The last requirement of the Capstone Project prior to your presentation is to reflect on the

process by writing a final journal reflection on your process and final product addressing the
following questions. You will need to answer ALL required questions WITH DETAILED
RESPONSES.

Final Capstone Reflection Journal Entry

The Capstone is a unique and demanding challenge. In completing it, what did you learn
about your subject? Your skill set? Yourself?

- It is no exaggeration to say that my Capstone project, Making a song, is one of

the most special challenges in my life. If the challenges so far are unintentional
because they just have to be done, my challenge through this project can be said
to be purely arbitrary. Through this project, I learned how to download free
beats that allow non-commercial use, how to write lyrics, how to make melody
lines, how to record vocals, and how to properly mix and master vocals and
beats after recording to create quality close to the song. This was my first
challenge and now I've produced two results. Therefore, my musical literacy
cannot be said to have developed tremendously through this project, but I can
be proud of myself as an opportunity to take the first step.

How is your project relevant to you, the school or the community-at-large?

- If I become more interested in the activity of making songs through this project, I
will be able to continue this activity as my hobby, not just for my assignment. If I
continue to create works and promote my creations from acquaintances to the
surrounding community, the influence will be enormous. Right now, it's just a few
songs that I've made that are entertaining people around me, but thanks to that
influence, my creations would become famous and be recognized by experts, and
I think that's the impact of my Capstone project on the community.

What impact if any did your Capstone project have?

- The Capstone project, regardless of the project theme, was the first opportunity
for me to learn and challenge myself with passion. Previously, for me, the
challenge was something I didn't want to do because I wanted to settle for fear
and comfort. But this Capstone project was different. It was to set the field I
wanted to learn from the topic and set my own goals according to my level, so I
didn't have resistance to the challenge before starting. In addition, I had always
wanted to make a song, and I couldn't even dare to challenge it due to the lack of
recording equipment and related information, and it was the icing on the cake
 when I chose this as the topic of the Capstone project. Throughout the project, I
worked with joy and didn't get tired of it. Therefore, through this project, I learned
how to make a song and learned something passionately for the first time.

Thinking about the whole process and your finished product, what are you most proud
of?

- Above all, I am proud that I made a "song." Aside from the quality of the results, I
am so proud that I realized my dream through this project that I had only thought
about. Furthermore, when I played my finished song to my friends, their reactions
were generally good. The quality of the song was also not bad for the first
challenge, and I am proud that I can look forward to my next work. Also, writing
lyrics is not easy. I have to write lyrics that match the beat, the theme of the song,
and even sing them to the melody I created. It can be said that writing lyrics is a
difficult task because it has to be written in consideration of the quality, number of
bars, and rhyme of the lyrics. I'm proud that I came up with this lyrics on my own
even though it was my first attempt.

What was a difficulty you encountered and how did you solve the problem?

- The biggest difficulty I faced during the project was my singing ability. What this
means is that it is hard to sing the melody of the song that I came up with in my
head with my singing skills. For example, even if you make a really good melody
line in your head, if the pitch is too high or if it is a difficult melody that requires
singing skills, it is not easy to sing the melody in your head with my singing skills.
Even if I thought of a melody that fits the tone of my voice, if I sang the melody
myself and listened to my recorded vocals, it was often different from the melody I
thought. Of course, as much as I listen to my own voice, I am repulsed by my own
voice, but anyway, this part was the biggest challenge to proceed with the project
because the melody I thought of was different from the melody I sang myself. So I
tried to think of a melody that fits the tone of my voice. Second, I had a hard time
writing lyrics. As I said before, there are so many things to consider when writing
lyrics. As this is the first time I have written lyrics, it has taken at least 30 minutes
and at most a few hours to write a word. So I put much effort into writing lyrics
when I had time while studying at the same time. During the project, about 80% of
the time was spent writing lyrics alone. If the lyrics had been written quickly, I
would have finished the project quickly and prepared for the presentation, which
is a bit unfortunate.

What is one thing about your finished project you wish you could change? Why?

- If I wish I could change only one thing, it would probably be my singing ability.
But I know my singing skills are a hard part to change within the project period, so
what I really hope I can change is the project deadline. In fact, I enjoyed this
 activity of making songs while working on this project and gained a sense of
accomplishment for the first time in my life. While making the song, I kept getting
inspiration for my next work, and if I were given more time, I was thinking of
making several songs, not just two, and releasing an album. However, due to my
writing skills and deadline, I could only make about two songs. The mentor,
mentor's studio, recording equipment, writing lyrics, melody creation, and song
quality all went smoothly, but I think that the Capstone project period given for
about three months was not enough for me to fully immerse myself in this project
activity.

What advice would you give to a student who will be completing their Capstone Project
next year?

- Don't think of the Capstone project as simply a daunting task to graduate from. If
you think it's just a assignment, it's probably a assignment. However, if you set
the theme of this project as something you've never experienced before but
always wanted to experience, I can be sure that it's a tremendous project that can
revitalize your life. Don't think it's a assignment, just enjoy it!

What source from your research helped you the most? (or least?).

- MICSWG. (2018, September 27). [ 뉴올 특별 강좌] - 랩할때 톤 잡는 팁 ( 보컬을 위한).

Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wELzknvbJI
- I can say that the mentor helped me the most while working on the project. I think
I was able to finish this project easily because the mentor gave me all the
information about the recording in general. Among the sources that I researched
myself besides mentors, the above video was actually very helpful when I
recorded it. It was my first time recording, so my vocalization was not set yet, but
when I sang a song explained in the video, I understood how to make my own
tone and vocalization and recorded it, so it became much better to hear.

What is one thing about your approach to your project that you wish you could change?
Why?

- I think it would have been better if I had thought of the idea for the next song after
focusing on one song while making the song and finishing writing and recording. I
think that actions such as devising the melody of the next song even though I
didn't complete one song because I wanted to do so well were inefficient in some
ways. If I had found a beat to write the next song or if I had written the lyrics after
perfecting one song, I think I would have made a higher quality song because I
would have had more time to do the project.