INTRO:

Hello! My name is Brianna Robinson. Welcome to my Clayton Arts Academy Senior

Presentation.

ABOUT ME:
Before I start talking about the academy and my growth as a student, let me introduce everyone
to baby Bri. (Point out family members, dad’s band, Kendall, and Reese) As you may notice,
many of these photos are from Disneyland or I am wearing a Disney costume. This is because I
am a huge Disney nerd who grew up in a Disney family. Because of Disney, I have grown up to
be a person who never stops following my dreams.

My biggest dream is Broadway. I am a part of the drama specialty of the arts academy as you
may suspect from all the theatre pics. When I was little I was extremely extroverted and my
teachers took that to their advantage by putting me in assemblies or presentations. I didn’t start
intentionally doing theatre until middle school. Ever since then I have been a die hard theatre
kid. Although I have slowly become less of an extrovert as I’ve gotten older, the passion is still
there and always will be. That is why I will be attending DVC in Fall and preparing to take the
course of a BFA Musical theatre student once I transfer. I will also be interviewing for the Disney
College Program once I am eligible.

These are my friends that I have met in the arts academy and friends I’ve had for generations
before. These are the people that have always been there for me and have inspired me to use
my artistic skills in everything I do. Of course, I would have never been as close as I am to them
today if it weren’t for the academy.

THESIS:
The Arts Academy was the perfect place for me to expand my knowledge of theatre to prepare
me for studying it in college. In Mr. Cline’s Troupe class, I was able to learn how to think outside
the box and take risks that lie beyond what would be normally expected. Academically, the
academy has also taught me how to pace myself when it comes to getting work done on time,
and has also inspired me to always do the best I possibly can with every assignment and project
given to me.

GROWTH AS AN ARTIST:
Again, I have been doing theatre for a long time, but the academy has specifically welcomed the
idea of not being afraid to do things differently and unique. With that being said, I am not afraid
to take risks in the shows, videos, and projects I do.

Starting my freshman year in the academy, I was always a little nervous to voice my opinions
when it came to projects in class or the all-academy projects. Luckily, Mr. Cline’s drama class
welcomed my opinions and allowed me to use my voice in collaborative projects. My
Sophomore year, I was able to use my leadership skills tremendously in our projects, and I will
touch more on my leadership skills when I talk about academics. Anyways, when we did the
Speakeasy project in lower core, I was able to dive into the actress Helen Kane and become
her. Not literally. But, I took the risk of learning how to make her voice by mimicking her accent
and copying her mannerisms. At first it sounded terrible, but I kept practicing and was given the
best accents paper plate at the end of the year, thanks to taking risks! In the Laramie project, I
was also able to reach emotional depths that I would not normally pull from in order to play the
serious characters.

I definitely had trouble with trusting myself and allowing myself to make decisions that are
extreme while acting, but the academy welcomed mistakes to grow. Without taking risks, I would
have never been able to become the performer I am today. I have played such a wide variety of
roles from Kitty to Morticia to Livia in Meant to Be. I am so thankful for being pushed to go
beyond what is expected, because now I can be as versatile as I want and play a wide variety of
roles.

GROWTH AS A CAA STUDENT:

The arts academy has taught me how to be successful academically. The key to success that I
learned is: pacing myself, always giving my best effort, and caring about the work I do. As tiring
as it was at times to maintain this work ethic, it actually led me to become passionate about all
the work I do.

Like I said before, I really came out of my shell my Sophomore year and took charge of group
projects. One of the projects I am most proud of is the Decades Project. I was able to direct,
record, edit, write, and research for this project. It was my first preview of what it would be like
when I would have to be a leader for the all academy projects. Luckily, when I got into upper
core, I was able to take on many leadership positions and learn how to pace a whole group of
people. This year’s academy project about social issues really allowed me to take charge and
guide everyone in my group while also getting my part done.

Leading in the academy has also taught me to take charge of projects outside of the academy
as well. Not only leading in projects, but maintaining a good work ethic and finding interest in all
assignments that I do. Thanks to the academy, I have learned to be a leader and learned about
the importance of always trying my best in everything I do. I have always been a hard worker,
but the academy opened my eyes and showed me what it’s like to find passion in even the most
tedious assignments that are given to me.

GROWTH AS AN AGENT OF CHANGE:

Now, moving on to my senior project! As an agent of change, I want to emphasize the
importance of self care and the use of music. Therefore, for my senior project, I decided to
elaborate the importance of music and its ability to communicate. My topic, being music therapy,
focuses on the use of music to “address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs”. That
is why I wrote music for my project, somewhat as a continuation of my junior project.

I decided to take music that I had written for other projects and incorporate it with my senior
project. My obstacle I faced when conducting this project was getting others involved. I was
having trouble communicating to my original project participants due to covid-19; therefore, my
survey lasted very shortly. Besides my one obstacle, I was able to persevere and continue with
my project. For my survey on music therapy, I asked my participants, “How are you today?;
“What song did you listen to, sing to, or play on an instrument that is either relatable, enhances
your mood, or changes your emotional state?”; and “How do you feel after listening to the song
or how has your mood changed?” This survey was used to show how music impacts all people.
Since I was unable to conduct music therapy with others in person, I decided to make a video
promoting writing music and using movement to give yourself a therapeutic experience that
would be used in music therapy.

Yoga is a form of movement that can be used while listening to music. It gives the person a
therapeutic experience by gaining awareness throughout the entire body using yoga flows and
sound. According to the article, “Intersections of Yoga and Music Therapy”, yoga gains strength
and awareness in breathing technique and proper posture. With better body awareness, comes
better effectiveness when incorporating music. This is why I decided to incorporate yoga with
the music I wrote for my senior project video. Writing music is a very powerful form of music
therapy that I use when I can’t find the words to express what I am feeling. When I was asked to
compose for my friend’s projects, I felt honored and excited to explore creatively how I will write
a song based on the theme I was given. I wrote the song called, ‘Rebirth’, originally for the
webseries “Meant to Be”. Although this song was not used, it is still one of my favorite pieces
that I’ve written because it tells the story of a new beginning and seeing a bright future full of
possibilities. I also wrote the theme for the webseries, which is based on the suspense and
hardships of being a teenager in a homophobic town. The last song I wrote is for Kennedy
Littlejohn’s documentary about mental health and school. The song is called ‘Battle of the Brain’,
based on the idea of the left and right brain trying to find a way to work together without
influence from school and social pressure. These songs all allowed me to explore how to tell a
story using a melody.

A song can easily be taken for granted, which is why it is crucial to spread awareness of the
emotional impact of music, with or without lyrics.Music is expression. That is why it is such a
powerful form of therapy. My senior project is meant to inspire anyone to write their own music
when they feel lost, sing out a song when they’re happy or sad, and simply listen to music.

CONCLUSION:
So, here we are. At the end of my presentation and at the end of the year. After being in the
academy all four years and learning how to take risks, become a leader, and love all for who
they are, I am now ready as I’ll ever be to take on the responsibilities of life. This little confused
freshman year bri with a chopstick in her nose would never guess what the future holds for her.
After dedication and support from my peers, I have been honored with the drama sophomore of
the year award, student of the week, I music directed a show, I was the improv treasurer and
then co-captain, I was Troupe Vice-President this year, I was the show choir representative this
year, and most of all, I was honored with the best friends and teachers anyone could ask for…

None of that would be possible without the Arts Academy. It has taught me to see the world in
so many beautiful perspectives, each unique and exciting. I have grown to use art to
communicate, impact, and give to others, whether I write a song for someone, perform a sketch,
or take a picture. Saying thank you isn’t nearly enough for everything that the academy has
given me. It has given me a safe place to be myself, share my passion, and most of all, make
the best friends in the world. Thank you to all the crazy, beautiful people that have been a part of
my high school journey. Thank you Mrs. Oliphant for creating a safe place for me to be myself
and show vulnerability; thank you Mrs. Abbott for always being there for me and everyone else
no matter what was going on; thank you Mr. Munch for allowing us all to voice our opinions and
teach us that every voice matters; and thank you Mr. Cline for allowing me to use my voice and
making high school not only a place to learn, but a place to laugh and be yourself. Thank you
Kennedy, Kirstin, Angie, Jilliane, and Sina for being the best friends ever. Thank you Thomas for
being my bestie and showing me how to find the light in the darkest places. I love you all so
much. Thank you to the academy, for giving me the greatest high school experience I could ask
for. Thank you.