Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Jessica Hillis
Bailey
Senior Project
12 April 2008
Reflective Essay
I remember when I was a freshman; I always had an idea of what I wanted to do for my
senior project. I wanted to compose a piece of music for the clarinet to play as a solo, but my
mentor and music teacher told me that if I didn’t know certain aspects of music theory, I wouldn’t
be able to compose music. So, I decided to take a music theory class in order to learn what I
needed to know, but the class fell short of my expectations in that aspect. As it turned out, I
didn’t know what I needed to know so I had to alter my plans. My next idea was to teach a duet to
two intermediate school clarinet players, but was unable to do that because a friend of mine had
already asked them to be a part of his project. So, yet again I had to change my plans. Then, I had
the idea of remixing a song, which would tie into my prospective career, but there were so many
legality issues that I would have to deal with that it really wouldn’t have been worth it.
Eventually, I decided on arranging a composition of piano music for the clarinet with a
vibraphone accompaniment. My mentor, Mr. Schofield, told me to pick a piece of music and then
bring it back to him. I really had no idea as to what piece I wanted to use, so I began to pay more
attention to all of my music. Every time I heard a song, regardless of the genre, I wondered if it
would make a good piece for the clarinet. I went through classical music, jazz music,
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contemporary rock music, but nothing really jumped out at me and said, “Use me!” One day, I
was watching the movie “Requiem for a Dream” when I heard the song “Lux Aeterna” in the
soundtrack. I knew in an instant that it was the song I wanted to use.
I knew that I would have to transpose the music into a different key but I had never
formally done it, so I was experimenting mostly. I was also required to vary the piece, to give it a
feeling that it was my arrangement and not just someone else’s music that I had put into a
different key. When I had finished my project I wanted an official piece of music arranged by me
that I could call my own.
Needless to say, I was unprepared for the amount of work that it required. Not only did I
spend a number of hours simply listening to the song itself, to memorize every bit of it, I sat with
my music book in front of me, counting up the keyboard how many steps were required for all of
the transposing. Every time I came across a new note, I would have to refer back to my music
theory book and teach myself what to do. Working on the music was quite the experience.
Because of my limited knowledge of music theory, I wasn’t entirely sure of what I was supposed
to do. After a small amount of experimentation, with repeated mistakes, my mentor stepped in
with some advice. At first, I transposed the piece up a whole note and took away the flats. Then,
I transpose it down two steps and ended up adding four sharps. Come find out, I needed to
transpose down another full step and take out three of the four sharps. After doing that, I was
finally able to add in my variations. I was also required to transpose the bass clef part on the
piano for the vibraphone part, which called for me to transpose down a line, not a note and keep
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all flats and sharps in the key signature.
I know now that if I had gotten an earlier start on my project then I wouldn’t have been
cramming like I did. I should have managed my time better, but I had gotten rather discouraged
because of my repeated mistakes. Also, writing the same notes for the same music over and over
again had gotten tedious beyond imagination. The times that I met with my mentor, he was able
to give me some advice as to what I had needed to do, which raised my hopes a bit and I had my
friends keeping me focused. My best friend asked to listen to the original song and was genuinely
interested in my project, which gave me hope that it wasn’t going to completely fail and that it
might actually turn out decently. I remember when all of my mistakes came to the surface; my
mentor and I had sat down to go over everything and I was so excited to be almost complete, but
after we played two notes of the piece he said that there was already something wrong. I had
started the process on the wrong note to begin with, which meant that I would have to go back
and start everything over again.
I went from wanting to teach music to younger students to arranging a piece of already
published music. I believe now that if I had done my first idea, I wouldn’t have had as many
memorable experiences with it, because I was on my own for my project, and I didn’t have to
watch over anyone or take care of anyone. All in all, I believe it came out wonderfully. It is truly
beyond anything I could have wanted, even though I was unsure at first. I just recently turned it
into a MIDI file on my computer and, hearing my arrangement with sound, although bad sound,
but sound nonetheless, and it was amazing to think that I did all that work and I made that music.
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I reached my goal, and even plan on going beyond my goal, as a courtesy to my mentor. He had
requested that I play it at the band’s spring concert and, even though it wasn’t part of my senior
project, I plan on honoring his request.
I still do have questions though. I find myself thinking about what would have happened
had I decided upon another possible more contemporary piece, perhaps with words. I know my
experience would have been drastically different because I would not only have had to pick
different instruments to transpose, perhaps even words, but also because I wouldn’t have liked it
as much. Clint Mansell is a wonderful composer and the beauty he creates in a classical piece of
music cannot be captured in a pop or a rock song. Even though I question “What if,” I am glad
that I decided upon “Lux Aeterna,” that song shaped my experience.
Thinking back on the whole process, even through the tons of paperwork, I am glad that I
decided on a project that I was happy with in the beginning. If it had been any other project, it
would not have been the same, and as I listen to the projects of others, I am glad that I arranged
my music. It gives me hope that I can make it in the music industry, because I am my own worst
critic, and I loved my work. I don’t often say that about my music, but this was something new.
Even though it wasn’t my original idea, I am glad that my other project fell through. This is
something for me to remember for a long time.