Thinking about the process and product of your Capstone, reflect upon what you are most proud of and what you might do differently if you were to complete a similar project in the future.
Over the course of my capstone production and creation, I have become extremely proud of the performance itself and how well each one of the quartet members played. I believe that the songs we performed sounded amazing, and (more importantly) we got some enjoyment out of it. Yet, that isn't what I was most proud of. When thinking back, I am the most proud of being able to perform something completely new and different than most capstone projects. In terms of orchestra, most capstone projects are limited to the 1st Violin, Viola, or Cello (and sometimes, even the bass). I could use this common conception and counter it by explaining the true importance of the 2nd Violin.
One thing I would definitely like to change about my capstone project is how I chose to organize the practices, as well as my overall leadership skills. Being a 2nd Violin means that organizing and leading practices/performances isn’t exactly a common task for me, making it a challenge to lead a group using that part. For any future projects similar to this, I would make more thoroughly planned practices with more emphasis on connecting all the parts together.
Despite the fact that there are some parts of the project that I would like to correct, I definitely still enjoyed composing and performing every bit of it.
Explain how your life experiences are reflected through your project.
When I started playing in the orchestra back in 5th grade, I played the Viola. Although I really enjoyed it, I ultimately ended up switching to the Violin. The Viola didn’t really suit my playing style or my skill level (and also the quartet that I desperately wanted to join only needed a 2nd Violin). Learning to play the Violin through the end of middle school and throughout all of high school was very delightful, especially since I was with my friends in the nearby sections. I also began to understand and love the 2nd Violin part and its small nuances that make the overall sound much more complete and interesting.
As time went on, I started to get much better at the Violin - better to the point where Mr. Hutchins noticed the improvement, and switched me to 1st Violin. This may seem like a good opportunity for me, since I would theoretically be able to use the more challenging music to improve further. However, after playing the 1st Violin, I can confidently say that it is not for me - there is too much pressure to get one’s part right, only to play the same repetitive melody over and over again. I then immediately transferred back to 2nd Violin, and locked myself in that section. When I became a senior and the Fine Arts Capstone then became an option for me, I knew that I could use it as an opportunity to relay this enlightenment and took advantage of it.
Thinking about the Extra-curricular hours you completed, reflect upon what you learned through the experiences and/or how you have been impacted as an artist?
A huge chunk of the time that I spent on the arts outside of class was on quartet practices and performances (Solo & Ensemble). This, along with playing with the orchestra as a whole, was what triggered my enormous love for the 2nd Violin. As I talked about in my Capstone performance, quartet music is of a much higher caliber than standard orchestral music, and puts an emphasis on all parts being equally as important. This meant that working with my friends on practicing songs for Solo & Ensemble was both enjoyable and productive.
When it came to performances, we could display our hard work and dedication to this music, and be overjoyed at the ratings we received (there was even one year where we were able to get an Excellent on a rather difficult quartet piece - Quartet no. 8 by Dmitri Shostakovich). All of this happening outside of school hours made it feel like I was improving at an accelerated pace compared to others. I could sight-read very well, I could follow dynamics with a smaller group very well, and I could fit my sound into the niche I belonged to in the orchestra.
How is your life positively impacted by the arts?
Words cannot describe the impact that the arts have had on my life. From the beginning of middle school onward, the arts have served dually as a means to meet other people and enjoy their company and as an outlet for any hardships that I was going through. Orchestra classes have brought me closer to my true interests (like all forms of music, whether it be classical or rock) and have brought me closer to the people who share my true interests. In the past, there have been situations where it was difficult to get through the day without feeling really sad for upsetting things out of my control. When I would go to orchestra, however, both Mr. Hutchins and my friends in that class (Maddy and Audrey) would immediately make me feel much better and even make me laugh from saying goofy stuff.
There are also some indirect aspects of the arts that greatly impacted my life. For example, some routine-based items that had to be done outside of school (like keeping grades up to attend orchestra events and keeping track of rehearsing my music with practice logs) helped me improve on maintaining homework/daily work completion. Without developing the skill of simply setting time aside for necessary tasks, I would not be as successful as I am in high school. Additionally, learning the importance of all parts (including non-main parts) has led me to be much more observant and watchful in my daily life.
Overall, the arts have greatly impacted my life, and they will continue to teach me valuable life lessons and skills.
How do you plan to include artistic experiences in your future after high school?
As I move on to college and adulthood as a whole, I want to keep the enjoyment of having fun on various instruments with my friends, and therefore the arts will still be a tremendous portion of my life - but not in a consistent form. In college, I will (hopefully) attend more orchestra classes to continue my education on the importance of all parts in music. If I am unable to do so, I am still going to continue playing my Violin independently (or with the quartet) to keep a good hold on the skill itself. Additionally, I will continue to play my guitar (another instrument I have picked up to be in a group) to keep improving at it and simply to just have fun playing awesome music with my awesome friends.
What advice would you give an incoming freshmen about studying the arts to help them make the most of their experiences while in high school?
To those who are interested in the arts when entering high school and aren’t already participating in fine arts classes, I would highly recommend joining any sort of musical/visual arts class, especially one as large as Band or Orchestra. Even if you don’t pick the right instrument to learn and it doesn’t interest you, its completely fine. You can simply try out another one and see if it works for you. Also, joining a large group means that you can find people that have similar interests as you, and have fun playing music!