Using the DAW Soundbridge (yeah, the free one) and any virtual instruments I could scrounge up that didn’t cost a penny, I was able to play around with a variety of sounds on a dishwasher’s budget. Oh, and I guess I also tested some things on a cheap, 61 key-keyboard that I have since gotten rid of.

WHAT?

If anything, I found out that making music is no easy feat: the most essential part, the melody, takes a long time to come up with, and everything on top of that just scales in difficulty.

My prototype, uh, plays music when, like, you hit the play button. Pretty wicked right?

Song

SO WHAT?

Since before I can remember I was listening to music (yep, I was one of those kids), from the radio to classical CDs my parents practically fed me with. As much as I had enjoyed listening, I never got the feeling of pride and accomplishment I got from making my own song back in November, and I think that it was a starting point for me to really become a musician, a path I had never considered before, but that seems perfect now.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Looking back, the song I made sucks: it has at most three instruments playing together, the melody is repetitive and uninspiring, and the harmonies are about as lush as a desert. Granted, this was my first time, and I know a lot more about music now than I did back then. If I could muster the motivation, I would throw the chorus melody into an abrupt – but very much needed – middle section where the melody would transform into variation after variation, with “left hand” countermelodies and counterpoint implementing another level of complexity. I would also revise my instrumentation, and add decorations, texture and some good old fashioned ear-candy to make the song more interesting to listen to.

REFERENCES & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Virtual Music Festival was organized by ASA’s music program and also the STEAM program, so huge thanks to everyone who worked behind the scenes to make it happen. I’ve got to thank all the teachers and experts who gave me the guidance I needed to create my song. Special shoutouts to the artist F-777 for some tips about synthesizers, and to that-one-girl-whose-name-I-forgot who played that-one-song-whose-name-I-can’t-pronounce that inspired the melody for my piece. Couldn’t have done it without you guys!

JUDGES FEEDBACK

Very descriptive submission about your project. While the song is undoubtedly short, the piece is interestingly enough composed that I felt lifted to another place before the end of it. I commend you on your ability to apply what you learn during various school events and hope that you will continue to compose music.

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