Creating an EP About Growing Up In Quarantine

As a teenager growing up in a pandemic, many of the things that I want to do are not currently available; the term “Sweet Sixteen” could not be more false. Meeting my friends takes a week-long process of painful COVID-19 tests. Any public place with more than a few people is off-limits, stores and restaurants close at 8, with no end in sight my hope kept steadily decreasing for the past nine months. I was starting to lose my mind, and the realization that the situation is not going to get better anytime soon stumped me. I realized that one of my many hobbies does not involve human contact in a stroke of luck, making music. I have been making music since I was in 7th grade; I was invested in it, watching tutorial videos for hours on end, attending shows and events with notable artists, and talking to people who are deeply involved with the industry. It started when one of my friends gave me a bootleg copy of Fl Studio, one of the most famous music-making DAWs (Digital Audio Workstation). I was instantly hooked; the pure energy and culture around music caught me straight away, whether it be Freddie Mercury in the 80s or Kanye West dominating the 21st century. I felt that music has and always had no boundaries.

With a mind full of impatience, negativity, boredom, and creativity, I couldn’t think of a better project that I could do. I wanted to create an album with a handful of different songs and skits, but I thought that would be too stretched out, and I was afraid that the project would get stale towards the end. I was looking to try and pack in as much content as I can in a small number of songs; this is why I chose not to select a specific genre for my project, as I think that with different types of music, I can also convey different types of emotions. I decided to create seven songs but go genreless to keep it fresh. My personal project is to learn how to create and produce music and make an EP (Extended Play) about my personal experiences as a teenager growing up in quarantine. While my topic selection is a bit commonly found, I think I can mix things up a little through my music creation.

Expressing these problems through music might be difficult, but I think it will work well since music is relatively easy to understand and relate to. If I create good music, the listener might find ease in enjoying the composition while still getting something meaningful out of it. The method I selected for presenting these issues is fitting, as music is a standard part of pop culture. I think it will have an extensive reach to hopefully express my mind to extend my project’s reach and relatability.

I selected my topic, which is my quarantine experiences because it is a subject that is currently being experienced by the whole world. Everyone from every corner of the world stays home with their loved ones to protect and help the front-liners. By doing this, many people are sacrificing their everyday lives to ease the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, many people are struggling to live in this new environment, stuck in their own homes while not being able to meet their friends and do things with their community. I think that this quarantine is a great way for people to find themselves, catch up on a hobby that people otherwise would not have the time for, or learn a new language, etc.

Global Context

My personal project falls under Personal and Cultural Expression. This global context relates to the importance and nature of creative expression. In my case, I will be expressing my own experiences, thoughts, and feelings through music. My decision on picking music also helps me improve my risk-taking skills because I wasn’t sure that I could complete a project of this caliber. By looking into it, I can highlight the different external and internal issues that lead to their problems.

Product

By the end of January, I created the self care mobile application, Imable. With its principal goal being in support of victims of eating disorders and their journey towards recovery, I had successfully incorporated appropriate self care methods as well as an abundance of credible The thing I love about music is that anyone could pick up an instrument and start making their own songs; you don't even need instruments if you have confidence in your voice. My EP, titled “23 South City Nights”, is my first ever project in which I made songs that follow a certain theme, and as my first ever EP, I am immensely proud of myself for being able to create such a conceptually cohesive project. For a project produced, mastered, and recorded at home, I think it definitely achieved the expectations I had initially, especially those listed in the rubric.

I went through multiple stages in creating this album; first, it was the production; I listened to almost every instrument in my library, everything from trumpets to synthesizers, to try and find something worth noting. Then I went to the songwriting, where I started writing things down at random, everything that annoyed me, anything that made me happy, the songs I listened to recently to try and brainstorm ideas that can fit into my songs. After all that, I finally recorded my vocals and did a bit of mixing, balancing sounds, adding effects to both the vocals and instruments.

Listen to my album below!

Reflection

A personal project is exactly what it means, a project with some sort of meaning to us personally, and I took this seriously. I chose music because I like producing, writing, and making music in general. Whether I upload it online or keep it to myself, I like making music even if nobody tells me to. This is why I think that I chose the correct task for PP, other than the report, I felt like I barely did any work because I enjoyed making music, the feeling of recording and creating something that sounds nice gives me a rush of excitement.

I learned a lot during these past few months, how to mix projects, how to record vocals better, how to sample instruments, etc. Most importantly, I learned that making something I like isn’t easy. Yes, I did enjoy the process of sound design and production, but I felt like a lot of effort has been exerted, which feels weird because when I usually make casual music, I don't really feel tired. When it came to this project, I actually had to plan and design the EP to make sure it did not get off-topic or break any expectations I set at the beginning. The constant burning within me, telling me to “make it better” or “improve it somehow,” is what kept me going.

As a music maker, this project has helped me grow in multiple aspects. First, it helped me become a better music maker; the different errors and problems I encountered were key to me being able to solve them; in return, I became even more knowledgeable in this area. I also grew as an artist; the global context I selected is a great example of this. I was able to express myself in ways I have never shown before, and with this experience, I have learned to become an even better communicator.

IB Learner Reflection

The main learner profile that I exercised for this project was being Knowledgeable. The only reason I was even able to create music was because of the knowledge I gained long before I thought of creating this EP, all the hours of online youtube tutorials, countless conversations with other producer friends, and even a bit of experimenting from my end is what really drove this project to where it is.

Completing this project made me realize that there were other IB-Learner Profiles that I was able to exercise, including being a Risk-Taker. While creating this project, I actually did tens of other projects that could've been a part of my final EP but compared each and every song in my library, and I tried to fit those who I think to relate the most to the concept of the EP. This learning process, through trial and error, experimenting, etc., was a great experience that was able to help me become a better IB-Learner.