The Road to Project Building
A Little Advice and Guidance By The Creator of the Club
Hi, My name is Camron Hughes I created RMCC as a senior in high school. My goal for the club was to meet unique individuals who where passionate, hard working, and doers that shared a similar interest as me: composing music. At the beginning, it didn't matter too much as to what level each person was at in music theory. Then I started to get other ideas into my head or more so the grand idea for the club. That grand idea was to make a group score split into movements that everyone could contribute towards and bounce ideas off of each other. I then began to give somewhat of a basis for writing music to everyone, incorporating some music theory and thematic elements to the process (since writing for a storyline is easier than having nothing to work off of). As to whether or not I was successful with this (I wish I did more) is up to those that were in the club during my senior year.
In any case, the group decided on melodies that fit the storyline and went with it, not knowing how dysfunctional this process was going to be in the first place. I was literally trying to plan for the worst when barely anything had started yet. Like any long-term project, especially in a group environment such as this one, communication became essential in the process. I had to keep people aware of changes in the score, updating different parts, fixing chords, and essentially becoming one of the managers of the club. For those that were in the club at that time, we all had to do this at some point. I felt tired and demotivated. My group had entered the realm of "Mid-Development Hell" and I had been the gatekeeper this whole time without realizing it.
A Thought on Mid-Development Hell
There are probably 5 main stages (or more if you count subsets) to the score writing process (Prerequisite being at least intermediate Music Theory knowledge)
1. Brainstorming and Conceptualization
2. Narrowing of Ideas and Practical Writing
3. Troubleshooting and Preliminary Goal Setting
4a. Revision 1 - Goal 1
4b. Revision 2 - Goal 2
4c. Revision 3 - Goal 3
5. Finalization/Formatting
Any large, creative project can have multiple routes. Sometimes it is a matter of experimenting and learning to decide on which route to take. Other times it is by way of previous knowledge/experience that a leader or the whole group decides on the route. I only had the first of the two to rely on...which was rough and scary. I didn't want this club to be even close to the event horizon or near the black hole of doom at all! It seemed like it at times when I had one member who kept asking me to compromise on the score, which seemed like something that I could not do. After all, it was the very first year the club had actually developed and if I compromised, I feel like the club would have not produced anything of value.
I created deadlines for the group and I reminded them as often as I could to uphold to them. I helped those that needed to be helped as best as I could have at the time. Although, one thing that I will warn everyone that joins this club; It is not a light music club and it can be challenging. One of the biggest challenges I faced was steps 3-4. This is probably the roughest stages of all of them. New ideas as well as additional changes appear and members start to get a clearer image of what the "story" is suppose to be. It might vary slightly from person to person, but the fundamental vision is similar, nonetheless. Now, most would think progress would speed up, right? This is not exactly the case. Progress starts to feel slow and motivation is often at an all time low. In the case of Movement 3 of Life of Hero (the score at that time), it had to be somewhat overthrown and rewritten on a short notice due to the fact that ideas were too mixed and someone did not speak up until the 2nd revision stage to mention their thoughts. (LESSON TO BE LEARNED: SPEAK UP!!)
Sometimes, members feel like they might as well give up. I felt like this a lot when I would stare at my computer screen, with Musescore up and running, asking, "What am I doing? I have no good ideas!? I...Why did I start this club?". I often would find myself just sit at my desk pondering what I could do to fix a certain phrase or what can I add or subtract to make the score connect more. Sometimes I would get good moments of inspiration where as other times I would drift off, trying to think of something and end up watching anime instead...welcome to Mid-Development Hell.
This is where I stand on my soapbox for a little bit and talk to both the future club members and current club members:
A Little Soapbox Speech About RMCC
Mid-Development Hell is not "Hell". That sounds a bit contradicting to my previous statement, but I realized this after the group finished the score. Instead of hell, I have now thought of it as the most important stage from concept to reality. It is the polishing and refinement of a prototype into a product. I will tell you that going through the middle stages of score writing is not going to be all fun and games. I will tell you that there is an entire group of wonderful members with you, every step of the way. You need help with something? Ask! You need an idea or need to bounce ideas off someone? Ask! The middle stages are what you make of it and the "worst" part doesn't have to be so bad. The group ended up with a totally different product from what was first conceived in the beginning of the process. It is wonderful! Talk with fellow members and message them (if they allow it). Have fun! It also good to take breaks once and a while, which includes going to sleep before 12 am. This club was a project that contained a project within itself and I know a great deal of people who have started big projects, but never finished them. Those that start a project and never finish it are known as believers, while those that begin and finish their big projects are the doers and seekers. I want you to be a doer and a seeker. I want you to see the beauty of completing something amazing for an audience to hear. Stay strong and stay calm as you begin to write scores for yourself and help your members pass on the legacy of what it means to be a part of RMCC.