(Photo Credit: Author)

THE CAS PROJECT – MIXTAPE

After having engaged in CAS for two years, it all ended with a musical project that was a mixtape of multiple songs, with diverse genres and styles. This was a collaboration with Chathil and Andrian, and we used Logic Pro X to produce our music. We used a mixture of software instruments and live recorded instruments to create our final product. Our final product was a mixtape known as “Sounds of the World” published on soundcloud. We learned a wide range of skills in the production of this product, for instance how to layer and mix instruments, and how to masterpieces better. We gathered during lunch breaks and free blocks to work on the project, and to finalize each individual track.  We wanted a diverse range of tracks, so each track explores a unique genre or idea that we feel is interesting. While it was hard to commit to and persevere throughout the process, we managed to do so in the end.

LO2: Overcoming challenges. With no proper knowledge of theory or music production, it was a hard process to overcome this challenge. However, internet resources and YouTube became incredibly useful here as I used them as a reference to better learn how to produce proper music. I learned the value of mixing and mastering piece, and how to make each individual track of the song sound good together. This was challenging at first, but once you practice you learn how to do it better. I also created new tunes just by piecing together what sounded good to my ear rather than learning proper theory. I, however, learned some essential chord combinations and how to write a guitar riff.

LO4: Show commitment. This was the hardest component of the CAS project, as we all had different views on when we wanted to come together to produce a track and we had different schedules. However, Chathil, Andrian and I finally managed to get together during lunch break to compose a new beat. We motivated each other and wanted to see the completion of the project all the way through, so we managed to commit. We changed the idea slightly as well sometimes, by reducing the amount of tracks or changing the core tune of a track. In the end, we ended up with seven tracks, three produced by Chathil and four by me.

LO5: Collaboration. This was the largest component of the project, as music is all about collaborative work. I learned how to better merge my own ideas with the ideas of Chat and Andrian, and so we came to an agreement on how we wanted a track to sound. I became better at communicating my own ideas while being considerate of the ideas of others and taking their value into account. This is useful in music, as this is a highly collaborative field.

Overall, the CAS project has been fun but challenging to commit to and stay focused on at times. However, this was a challenge we all overcame in order to commit to something we were all passionate about seeing to the end. I have also learned valuable music production skills such as mixing and mistering, which were more important than I previously thought.

I have been working with Chathil to produce our CAS project, which is a project that involves making music as a way to explore creativity. We have been doing an idea where we want to create a mixtape involving five different tracks that each have a different feeling to it. We want to explore a large range of musical ideas within our project. The process has been successful so far, we have been working particularly on instrumentation. We have to put thought into what instrument we want to use and when we want to use it, and how this aligns with the overall intention we have for this mixtape. Chathil has been working with keyboard instrumentation, and I have been working on composing guitar tracks. This involves using music theory online to create an interesting guitar solo. Overall, there have been a few challenges with time over this project, but I think we’re on good track now in terms of our music.

I recently involved myself in a production, Reservoir Dogs. This is a production led independently of the school and a student is directing it. We had our first session, and I enjoyed it. Working in this production has taught me the importance of teamwork and communication. There were several instances during rehearsals when we had to work together as a team to troubleshoot issues or work on our blocking. In situations like that, effective communication and collaboration were essential, and I quickly learned that everyone had a role to play in ensuring the success of the production.

One of the best thing about being involved in the production is that I got to expand my social horizons, and talk to people in lower grades I normally wouldn’t talk to. Despite mild challenges here and there with planning and timing, as well as casting, we were able to work together towards creating a final product. I am excited for how this will go

Overall, my experience in Reservoir Dogs has been a valuable learning experience that challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and develop new skills. Through my involvement in the production, I learned the importance of teamwork, communication, and collaboration, all of which are essential qualities for personal and professional success. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of this production and look forward to participating in similar activities in the future.

 

The ISTA Experience

On Tuesday night, we headed to Thailand for the ISTA trip. It was at 10PM, so naturally, everyone was tired, but still waiting in anticipation for the trip that was about to happen. It was especially exciting for me because this would be my first time going to Thailand. We spent a few hours at the airport in Colombo before departing, and then it was a 3-hour ride to Bangkok. We spent a few hours at the airport in Bangkok, and while there, met ASD, another ISTA-participating school. We then flew to Chiang Mai and installed ourselves. I was in an apartment with Akash and a few boys from ASD, OIS and BPS. After the installation was completed, we went to a campfire dinner to get to know the other students. The next day, we started our progress with the workshops and completed an IBDP perspectives workshop. We learned about staging theatre and the relationship between the stage, the audience and the actors. Specifically how the audience was placed in relation to the actors affected the viewing experience. After, we had a workshop about movement and dance with an instructor named Kanye. After, we watched a live performance from Thai theatre makers about relevant issues such as flooding in Bangkok.

The next day, we had a workshop about staging playtexts where we got a script we had to learn and present it to the class, focusing on communicating non-verbally. Then, there was a workshop about representing the stories of oppressed people and using theatre as a medium to communicate relevant global issues. The final workshops was one about exploring Khon, a Thai theatre tradition which emphasises creatures such as gods, demons and monkeys. We learned how to embrace the monkey within this tradition, and how a monkey would behave and act in a Khon play. To wrap up the experience, we witnessed an interview with a woman who had completed a variety of jobs throughout her life before settling on theatre. Overall, ISTA gave a rewarding insight into how other schools experience DP theatre, and helped me build good social connections. I also enjoyed that the workshops were incredibly practical as it as a more interesting and realistic way of learning about theatre as opposed to a conventional classroom setting.

Learning Outcomes:

• Working collaboratively with others
• Undertaking challenges and developing new skills
• Engagement with global issues

A Melodic Afternoon

Recently, I have been investing more time in improving my guitar skills after coming home from school. It is a nice pastime to invest time in, as it stimulates my creativity as well as my

dexterity. It is also a great method of “learning by doing” as I am physically exploring the sounds the instrument

makes, and get my ears better adjusted to differentiating between various pitches.

Usually, when wanting to pursue a new song, I find a song I like and that would be interesting to play in front of others. After I have decided the song I want to learn, I find the tabs for the song and attempt to learn it. In recent times, my interest in working with old acoustic songs has increased. I feel that they’re fun to play as they offer more interesting guitar techniques and different things to gain from knowing guitar. While playing, I experience that it requires hard work and dedication to fully master a song. While guitar may seem like a simple instrument on a surface level, there is a lot going on that is not apparent at a surface level.

Guitar playing and the pursuit of an instrument fits under the “Creativity ” aspect of CAS and is under the learning outcome challenge and skills. By committing yourself to a hobby, you are challenging yourself while gaining new skills that interest you. It is rewarding when you overcome challenges, especially while doing something you enjoy. A hobby like music increases the amount of challenges you are exposing yourself to, since there is a lot of theory to learn and difficult techniques. However, when you have overcome these challenges, you gain new skills as a result and trigger rewards systems in your brain. This sense of accomplishment fills you with drive and purpose to keep focusing on the hobby and be more productive. For instance, when I am learning a new song on guitar, it can be frustrating when I cannot get the sound quite right. However, once I finally play it the proper way and break the song into simpler steps, I feel much more accomplished and motivated.