Capstone Project Proposal

Name of student: Grace Ha

Date: 2022/05/4
Teacher: Mrs. Lacroix
Capstone strand I have chosen is Project strand
Proposed title for my project: Drowning Music video

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 can music improve mental health?

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?

I choose this inquiry question because curtain music we listen to make us feel a curtain mood.
If the song was talking about death and sadness, then naturally you’ll feel sad and hopeless.
What interests me is the fact that just some sound waves can impact how we feel and
possibly even how we make our future decisions.

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

area of inquiry?

Ever since I was born I was born into a musical family. My dad used to play the drums but he
now only plays acoustic guitar, sings, and writes music. My brother plays electric guitar and
 has self-taught himself piano and bass. My mom on the other hand used to play acoustic
guitar but mainly traveled around the world helping people.

For me when I was in elementary school I used to write my own songs and sing them to my
parents and have a little concert with my brother. When having that mini concert I would play
my acoustic guitar as well as singing. Also when I was about four or so I used to pull out the
pots and pans and hit them with wooden spoons pretending that they were drums. Finally my
parents bought me a toddler drum set which I destroyed in a matter of seconds. My parents
realized I liked drums so they finally bought me a real drum set as well as sending me to drum
lessons. They also sent me to piano lessons which I didn’t like when I was young but now I
really like. I also taught myself how to play the guitar because I always had an acoustic guitar
laying around my room.

This is my background on music and now I am improving my skills and trying to possibly learn
saxophone since I find that to be very interesting. I also not only do music but I make mini
“films”. Again with making videos I started when I was in elementary school. I was messing
around with my dad's cameras which lead me to love film making. In high school I took video
production which I did well on. My video making skills will help me make a music video that
goes along with my song.

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?

My intended career is being a Singer/songwriter/musician. This connects to my inquiry

question because being a Singer/songwriter/musician, you need to also write songs that help
people be better and motivate themselves to improve their mental health. Music is a powerful
tool that can change even the whole world.

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

Critical Thinking

1. I can analyze and critique my work and my learning.

Whenever I do anything, my natural instinct is to critique my work and judge on how I could've
done better. Even though at times if used at the wrong time it could be looked at a weakness
but I look at that weakness as a strength because I understand if used at a wrong amount it
could hurt my mental health. Understanding how much is enough for me is the greatest
strength.

2. I understand the purpose for my work and consider my audience.

Since music is what I want to do in the future, I always have to consider who my audience is
and what they need in this season of their life. Instead of always looking at myself, looking at
the audience is so much better because once I know what other people need, I immediately
know what I need as well.

Personal Awareness & Responsibility

I am personally responsible, self motivated, and can advocate for myself.

Making a song without being self motivated is very hard to do. So while making my capstone song I try
my best to find inspiration in whatever I can see and find. Inspiration is what makes me motivated
enough to finish the song.

Creative Thinking
1. I can use the environment around me, including others, and my unconscious
mind to generate new ideas. 
When I'm feeling stuck and have absolutely no motivation, I use my
environment around me to generate ideas that can help me grow. Like when I'm
making music and I don't have any ideas for lyrics I either ask some people for
inspiration or look around and just observe.

Communication
I can reflect on the processes of learning and share what I have learned.
Even though this was a weakness before but now I have turned the weakness into a strength.
Making a song I need to share what I’ve learned and possibly share my knowledge with other
people so they can experiment with music and maybe create their own piece.

Personal & Cultural Identity

I know my strength and what makes me unique.
 I have strengths in music and helping people. I'm also very sensitive to other
people’s problems to the point that I can put my feet into their shoes and
understand what they're going through. I think being every empathetic is my
uniqueness because I can use my empathetic heart to understand what my
friends are going through to figure out a way to help them.

Social Responsibility 
I have positive peer and intergenerational relationships.
All my friends are not only just my race but all different types of people and
culture. Even though I am not their race I try my best to learn their culture and
differences to know how to support them. Music that connects with other
people and people with different experiences is the most powerful music.

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 present my project using a YouTube video because I will also be making a music video
to go with my song.

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.

I will be making a song based on mental health and how you are struggling with it. This
connects to my inquiry question because if you were struggling with mental health would it
help your mental health by singing a song about it? Would it make you feel free because of
the fact that someone else is also going through the same thing as you and would it improve
your mental health by screaming lyrics that you relate to? Does a song singing about mental
health shed a light on the topic? Would it help children to understand what mental health is? I
will be answering these questions as well as my inquiry question by asking people who
struggle with mental health to listen to my song and ask them how it makes them feel and if it
possibly helps them with their mental health.

So far I already have a title for this song and it's called “Drowning”. I choose the title
“Drowning” because that's how you feel when you are struggling with mental health. It feels
like you are underwater and unable to reach for help because you are scared about what
people would think about you. The metaphor of drowning is how mental health sometimes
consumes your daily life and eats you up like your drowning. As your sinking down you try
your best to shout for help but when it's too late you’re “Drowning” and already underwater.

This whole song I will be mixing, producing, and playing all the instruments on my own. Some
instruments that I am not familiar with I will be learning through YouTube and googling the
chords that I may not know. I have never produced a song before but I will be learning by
searching on YouTube and buying mixing/producing courses to help me out. If I am really
stuck on music theory or the whole song-making process I will ask my piano or drum teacher
to guide me on those steps.

To shape the song I will also be making a music video that goes along with the song's
feelings and mood. Since I already have all the equipment that I need for making a music
video like a camera and editing software I would say that I am set. I also had plenty of
experience of making videos that capture the audience's attention and how to use the editing
software I am not too worried about this. But if I am really needing help I could ask the video
production teacher in school to check on my pre-production and my editing progress if the
video is ready to go.

I will study different chord progressions to find out what chord progressions touch people's
hearts that will change people's mental health's in a way.
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 would need to use Logic Pro X to make/mix the whole song. I’m not too familiar with Logic
Pro X but I will learn that software by looking at YouTube videos and trying to also learn by
experimenting myself. I would also need to use Final Cut Pro to edit the music video but I’m
already familiar with using that editing software but anything that I may not be too familiar with
I will either search it up or ask the video production teacher.

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?

My mentors will be the people that are more experienced in the music field and they will help
me understand how to produce, mix, and the music theory aspect of the song. My mentors
will help me guide my song to the write path and I will also be asking the video production
teacher to also be my mentor to check how the music video is like.

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

Some obstacles that I would face is “writers block”. Writers block basically means like I can’t
think of lyrics for my song which would delay the whole project itself because a song mostly
starts off with first the melody and the lyrics. Another challenge I would face is the whole
music theory aspect of the song because I’m not too familiar with music theory but that’s
where I would ask my mentors to guide me through that process.
Other considerations: List and detail any other related information/ considerations about
your project that you feel should be included in your project proposal.

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.

- Foran, L. M. (2009). Listening to Music: Helping Children Regulate Their Emotions

and Improve Learning in the Classroom. Educational Horizons, 88(1), 51–58.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/42923786

- Hodges, D. A., & Wilkins, R. W. (2015). How and Why Does Music Move Us? Answers
from Psychology and Neuroscience. Music Educators Journal, 101(4), 41–47.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/24755599

- Forest, J. (1995). Music Technology Helps Students Succeed. Music Educators

Journal, 81(5), 35–48. https://doi.org/10.2307/3398854

Strait, D., & Kraus, N. (2011). Playing Music for a Smarter Ear: Cognitive, Perceptual
and Neurobiological Evidence. Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 29(2),
133–146. https://doi.org/10.1525/mp.2011.29.2.133 

- Weinberger, N. M. (2004). Music and the Brain. Scientific American, 291(5), 88–95.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/26060767 
- Geist, K., & Geist, E. A. (2008). Do Re Mi, 1-2-3 That’s How Easy Math Can Be: Using
Music to Support Emergent Mathematics. YC Young Children, 63(2), 20–25.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/42730965