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T.J. Bergquist


                                                                                         04/08/12


                                                                                                 1st


                                       Musical Composing


       As a child, I always enjoyed listening to music, and fantasized about having a musical

career. Now that I am older, this passion has augmented, and has shaped the majority of my

future goals and aspirations. For my senior project, I composed a musical piece for my senior

project.


       From the very beginning of studying for this project, I ended up discovering a great deal

that helped me in my creation process. When I began researching how to compose a musical

piece, my research paper reflected my intent on making my composition a choral piece. At the

time, I spent many hours looking up specifics on topics such as vocal part assigning, vocal part

arrangement, and ways to incorporate dynamics. As my idea for the piece shifted to instrumental

composition, the principles from my research ironically helped prepare me more for instrumental

writing. First of all, by studying dynamics, I began to notice a variety ways to change my piece's

musical pull to give it more depth. Though I intended to utilize dynamics vocally, it transferred

very nicely to the instrumental music creation process. Additionally, through study of reading

music, I ended up becoming considerably more comfortable with actually writing my music out.

Though my research was not directly related to my senior project, it ultimately made my musical

piece a much better final product.


       After a great deal of contemplation on what my song would be like and research on
different musical styles and techniques, I began creating a piano piece that I named "Winter's

Lament." After deciding on creating a piano piece, finding more room for growth in becoming a

better piano player with my project, my original idea of creating an uplifting vocal piece evolved

into a more somber instrumental work. By using personal experience and inspiration from some

of my favorite musical artists, "Winter's Lament" essentially became the first piano piece I have

written. After simply discovering a few chords on my Wulitzer piano at home, what my project

is a piece that I initially wrote more for myself than for my project.


       Last winter, I had begun to listen to more somber music, finding a certain level of

sincerity and simplicity that I observed less often in more upbeat pieces. Though I am by no

means an excellent piano player, I started to try different chords on the piano to come up with a

strong solemn sound. This mainly stemmed from an appreciation I have for artists that

communicate positive life messages from negative personal experience. As a musician, I

constantly search for artists that write music with honesty. For that reason, I decided that I

should pursue creating sincere music as well.


       This process began as entirely informal, as I casually tried a variety of different chord

combinations over the course of two weeks. After I tested a number of chords, I eventually

settled with a progression in the key of d minor. When I wrote the song, I intended to add words

to the piano part and put it onto Finale, my music writing software. I wanted to do this at first so

that I could have Mrs. Wallace, Creekview's chorus teacher and my facilitator, review the piece

and later teach it to one of Creekview's choirs. However, as I began layering the song with

different riffs and chord changes, I started to think the song would sound better without words.

With multiple alternating melodies in the song, I felt that more power would be established from

a purely instrumental piece. After constructing the few main chords in an attempt to create a
simple progression, I started to find ways to have melody come in and out of the song so that it

would add, not take away from the piece. By making attempts to make the song more complex

at parts for musical movement, my talents at playing piano were really pushed. This created an

interesting barrier between what I could write and what I could play. For this reason, before I

obtained Finale, the process of writing "Winter's Lament" was chained by my ability to play the

piano.


         Due to my reliance on my piano for my first steps in writing my song, after I received

music writing software, the writing process changed a surprising amount. After I got Finale in

the mail, I started to transfer my song from what I had strictly remembered. Despite having

taken chorus for two years and having played multiple instruments, designating time signatures,

key signatures, and determining rhythms for writing my song down was incredibly tedious. At

one point while writing my music down, I had to constantly go back and forth between different

time signatures to get the precise speed I wanted the song to be played in. However, though I

experienced setbacks with writing the music on Finale, I was able to make the music much more

interesting now that I did not have to rely on my ability as a piano player. With this leeway, I

ended up writing a variety of melodic parts for the piece differently. This emphasized how much

my piano skill limited my creativity with writing the song. However, all factors aside, I

eventually finished writing the song on Finale, keeping the ending chords the same as I had

created them on the piano.


         Creating this piece was proved very challenging to both my patience and musical ability.

Though I did the majority of the project on my own and drew from personal experience, my

facilitator, Mrs. Wallace, aided me tremendously. Though there were very few times I talked

about the piece with her, while I was in All State tryouts, practicing for honor's chorus, and
singing in class, my ability to comprehend music met new heights after spending time with her.

Though I have a relatively natural feel for music, technically speaking I am very new to musical

concepts. With helping me identify incorrect pitch changes by ear and helping me develop my

ability to sight read, my project was made remarkably easier. The irony I find in this is that it

was the indirectness of her aiding me throughout my writing process that, in consummation,

helped more than direct attention could have. Not only was she incredibly patient, but

additionally an immense help in making my instrumental piece.


       Through all of the obstacles in my senior project, I truly have learned a great deal. This

of course applies in a very direct way, being the first professionally formatted piece I have ever

created. Writing "Winter's Lament" has strongly helped me become a better musician, and has

also confirmed my desire to pursue music as an actual career. In result of my passion for the

subject matter I selected for my project, I realized something more personal as well. Through

most of my school career, I have had few classes or subject matter that I have felt any particular

animation towards. Through writing music I realized that, whether the occupations associated

with this career path are profitable or not, I deeply enjoy music. For this reason, I have every

intention of pursuing music in the future.


       After months of creating my musical piece, I developed not only a better ear for music,

but became better at constructing and arranging music as well. Through in depth research, I

ascertained how to manipulate sound rises and falls in music to add emotional value to my piece.

In concurrence with me not having the proper software to create the piece at the outset, I

discerned a variety of methods to explore music and its conception. With the help of Mrs.

Wallace, not only did the piece become presentable, but also well founded on previous musical

experience. By exploring my love for music, I realized that it is more than worth it to take risks,
because leaving your comfort zone can mean discovering something you truly enjoy. I hope that

all of you find facets in your lives that capture your attention, and that you embrace new ideas.

They can change your life in a very real and sincere way. Thank you for your time. Do you

have any questions?

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Senior project speech

  • 1. T.J. Bergquist 04/08/12 1st Musical Composing As a child, I always enjoyed listening to music, and fantasized about having a musical career. Now that I am older, this passion has augmented, and has shaped the majority of my future goals and aspirations. For my senior project, I composed a musical piece for my senior project. From the very beginning of studying for this project, I ended up discovering a great deal that helped me in my creation process. When I began researching how to compose a musical piece, my research paper reflected my intent on making my composition a choral piece. At the time, I spent many hours looking up specifics on topics such as vocal part assigning, vocal part arrangement, and ways to incorporate dynamics. As my idea for the piece shifted to instrumental composition, the principles from my research ironically helped prepare me more for instrumental writing. First of all, by studying dynamics, I began to notice a variety ways to change my piece's musical pull to give it more depth. Though I intended to utilize dynamics vocally, it transferred very nicely to the instrumental music creation process. Additionally, through study of reading music, I ended up becoming considerably more comfortable with actually writing my music out. Though my research was not directly related to my senior project, it ultimately made my musical piece a much better final product. After a great deal of contemplation on what my song would be like and research on
  • 2. different musical styles and techniques, I began creating a piano piece that I named "Winter's Lament." After deciding on creating a piano piece, finding more room for growth in becoming a better piano player with my project, my original idea of creating an uplifting vocal piece evolved into a more somber instrumental work. By using personal experience and inspiration from some of my favorite musical artists, "Winter's Lament" essentially became the first piano piece I have written. After simply discovering a few chords on my Wulitzer piano at home, what my project is a piece that I initially wrote more for myself than for my project. Last winter, I had begun to listen to more somber music, finding a certain level of sincerity and simplicity that I observed less often in more upbeat pieces. Though I am by no means an excellent piano player, I started to try different chords on the piano to come up with a strong solemn sound. This mainly stemmed from an appreciation I have for artists that communicate positive life messages from negative personal experience. As a musician, I constantly search for artists that write music with honesty. For that reason, I decided that I should pursue creating sincere music as well. This process began as entirely informal, as I casually tried a variety of different chord combinations over the course of two weeks. After I tested a number of chords, I eventually settled with a progression in the key of d minor. When I wrote the song, I intended to add words to the piano part and put it onto Finale, my music writing software. I wanted to do this at first so that I could have Mrs. Wallace, Creekview's chorus teacher and my facilitator, review the piece and later teach it to one of Creekview's choirs. However, as I began layering the song with different riffs and chord changes, I started to think the song would sound better without words. With multiple alternating melodies in the song, I felt that more power would be established from a purely instrumental piece. After constructing the few main chords in an attempt to create a
  • 3. simple progression, I started to find ways to have melody come in and out of the song so that it would add, not take away from the piece. By making attempts to make the song more complex at parts for musical movement, my talents at playing piano were really pushed. This created an interesting barrier between what I could write and what I could play. For this reason, before I obtained Finale, the process of writing "Winter's Lament" was chained by my ability to play the piano. Due to my reliance on my piano for my first steps in writing my song, after I received music writing software, the writing process changed a surprising amount. After I got Finale in the mail, I started to transfer my song from what I had strictly remembered. Despite having taken chorus for two years and having played multiple instruments, designating time signatures, key signatures, and determining rhythms for writing my song down was incredibly tedious. At one point while writing my music down, I had to constantly go back and forth between different time signatures to get the precise speed I wanted the song to be played in. However, though I experienced setbacks with writing the music on Finale, I was able to make the music much more interesting now that I did not have to rely on my ability as a piano player. With this leeway, I ended up writing a variety of melodic parts for the piece differently. This emphasized how much my piano skill limited my creativity with writing the song. However, all factors aside, I eventually finished writing the song on Finale, keeping the ending chords the same as I had created them on the piano. Creating this piece was proved very challenging to both my patience and musical ability. Though I did the majority of the project on my own and drew from personal experience, my facilitator, Mrs. Wallace, aided me tremendously. Though there were very few times I talked about the piece with her, while I was in All State tryouts, practicing for honor's chorus, and
  • 4. singing in class, my ability to comprehend music met new heights after spending time with her. Though I have a relatively natural feel for music, technically speaking I am very new to musical concepts. With helping me identify incorrect pitch changes by ear and helping me develop my ability to sight read, my project was made remarkably easier. The irony I find in this is that it was the indirectness of her aiding me throughout my writing process that, in consummation, helped more than direct attention could have. Not only was she incredibly patient, but additionally an immense help in making my instrumental piece. Through all of the obstacles in my senior project, I truly have learned a great deal. This of course applies in a very direct way, being the first professionally formatted piece I have ever created. Writing "Winter's Lament" has strongly helped me become a better musician, and has also confirmed my desire to pursue music as an actual career. In result of my passion for the subject matter I selected for my project, I realized something more personal as well. Through most of my school career, I have had few classes or subject matter that I have felt any particular animation towards. Through writing music I realized that, whether the occupations associated with this career path are profitable or not, I deeply enjoy music. For this reason, I have every intention of pursuing music in the future. After months of creating my musical piece, I developed not only a better ear for music, but became better at constructing and arranging music as well. Through in depth research, I ascertained how to manipulate sound rises and falls in music to add emotional value to my piece. In concurrence with me not having the proper software to create the piece at the outset, I discerned a variety of methods to explore music and its conception. With the help of Mrs. Wallace, not only did the piece become presentable, but also well founded on previous musical experience. By exploring my love for music, I realized that it is more than worth it to take risks,
  • 5. because leaving your comfort zone can mean discovering something you truly enjoy. I hope that all of you find facets in your lives that capture your attention, and that you embrace new ideas. They can change your life in a very real and sincere way. Thank you for your time. Do you have any questions?