Journal #3: Reflective Journal: Response to your learning

Since I was a little girl, I've always been passionate about singing and music, in general. Singing became a huge part of my life since the day I could actually hold a mic. And ever since then, I knew that I wanted to improve more and more as I go along, whether it be through my music teachers or even myself. Singing, in my opinion is another way of being creative and expressing yourself. It's like reading a poem, but with melodies and rhythms. When singing a song, you are able to add in and create your own styles to your liking or however way you're more comfortable, whether it be an R&B style or something slow and simple; the way I like my music. This project taught me to think beyond just singing the usual Celine Dion or Mariah Carey songs. It allowed me to let my creative juices flow in order to compose a song all on my own. Although it took a lot of hard work, time, and dedication, it turned out to be something I'm definitely proud of. I have to say, though, that it wasn't easy. It took a lot of papers in the trash and a lot of listening to music to gain inspiration. What motivated me the most were the old poems that I used to write back when I was in elementary school, along with the poems that I've gotten from my friends over the years. Whenever I look at them, I reassure myself that writing a song is just like writing a poem and that the only difference is that you need to create a melody to go along with it. The different techniques about singing, rhythms, pitches, etc I've learned were a big benefit to me when creating this song because without knowing rhythms, my beat would be all over the place and it wouldn't sound too great. Aside from that, the other research that I did on how to write a song helped me a lot because without the tips on songwriting, composing a song would be much harder than I thought it would be. And let's not forget the tips and tricks I got from other people who's had the experience. Overall, this project was another way for me to just be myself and pour my feelings that I don't really share with everyone out on paper. School is very essential to our lives because without it, we'd have no knowledge with not only the basic subjects we learn everyday, but with life. School teaches you to do everything to the best of your ability and push past your limits and it teaches you a lot about yourself, especially when it comes to your strengths and weaknesses. Without school, we wouldn't know what to improve because we honestly wouldn't know how or know what we need to improve on. Project Icarus inspired me to go beyond my talents and capabilities and just take it to the next level. I'm inspired each and everyday by the people I love to continue chasing my dreams and to never stop believing in myself because I never know where life might take me one day.