Capstone Project Proposal Draft

Name of student: Geonhui Lee

Date: 6/1/2021
Teacher: Ms. Lara Lacroix
Capstone strand I have chosen is Project
Proposed title for my project: Musical Mirror

What is your inquiry question that interests you for further research? It should be a question that
connects with a purpose, passion or personalized area of interest for you. This is a question that
you cannot just google an answer for. Please see examples from your Capstone booklet.
My inquiry question is:

How does music impact emotions, both positively and negatively?

Rationale/context: Detail your reasons for choosing this inquiry question. Explain WHY you are
choosing to investigate this topic as a major area of focus. How does this area of inquiry connect
to your passion(s), purpose? Why is it of personal interest to you?

Music has always been around me from a young age. It naturally became a large part of my
life. Throughout my childhood, I’ve experienced so many changes. My home changed, people
changed, and even I changed. However, no matter how much things around me changed, music
never did. The feelings that came with listening to certain songs always seemed to be
preserved, and so was the memory that came with it. To me, music is a lifestyle, a time capsule
that reflects all the changes I’ve been through. Although the objects in the mirror may change,
the mirror itself never changes. Therefore, I decided to look deeper into how and why music
reflects the past and brings a shift to my feelings.

Background: What background knowledge/connections/prior learning do you have in this area

of inquiry?

I first have to learn the psychology behind music and emotions; how certain parts of the brain
are activated by sounds. Then, I need to research music theory and production. The final goal
of this project is to be able to create 2 songs, each portraying a different emotion. Using those
two songs, I will do a survey on people to see how the music impacted their feelings or mood.
In order to create the 2 songs, I would need to learn the basics of music production, which
consists of theory and creation.

Career connections: What is your intended career area at this point in time? What connections
does this inquiry question have to your life, academic and/ or career goals?

At this point, I have no idea where to direct my life. I don’t have a certain career that I want to
chase. That is one of the reasons why I chose this topic as my project. Although my future is
uncertain, music will always be a part of my life. Therefore, I decided that it is crucial to take a

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 closer look at what is now a large part of who I am.

Interdisciplinary and core competencies connections: What subject areas and core
competencies will be connected with your project? Outline and explain the connections.

Critical Thinking: This project will allow me to analyze, question, and investigate the
relationship between music and emotions, developing and designing a product based on the
results.
Creative Thinking: In creating music, I will have to generate ideas and develop them into a
product.
Communication: My research cannot be proven without the help of others. I have to listen to
my mentors and take into consideration how others responded in the surveys.
Personal and Cultural Identity: During this project, I will understand more about myself. Music
is something that is of great value to me, and I will learn more about it using this project. The
process of completing this project will show my strength and weaknesses, as well as how to
improve them.

Capstone Presentation medium: select one or more project mediums you wish to use to present
your project. Outline and give details about how you will present your project once completed.
You may use a combination of mediums.
o Electronic portfolio: Prezi or PPT
o Physical portfolio
o Website
o imovie presentation
o YouTube channel

I will be using a PowerPoint presentation to explain my research on the psychology behind

music and my research on learning music itself. I will find a way to transfer the 2 songs that I
created into the PPT.

Description of my Capstone project. Specific Project Details of the Capstone Project: what will
you research, create, study, produce, solve, investigate? What product will be produced at the end
of this project for evaluation. Write a one-page description outlining your proposal.

My project is pretty straightforward. I am looking to find the relations between music and
emotions, creating 2 songs that will incorporate and prove what I have researched. The project
is split into 2 sections: the psychological and the musical parts. First comes the psychological
part of the project. This part will require researching if there is a correlation between music and
the brain. If I can find evidence of a connection, I will look deeper into the subject and find out
how and why that connection is formed. This part will allow me to theoretically answer my
inquiry question. In order to prove my theory, however, I will have to move on to section 2, the
musical part. This section will be fairly difficult, as I would have to teach myself music. In
order for me to be able to convert my theory into a physical product, I would have to learn the
base of all music: theory. Musical theory consists of all the key components that act as a

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 foundation for music. I will be learning chords, chord progressions, harmony, tempo, major
and minor keys, and a lot more, utilizing them into creating 2 products that are the complete
opposite from each other. However, music theory itself cannot create a song. I would also have
to know the basic production of music, such as songwriting, arranging, tracking, editing,
mixing, and mastering. Given the time, I won’t be able to completely master all of the skills
above, but I will put all efforts into learning enough for me to be able to produce 2 songs. After
creating the 2 songs, I will find 20 people, 15 that I am familiar with and 5 that I’m not too
close to, to listen to my products and take a survey on how and what they felt after the
listening. My hope is that the survey will prove my theory and research on how music impacts
emotions.

Resources/ Technology/Skills: Make an assessment of the resources, technology and skills you
will need to be able to complete this project. What is your plan to be able to access/learn all of the
resources necessary to achieve completion of this project? Detail your plans.

I will need musical instruments, a device such as a laptop or phone, a DAW program, and
knowledge on music production. I already possess the first 2 requirements. My friend said he
will allow me to use his DAW program. The only thing I have to put effort in earning is music
production knowledge. This will take time and research, but I’m hoping to be able to access the
skills required for producing music.

Mentors/Community Connections: What types of mentor(s)/community connections will you

need to help you complete your capstone project? How will your mentor(s) help you? What is
your plan to access the mentorship/community connections necessary for this project?

For mentors, I have thought very carefully and came to the conclusion of emailing a musical
artist that have inspired me artistically. I am going to write them a message talking about my
current situation and asking for their help. What I would need from my mentor is foundational
skills, such as where they get their inspiration from and basic knowledge on songwriting, as
well as their opinion on the subject of music and emotions.

Project limitations: What are some project limitations and potential obstacles that you foresee
that might affect progress with your Capstone Project?

There is an obvious obstacle in this project: talent. Although practice can make perfect, music
does require talents. I will only be able to go as far as my physical and mental capacity will
take me. Apart from that, I don’t see any clear limitations or obstacles. The only limitation to
this project is myself, and I will have to try my best to break my limits.

Other considerations: List and detail any other related information/ considerations about your
project that you feel should be included in your project proposal.

This is a close yet foreign territory I’m stepping into. I will have to constantly remind myself

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 that it’s normal for me to make mistakes.

References:

Attach a REFERENCE LIST. Your list should be written using correct APA formatting. An
example is provided on page 21 of your Capstone booklet.

Heshmat, S. (n.d.). Music, Emotion, and Well-Being. Psychology Today.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/science-choice/201908/music-

emotion-and-well-being#:~:text=Music%20has%20the%20ability%20to,alter

%20mood%20or%20relieve%20stress

Cowen, A. S., Fang, X., Sauter, D., & Keltner, D. (2020, January 28). What music

makes us feel: At least 13 dimensions organize subjective experiences

associated with music across different cultures. PNAS.

https://www.pnas.org/content/117/4/1924  

Anonymous. (2019, August 2). How Does Music Affect Your Mood?: Music and

Emotion Relationship. Online Atlanta Institute of Music & Media | Best

Music College. https://www.aimm.edu/blog/how-does-music-affect-your-mood

Warren, C. S. (2014, October 23). Music Is What Feelings Sound Like. Psychology

Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/naked-truth/201410/music-is-

what-feelings-sound

Cherry, K. (2019, December 10). 10 Surprising Psychological Benefits of

Music. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/surprising-psychological-

benefits-of-music-4126866

Beentjes, D. (2019, September 27). Emotion in music, giving you the chills. Your brain

on music. Abbey Road Institute Amsterdam.

https://abbeyroadinstitute.nl/blog/emotion-in-music-giving-you-the-chills/