PERSONAL PROJECT REPORT

COMPOSING A SONG

Criterion A: Planning

Learning Goal
I want to learn about how music and songwriting can be used as a medium to express one’s feelings about a
situation, person etc. For as long as I can remember, I have always been interested in the performing arts and
when I was provided with the opportunity to pick up an instrument I was quick to take it. I decided to play the
violin 5 years ago and I have been playing ever since. In addition, I have been interested in how music can be
used to convey emotions when words fail or how the instrumental of a song can amplify or complement the
message portrayed by the lyrics.

Some of my hobbies include playing musical instruments, singing and songwriting thus, I wanted to undertake
this learning experience to achieve my learning goal, of discovering how music and songwriting can be used to
convey someone’s emotions. Emotions such as the effect of COVID-19 on the angst of adolescents.

While in quarantine, my, and many others, mental health deteriorated exponentially. In fact, according to the
RBC public health bulletin, the COVID-19 quarantine made teens more likely to develop anxiety, depression
and suicidal ideation. (Rwanda Public Health Bulletin, 2020, pg. 10) 1 While I was in that mental state, I found
that listening to music provided me with some sort of escape from the situation I was in and that I could relate to
the song lyrics and feel less alone in my struggles. This relief as a result of listening to music is not only felt by
me.According to John Hopkins Medicine 2, listening to music can help lower anxiety, and blood pressure and
help improve the quality of sleep, mental wellness and memory. I also played my guitar and ukulele and would
make short songs that would convey what I was feeling at that moment. Through my song, I want to provide
teens with a way to escape from their negative feelings by resonating with the messages conveyed in the song.

1 Kalisa, Joseph, et al. “Impact of Covid-19 on Mental Health in Rwanda- RBC.” Impact of COVID-19 on
Mental Health in Rwanda, Sept. 2020, https://www.rbc.gov.rw/publichealthbulletin/img/Article%203.pdf.
2 “Keep Your Brain Young with Music.” Keep Your Brain Young with Music | Johns Hopkins Medicine, 13 Apr.
2022, https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/keep-your-brain-young-with-
music#:~:text=Research%20has%20shown%20that%20listening,%2C%20mental%20alertness%2C%20and
%20memory.
I have taken great interest in the global context of personal and cultural expression. I would like to focus on
some of the aspects this context encompasses such as creativity, aesthetics, expressing feelings and ideas, etc and
keep them in mind throughout the process of making my product. Through this global context, I will be able to
demonstrate my admiration for music as an art form and express my thoughts and feelings in regard to how I felt
during the COVID-19 crisis and how that experience has shaped my current mental state in addition to other
external factors that contribute to a worse mental state.

Product Goal
With my learning goal in mind, I expect that the skills necessary to achieve my goal and successfully create my
product will improve as I embark on this personal journey. I expect that over the course of this process, I will
improve my songwriting and production skills. It is for this reason that my product will be a song. In order for
this product to be successful, I need to be very intentional about where I will use my learning goal in addition to
other aspects of the product that will make it successful.

For my product to be something I can call my own, I will have to immerse myself in content that relates to the
techniques that are necessary for me to execute my product as well as practice the instruments I intended to be
featured in my product. I will need to explore I wide range of potential programming software, SFX to enhance
the listening experience, voice warm-ups and several other facets to create this product. I will use several
different websites such as YouTube to help immerse myself in relevant content. My product will incorporate
different elements of music such as structure, rhythm, melody, harmony, timbre and texture. In addition, it is
vital that I consider the different facets of songwriting that will make my song profound such as the use of
literary devices. Going through with making this product will boost my software engineering skills.

Before I plunge into creating my final product, there is a myriad of things that I need to know about apart from
songwriting and producing. I have to consider how to approach navigating my chosen software and mix and
match different rhetorical devices and rhyme schemes. Additionally, I have to consider artists/producers that
may be inspirational to me and will help me find my unique style.

Songwriting, music production and music in general, hold a lot of significance to me. This is precisely the reason
why I strive to get an excellent degree in this product as it is near and dear to my heart. Since my global context
is personal and cultural expression, I am permitted to exhibit my feelings through instrumentals and lyrics.

Product success criteria

I intend my product to be musical composition; a song. I intend my song’s duration to be 3-4 minutes.

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I am aiming to get an excellent degree for this project and in order to achieve this, I have to consider some areas
relevant to my song. Including, but not limited to, Message, Function, aesthetics, Target audience, Cost, etc. I
should look for various means of inspiration such as existing songs, and ways to navigate sound engineering
software such as tutorial videos as well as inform myself on the most effective methods of writing a meaningful
yet catchy song.

Specification Description

Message My product needs to convey the effects of the

isolation and loneliness that arose in adolescents as a
result of the COVID-19 quarantine. It should also
convey a sense of hope, something of the nature of
being together in isolation and finding ways to cope
with loneliness.

Function My product must have a message about angst and

isolation embedded in it and must resonate with my
target audience

The purpose of my product is for me to express the

effects of the COVID-19 quarantine on teens through
a musical composition and songwriting

Target audience The target audience for my product are

adolecents/teens. However, I intend the message in
my song to resonate not just with teens, but with
anyone that was going through an emotional low
during the COVID-19 quarantine.

Language My word choice should invoke clear and vivid images

in the listener's head regarding feelings of worry,
anxiety and at times, indifference. However, my
lyrics must show and not tell meaning you have to
look past the superficial explanation of them

Aesthetics My product must utilise all the components of the

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 song:

Structure/Form - The arrangement of my song will

alternate between binary and ternary form to prevent
the melody from being too repetitive

Rhythm - The rhythm of my song should stay fairly

consistent throughout however, it may vary
depending on which emotion needs to be amplified

Melody - The melody should follow one rule,

repetition with variation. This is to ensure that the
listener doesn’t get bored of the song and that
different sections of the song still feel connected to
the first few phrases.

Harmony - I intend to use my voice to build chords

that complement the emotion I am trying to portray in
a given moment.

Timbre - The quality of my voice

Texture - Homophonic

Dynamics - Varying dynamics throughout the song.

Some phrases will be loud, some soft and some may
become progressively louder(crescendo) or
softer(diminuendo)

My song’s instrumental should give off an air of

contemplation and despair yet still feel hopeful in the
end.

Environmental considerations My song must be suitable to listen to in any

environment whether it is educational, recreational, or

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 otherwise. This means that it has to be void of any
obscenities.

Cost Though I am planning on using free to use software to

mix the different audios I will record and eventually
master them into the final product, if necessary, I may
have to use software that requires a purchase to be
used in even certain features I want to use to make my
product aren’t available on the free software. I plan
on spending 15,000-20,000 RFW if necessary.

Materials For this process to be successful in making my

desired product, I need to have the following
materials:
Instruments, specifically the violin, guitar or ukulele
as these are the instruments I am proficient with.
A device such as a phone or a laptop to download a
sound engineering application.
A microphone to record my voice and my instruments

Resources For this process to be successful in making my

desired product, I need to have the following
resources:
Adequate software for sound engineering
Voice warm-up exercises to limit the number of voice
cracks or any other vocal mishaps in audio recordings
A wide range of artists and styles to get inspiration
from

Plan to achieve the learning goal

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Criterion B: Applying Skills

Learning Goal

With my learning goal in mind, I expect this creative endeavour will aid in the improvement of my songwriting
ability and audio mixing skills. By improving my songwriting ability, I will also improve my communication
skills because I need this skill to convey a clear message in my song furthermore, discuss with my supervisor in
regards to how I will go about structuring the lyrics and instrumental. Additionally, It is vital that I have creative
thinking skills and research skills. Exercising these skills will give me more confidence when creating my
song. In this section, I will detail the ATL skills necessary.

Research skills

In order for me to get an idea of how to achieve my learning goal, I had to conduct intense and rigorous research.
This research had to be extensive and relevant so I deduced that the best method for me to narrow my research in
regards to achieving my learning goal would be formulating a series of inquiry questions. In my MYP 4 & 5
years, I have explored how to come up with inquiry questions in subjects like Biology, Chemistry and History
therefore, my previous MYP learning will greatly aid me in the application of my thinking skills.

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Inquiry questions:

1. What should I do first, make a melody or write the lyrics?

2. What is the typical structure of a song?
3. What literary devices can I use to make my song more profound?
4. What is word painting and how can I use it in my song?
5. What are the main components of an instrumental?
6. To what extent did COVID-19 affect the mental health of teens?
7. How did music improve the mental state of adolescents in the COVID-10 crisis?

These questions helped me narrow down how I was going to use songwriting and sound design (my
learning goal) to achieve my product goal.

The information that I garnered from this research helped me understand how I could use my theoretical
knowledge and put it into practice. I have more knowledge on how I can portray my creativity and feelings
through an audio medium. Presently, due to this influx of knowledge, I am able to use plugins on tracks as well
as specific audio clips where I felt appropriate. Namely, the use of reverb and compression on the instrumental
tracks to make the audio sound more crisp and full. Additionally, I was able to understand just how detrimental
isolation and loneliness were on the mental health of teens during the COVID-19 quarantine. Using this
information, I was able to channel then negative feelings felt by teens during quarantine into my song as well as
other factors that amplified the said feelings
tenfold.

Before even writing my lyrics, I had to

conduct ample research on the structure of a
song, the purpose of the different parts of a
song, and different rhyme schemes. I
already had a lot of background knowledge
of music in regard to playing instruments,
however, I was not familiar with how to
approach the songwriting aspect of music.
This is precisely the reason why conducting research on an area I was not conversant with was vital to achieving
my product goal, and along the way, achieving my learning goal. From my findings, I was to find out about the
difference between an intro, a verse, chorus, bridge and outro and the purpose of these parts of a song. In
addition, I was able to apply the knowledge I gained from the research to my songwriting process.

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Communication skills

To make my learning goal come to fruition, I had to demonstrate my communication skills with my supervisor. I
had to prove to present my ideas in a coherent manner via sevjjjhjeral different media, such as oral and written
communication. My communication style had to adhere to social norms, especially when communicating with
someone my senior. I made sure to frame my speech in a formal way both through email and during real-life
meetings. I would also make sure to discuss whether I would have a meeting with my supervisor before actually
going to their office. During these meetings, I would ask my supervisor for feedback on what I had done at a
given moment. This constructive feedback would discuss if my song was not deep enough and if my production
was sub-par among other concerns.

To illustrate, the image below shows a reflection on ManageBac I made after the first meeting with my
supervisor. Prior to the first meeting, I had already mostly completed criterion a and was unsure about whether I
was on the right track, however, my supervisor reassured me that I was headed in the right direction. Though I
showed him an early draft of my song and he stressed the importance of utilising more literary devices.
Communication was a vital tool I needed to use to reach my goal because it let me recognise the major flaws in
my process which I was able to rectify. Through communication, I have learnt several skills such as applying
reverb, audio sampling and other aspects of mixing and mastering.

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Creative thinking skills

Upon first starting this process, I did not have a lot of experience with mixing and mastering audio. Though I
dabbled in it using several GarageBand and such, I had never properly made a song with a well-produced vocal
and instrumental track. I was familiar with the elements of music because I have been learning music for the past
5 years, however, I was unsure of how to approach applying this knowledge to making a complete song. Due to
this being a somewhat unknown area, I had to conduct research to understand how to apply my knowledge in a
practical way. What I mean by creative thinking is that it was necessary for me to conduct research and listen to
artists and analyse their styles and incorporate that into my techniques yet not copy my findings exactly but
rather make transform the sum of my research into something that is uniquely mine.

I would consider coming up with melodies and chords that went with the feelings I wanted to portray to be the
most challenging part of my learning goal. Though I sought out inspiration from other artists I was interested in
from YouTube, I was the only person that knew exactly what I wanted to portray. Due to the infinite possible
melodies I could choose, I became overwhelmed nevertheless, I stuck it through and was able to find a leading
melody I was happy with that stayed true to the emotions I wanted to express at a given point in the song.

The road to even narrowing down the thousands of melodies I had in mind to just a few was far from easy. I had
to think deeply about the sentiments in my song and think of a creative way that they can be expressed without
words. To narrow down the melodies, listening to music from artists I listen to frequently that helped me find
inspiration. In addition, I also had to implement what I learnt about different categories in music-making
software from my research into prototypes of my final song. Researching and exploring categories like plugins,
which contain effects and presets, helped me obtain a better understanding of how I can use these options to
makhjjje my instrumental match the message of the lyrics. This–in turn–helped me achieve my learning goal, of
how music and songwriting can be used to express one’s feelings.

Product goal

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With my product goal in mind, I expect this creative endeavour will result in a song that hits all the points of
adequacy I set. By paying attention to what I need to do and when I will do it, I had to demonstrate extensive
knowledge of how to manage my time through self-management skills. Just as in my learning goal, I had to use
creative thinking skills to think of innovative ways to mix and master the recorded vocal and instrumental
tracks. Moreover, I had to use critical thinking skills to appropriately deduce how to navigate my chosen
software and assess whether the lyrics and instruments complemented each other as well as carefully consider
the placement of clips in my song. In this section, I will expand upon the ATL skills previously mentioned.

Self-management skills

To achieve my learning goal in a timely manner, I had to consider how to balance completing my personal
project with other facets of my school and personal
life. This, of course, required a tremendous amount of
self-discipline and, at the very least, adequate
organisation skills. To ensure I complete my song in
a timely fashion, I was keen on keeping a record of
the time allotted to several other IB-required projects
and subjects. I would make reminders on my phone
and write a few brief notes of what I expected myself
to do on a particular day. On certain days, I would
not have the motivation to do anything relating to
school work but I always had to remind myself of the urgency and necessity of completing my song and other
homework tasks. Though I had to be dedicated, I was also keen on giving myself breaks when I felt necessary in
order to recoup and prevent burnout. The completion of this song or the entire project would not be possible
without my commitment and endurance.

Critical thinking skills

I had to make judgments of how relevant my sources were to my research inquiries in addition to thinking of
ways to incorporate my findings into aspects of my product. I had to think about how the implementation of
these would be used to elevate my song. In addition, while creating my song, I had to consider the criteria I set in
Criterion a in the back of my mind at all times. This consideration helped me assess whether I was making
creative decisions that stayed true to my standards, and if they did not, I would have to think carefully about an
appropriate replacement. To demonstrate, if the instrumental I made did not fit with the song in terms of rhythm,
sentiment or any other capacity, I would have to think of another instrumental line that would fit that particular
vocal melody.

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Creative thinking skills

I had initially planned to use GarageBand to produce my song however, upon attempting to download it, I found
out that the software was not compatible with the Windows computer I intended to use. Therefore, I had to think
outside the box for other sound engineering
software to use. I ended up using a software
called WaveForm. Though I was using the free
version, numerous options were still available.
The software itself, however, was quite
temperamental. Sometimes the program would
suddenly crash because it could not handle an
action being carried out, for example, If I wanted
to add an effect to one clip on a track, the
program would suddenly stop. In addition to my difficulties, when I would attempt to add plugin clips that were
composed in MIDI, the clips would sound muffled and not be clearly heard. Most of the MIDI clips I wanted to
insert were drum loops which, in hindsight, would have added to the weight and rhythm of my song. Because of
these hardships, I had to find creative and innovative ways to work around these problems. For instance, I would
clap my hands or random objects around me to act as percussion in my song. Additionally, I would take several
retakes of the same vocal or instrumental line because I was often times unhappy with it in terms of rhythm,
audibility or intonation. However, these setbacks did not stop me from enjoying the mixing process and
witnessing my song come together piece by piece. Though the process was erratic, tedious and at times
frustrating, through the face of adversity, I was able to achieve what I intended to, meaning the process overall
was successful.

Criterion C: Reflecting

This has surely been an academic venture for me to remember. I recall being incredibly frightened and
overwhelmed at the start of this journey because of how daunting the whole process seemed to be. At the start, I
had several ideas about the focus of the project and was spoiled for choice. One thing that helped me narrow
down what to do was my interest in the arts, specifically the performing arts. Though I had narrowed down the
idea for my personal project to a particular area, I still needed to determine what specifically in the performing
arts with peak my interest enough for me to see it through until the end. I considered a few types of performing
arts like drama, dance and music as potential focal points of my entire personal project. To make what I felt to be
the most appropriate choice, I had to deliberate on what type of performing art best aligned with my personal
interests, hence why I chose my project to focus on music, specifically, composing a song.

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As a result of undertaking this project, I was able to observe and understand how songwriting can be used as a
tool to express one’s feelings and emotions. I learnt about different ways lyrics can be made profound and
meaningful through writing lyrics of my one that reflected the feelings I felt during the COVID-19 crisis and
negative feelings that still engulf me today. In addition, I was also able to expand on other external factors that
amplified feelings of solitude and desolation. The songwriting process allowed me to put to use what I learnt
about writing songs from my research. I was able to use rhetorical devices and other things that added to the
weight of my lyrics and song overall.

For this project, I had to utilise primary and secondary sources of information to help me gain enough
knowledge to carry out the making of my product and the project as a whole. I would use primary sources of
information discussions with my supervisor. Extracting this data directly from the source greatly aided me with
having a clearer view of the reception of my song as well as musical advice from my supervisor. Additionally, I
conducted secondary research by reading various articles and watching videos among other means of obtaining
information.

In order to complete this project, I had to demonstrate attributes like steadfastness, commitment and endurance
in order to see my project through until the end. The songwriting and producing aspects of creating my product
were quite lengthy and challenging which was all the more reason for me to exercise and showcase these skills. I
was sure to make the most of the time I had allotted to myself for each section and subsection of this project. My
supervisor was very encouraging over the course of the production of this project, this support in turn gave me
more confidence to continue with my project.

Throughout this project, I had to learn about things that were fairly new to me such as: adding audio effects to
different tracks and/or clips, creating short licks using a MIDI device, messing around with volume and panning
and navigating WaveForm in general.

What is more, I did not just improve my ATL skills, I also ameliorated and applied the IB learner attributes
throughout this process. Namely, the attributes of thinker and inquirer. One way I was able to attain being a
thinker was by applying and showcasing thinking skills, such as creative thinking and critical thinking, in the
process of reaching my learning/product goal. These attributes will be incredibly crucial further into my IB
learning in the Diploma Programme because I can implement my thinking skills into essentially all the courses I
intended to take in the DP and apply my credibility check to IS courses I may take later on. Skills like creative
and critical thinking were exercised when I wanted to ascertain the thinking attribute that helped me in other
documents required for my MYP certificate such as my music e-Portfolio In my music e-Portfolio, I had to
evaluate two pieces of my choice and mention how I can play the pieces in such a way I can bring them to life in
addition to what I think limits the piece in terms of any element of music I felt was not brought to what I
believed to be its full potential. I had to show extensive competence and adequacy in my thinking skills to both

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subjectively and objectively appraise each piece. Additionally, I had to be inquisitive through the process of
making my project and think about the why, what, where, who and how in every circumstance.

Tackling the challenges of this project head-on has called for me to be determined and persistent. One of the
challenges I faced was issues with properly communicating. I did not have an issue communicating with my
supervisor, however, I struggled to find the appropriate words and melodies to use that would reflect the feelings
I wanted to convey in my musical composition.

Appraising my product according to my success criteria

Message - What my song was supposed to convey

How it was met - I was able to convey a sentiment of solitude and isolation as well as negative feeling
experiences as a result of this through lyrics and the instrumental. I would make the instrumental melancholic
when the lyrics expressed dread and change the instrumental according to the lyrics to get the message across.

Rating – 9/10 – The reason I have given this criterion a 9/10 is that it was able to be conveyed, however, the
message at some points got sightly distorted at points.

Function - The purpose of my song

How it was met - The purpose of my song was displayed by the language which conveyed the message. I
ensured to construct my song in such a way that its message would resonate with the listener. I consulted my
supervisor and various online resources to ensure that my song serves its purpose.

Rating – 9/10 - I was able to bring my song to its full potential

Target audience - The intended demographic for my song

How it was met - My target audience was mostly adolescents however, it was directed to anyone that was in an
emotional low during the pandemic. In my song, I touched on problems that teens typically face especially in
this digital age.

Rating – 8/10 - I was able to have my song directed to à particular audience, however, the intended audience is
not immediately clear upon initially listening to it.

Language - The way in which I decided to convey my message through songwriting

How it was met - I use language that would require the listener to ruminate on what exactly the lyrics mean, in
addition, I used several literary devices like imagery, metaphor rhyme etc which gave my song more depth and
structure. I was made aware of these techniques through research.

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Rating – 8/10 - I was able to effectively communicate the sentiment I wanted to convey, however, in some
places, the original message seemed to get muddled. Nonetheless, the message was portrayed well overall.

Aesthetics - Structure/Form, Rhythm, Melody, Harmony, Timbre, Texture and Dynamics

How it was met - Consulting my supervisor and my research, I was able to more or less employ all the elements
of music. The structure of my song was fairly inconsistent and all over the place however, I was able to retain
some semblance of the song being together and whole. I had several different rhythms throughout my song. To
achieve this, I had to ruminate on possible rhythmic patterns I would eventually use in my final song. To come
up with melodies I felt reflected the lyrics being said, I had to consider a range of potential melodies for
different parts of the song until I was satisfied with my choice. My harmony was simplistic but supported the
leading voice well. The timbre in my song varied as I used different instruments which have differing note
qualities. To attain a homophonic texture, I made sure to include a leading voice supplemented by harmonies
and an instrumental. To create varying dynamics, I either had to play my instruments/sing louder/softer
depending on the feeling I wanted to convey.

Rating - 7/10 - Though I am satisfied with my aesthetics overall, there are some aspects like rhythmic and
structural consistency that were missing from my song.

Environmental considerations - The places and/or conditions in which my song will be played

How it was met - I deliberated the appropriateness of my song and considered the settings in which it would be
played e.g school campus. I also considered the impact that the song would have on my audience.

Rating - 9/10 - I carefully considered the effect my song would have on the environment and those around me

Cost - How much the production of my song was

How it was met - I considered the materials and resources that I would have to potentially purchase and budget
accordingly.

Rating - 9/10 - I did not go over the budget I made in case I needed to make à purchase.

Materials - The materials used in the making of my song

How it was met - Thought about what materials I needed for making my song to be possible e.g microphones,
instruments, and a device to produce on.

Rating - 9/10 - I obtained all the materials needed and was able to exploit them while creating my song

Resources - Digital tools that helped me make my song

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How it was met - I researched about the software I could use to produce my song and videos that could help me
warm up my voice before a recording session

Rating - 9/10

Comments from the Personal Project Exhibition

According to the feedback I have

received from the Exhibition, I
can, without a doubt, say that my
product has fulfilled all my
success criteria. Students,
parents, and teachers alike took
time out of their day to come to
my stand to find out more about
my project. I wanted my song to
resonate with people and for
people to find comfort in the
lyrics and sentiment of my song.
This is why when a Grade 8
student, upon listening to my
song, started tearing up are
revealed that she deeply related
to the message of the song. It
was very touching to see the direct impact my song had on the listener and has further inspired me to continue to
make music about issues young people face. From the responses I received from other people during the
exhibition, many expressed they thought the way I presented my song and the song itself was successful in
portraying the feelings. Nevertheless, I still received criticisms of how I presented my project such as, not being
interactive and inaudible, and my song lacking proper instrumental and melodic transitions from verse to chorus
etc. I did not take offence to this but instead recognised the critiques and look for ways to improve in
songwriting, music production and presenting my ideas.

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