Over the past few weeks, I’ve spent a large amount of time researching copyright laws and citation requirements for books, since my book will combine both my ideas and research from others. I’ve further solidified my list of composers and have begun my research process. At first, I was definitely compiling far too much research per composer than would be adequate for a beginner’s guide/children’s book. I have found a routine that I think is pretty successful. My summer goal remains to have completed a first draft of my book, just without finalized media. I am still working on sorting out that aspect, and I will reach out to Ms. Carrington right after I make this blog post! My most exciting goal right now is to be able to easily distribute and download my book (because it will now be online) and to have copies readily available for the Severn Lower Schoolers. Here is a picture of me and my research!
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So far, I've been having some trouble figuring out how to imbed my music clips into my book, or figuring out if I need the rights to these. Instead, I've created a mock table of contents for my book and have begun my research. It has been challenging to find the right balance of amount of information to include for each composer, and I always have to remember my audience is beginners and not experts! Below is a preview for how my book will be set up!
Contents (in general order):
(now would be the actual “table of contents” page)
My meeting with Mr. Redei today was very helpful and constructive for setting my summer plans into action. My project itself has always been pretty broad and daunting; I originally planned to cover all classical music in a physical children’s book. Because I have little technological background and I also planned for the pages of the guide to play music, I was looking at a tough task with more time spent on the engineering of the book itself than doing the classical music research that I love. Mr. Redei came up with several alternatives, including a phone app or an ebook. We also agreed that whichever way I choose to do my project, I am going to want a technology mentor to help me along the way.
From this meeting, my biggest next steps are researching citation laws and music rights policies. I need to figure out how to start and publish an ebook, and tailor my research to a specific audience. “Beginners” is a very broad category so I may want to just focus on children. The most important part right now is just getting started. Everyone has ideas, and the only way to separate my own ideas from everyone else’s ideas is to out them into action. Things to consider:
Tuesday June 2nd was the first meeting with all of the 2020-2021 Severn Provisional Fellows. We focused mostly on learning how to make an effective pitch to enable us to communicate our project ideals quickly and confidently. In the upcoming weeks, I plan to get in contact with my faculty mentor and start the nitty gritty on my project. My biggest concern going forward is definitely my technological aspect. Creating this website was hard enough, let alone configuring my book to play 20+ songs within the covers! I can always rely on an electronic copy of my book, but I would love to attain a physical copy. I also have concerns about copy right rules, since the nature of my guide includes lots of research rather than uniquely my own ideas.
While I’m here, I might as well explain my inspiration for my project. Though classical music is an art I have an incredibly deep appreciation for now, as a child I could not stand it. I dreaded whenever shows like “The Little Einstein’s” would play classical tunes on TV. When my Dad would turn on classical music in the car, I would complain endlessly about how the rigid sound of string instruments were ‘piercing my eardrums’. Yet, numerous studies show that children who listen to classical music will see improvements in concentration, self-discipline, and social and listening skills. It was not until eighth grade that I actually developed any significant connection with classical music. At this time, I progressed in the level of my youth orchestra where both winds and strings were combined and played solely classical pieces. At first, I felt apprehensive about the idea of monotonous, scratchy music, but after a few weeks I realized that classical music has the same catchy melodies and display of emotion as the more common pop and rap music we listen to today. In addition to the studied health benefits of classical music, I found that listening to it made me all-around happier, and more fulfilled with my life. My conductor Vladimir Lande, though quite stern, was globally renowned in the art and was the first person I met that truly had a passion for his job and everything that came with it. He inspired me to love classical music, to appreciate the discipline required to play it, and to want to show others that it’s really not that bad. As lucky as I was to have this experience in eighth grade, I recognize that many children are not pushed by their parents to play instruments at a young age or will not happen to meet a classical music genius as I did. Thus, I hope to create a beginner’s guide to classical music that provides an entirely interactive experience by combining both visual and auditory aids. The guide will be accessible to all ages and as all-encompassing in the realm of classical music as I am capable of! |
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