Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration)

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  Knowing Pop Music

  Li Yin
  2021

  This project aims to help me gain more musical knowledge and be the most important step to my ultimate goal. I could not recognize all music genres, so I couldn't tell the difference between them. In this project, I was working on learning different music genres and trying to analyze them, meanwhile, I was seeking for my artist identity. As I learned more about pop music, my composing and arranging abilities grew. I also found out my artist identity: Pop music combines with Chinese traditional music. And eventually, this kind of music can represent Chinese pop music and inherited Chinese traditional culture at the same time.

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  Approaching the Qanun from a Different Perspective

  Omran Adrah
  2020

  This project aims to develop musical opportunities and increase the popularity of the Qanun worldwide, as part of my goal of creating cooperation between Qanun players and western musicians, so the Qanun becomes a key to decode the different genres of music. Previous examples have proved this idea to be possible: Turkish bands “Taksim Trio” and “Secret Trio”, who are influenced by jazz, blues and Gypsy music and enrich the art scene. In this project, I take inspiration from styles of music (like Afro-Cuban, Jazz and Flamenco) unfamiliar to the instrument’s tradition by the restatement of known songs, and adapt them to Qanun playing style. This is done by analyzing each tune and rearranging it, underscoring the role of Qanun over those tunes. In addition, I compose one song inspired by those styles and my musical background as part of an EP recording. Through this process, I have explored different techniques that have contributed to the development of my musical vocabulary. By approaching these styles from the Qanun perspective, I intend to make an artistic contribution so others can take advantage of the way in which I have worked. I look forward to developing a special method in musical thinking and arrangement for the future of the Qanun players who want to perform Western Contemporary Music.

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  Fazendo 1 Som (crafting sound): The creation of the instructional design for an online Brazilian rhythms course

  Pedrinho Augusto
  2020

  This project reflects the creation of an instructional design of an online course about Brazilian Rhythms. The course aims to strengthen drummers and other musicians’ abilities to play Bossa-Nova and Samba, as well as introducing Baião, Ijexá, and Maracatu. The methodology followed is a performative research as the foundation of an educational research. Research in Bloom’s Taxonomy, Learning Styles, Meaningful Learning, and a self-reflection of the writer’s experience as an educator was made to guide the creation of the instructional design. A couple pilot video lessons were made to get feedback from advisors after incorporated into the foundation of the course. The whole execution process brought some important points to be taken in consideration when creating an online course such as: keep the videos short and focus in one or two subjects at the most; use added visual elements (illustrations, music notation, pictures) in addition to the instructors explanation; always count before demonstrating a rhythmic pattern; have a written script for each lesson; consider the different ways people learn; keep encouraging the student. These conclusions become part of the instructional design making the recording process to be done more confidently and effectively.

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  Gÿe: The Birth of a Sound Being

  Guillermo Calvillo
  2020

  What is creation? Does artistic identity exist? How is the relationship that we establish with music? Can sound represent who am I? Does my soul sound? How do I sound like? What is my mission with sound? How can I relate to the world around me? These are the questions that have driven me to research about my artist identity and creativity. To address these questions, I have developed my brand as Gÿe, a creature that uses sonic synesthesia to create futuristic landscapes through emotional journeys. I have built a creative method called the “Organic Free Form”, that encompasses fluidity, abstraction and improvisation as a way to define my sound. This performative and reflective research has allowed me to find myself and my vision, which ranges from tribalism to mythology, gender expression and sound art, pedagogy and cultural exchange. The goal of this vision is to incorporate my artistical self into the musical scene change the world of arts in the future.

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  Storytelling Music: Through Choice of Instrumentation and Arrangement

  Song Ah Chae
  2020

  The purpose of my project is to explore how the sound could expand or contract through the choice of instrumentation and arrangement to explore the effect of music by providing storytelling composition and performance. This project is based on analysis of main characteristics of classical music, instrument skills, and creative exercise. Creative research is to break he rule such as practice routine, practicing habit, and tendency, and new way to apply to my contemporary composition and the new way to improvise. The main process of plan of action was composing, arranging, practice, rehearsal and recording by doing composing exercise such as analysis of standards song and change melody under same harmony, or reharmonization, and mind mapping exercise which helped me to develop my process of decision making, critical thinking and setting goals. I recorded six original compositions and plan to release EP album. This will be the experiment of people’s feelings and emotions when they listen to different instrumentations and arrangements as music has been described as a “language of the emotions”.

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  SHAKATA: Assembling, Leading and Producing An Ethnic-Fusion-Party Band

  Mai Choma
  2020

  The main goal of this project is to develop and forge my artistic identity as a violinist, musician and a stage artist, and do so by extending and experimenting with my creative skills, and my administration, leadership and producing abilities. The key part of the project, and the main tool through which I’m implying these skills, is band-leading Shakata, an ethnic-fusion band I assembled with five other Berklee students. Through the course of the project, I created a five song EP (four originals and one arrangement), along with more visual and audio content for promotion and dissemination purposes. The intended outcome is to create both a strong platform for future activity of Shakata, and to enrich my own artistic portfolio for my future professional steps. Through monitoring and explaining my own creative process, as well as demonstrating how I’m incorporating influences from different genres (Balkan, Arabic, Flamenco, etc.) and musical styles into my original compositions, I hope to offer some helpful tools and insights that could also serve other musicians in their early creative steps.

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  Composing Through Reference: How Listening Inspires Original Creativity

  Bailey Ehrgott
  2020

  The purpose of my project is to develop composition skills through the process of using a reference as a guide point. I have incorporated listening, transcribing, improvising, recording, and production as main elements of my process and through trial and error the outcomes have given me a rewarding journey of three compositions. My research was self-ethnographic which required hours of isolation in the practice room by exploring new ideas on guitar, active listening, and exploring my musical influences. The deliverables of my work include three original compositions, sheet music, video transcriptions, video improvisation ideas, my project bio, my artist bio, my artist website, artist photos, and my social media platforms. This year I have learned basic to advanced steps on creating original music and bringing it to life by live recording in the studios and production software. My improvisation has leveled up, and I have also learned how to extract my emotional ideas and apply those feelings to my music as a way to fully express my thoughts musically. This project is just the beginning step for a whole future in music composition for me and I aim to inspire other fellow musicians whom might also have a similar background and hope this project will be a useful resource.

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  Integration of cross – cultural rhythms and contemporary compositional tools to inform a creative process

  Lalit Kumar Ganesh
  2020

  The purpose of my project is to transform my artistic identity from a Tabla player to a multi-percussionist and music producer. Entering the music industry for the first time as a full-time practitioner, I felt that this would enable me to create original work and be artistically independent. This project primarily brings together rhythmic studies from different cultures and contemporary compositional tools to create original works. For the first part, I primarily focused on the study of Afro-Cuban, Afro-Peruvian and Flamenco based rhythms via a combination of research methodologies such as creative performance-based, practice-based and model observation. The second component of contemporary compositional tools (harmony, composition development & electronic music composition) were addressed ground-up via classes, workshops and private-instruction lessons. Using a combination of the aforementioned tools, I composed and arranged three original songs as part of a portfolio titled, “Reflections”. Through this process I have learnt that the music creation process combines musical inspiration and craft. This project provided an impetus for me to develop effective processes to complement my artistic intuition to create original work. This research could serve as a guideline to percussionists worldwide, particularly Indian percussionists with a vision to make independent original music.

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  The Journey

  Giovanni Giusti
  2020

  The purpose of my project is to become an original artist who writes and produces music with a clear artistic identity. As a bass player, I’ve been a session man for most of my musical career, and I feel I’m ready to make the next step and start building a career as an artist. My music is the result of a blend of styles and genres that forged me as a musician, and my plan is first to perform and refine it, eventually following with an EP release. Exploring new artists, developing my instrumental skills, writing, arranging, producing and networking, being proficient with technology, I think nowadays these are all crucial elements to succeed in this goal. In this paper, I show my approach on writing and performing music by analyzing three of my compositions: 1. “What Did You Say”, 2. “Joyful Winter” and 3. “Come Get It”. These songs well represent my unique blend of Jazz, Fusion and RNB with Funk/Electronica. For every song, I go through the entire process of music creation from the first idea or sketch to the final piece of music. I show how these 3 demo songs were recorded and developed very differently from one another, ranging from a more intellectual compositional writing based on harmony and theory, to a full electronic demo MIDI DAW recording approach, showing the evolution of my skill sets and how I use and incorporate them in writing and performing.Further, I’ll talk about the methodology and the process I used to compose my music, and my professional plan for the future.

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  Old Soul; New Music: What’s an Artist Supposed to do?

  Chavis Chance Hamilton
  2020

  The purpose of this project is to establish myself as an artist and to begin developing the tools necessary for a lasting career. Through the creation of an entirely new EP made up of four original compositions while simultaneously exploring dissemination strategies through the release of five pre-recorded singles, I examine the art of the creative process with a focus on what one actually does with their recordings once they’ve finished them. I analyze and borrow elements from a range of different artists in the pursuit of my own unique sonic fingerprint, with a particular focus on production during the development of my EP. Through the process, I broadened my knowledge on topics of production and collaboration, and gained a broader understanding of an artist’s position and responsibilities in the current music industry. The ideas of creative vision, artistic identity, and how an artist fits into and is perceived by their broader community become thematic focal points, and I hope someday this work may serve as a record demystifying some of the first steps for a burgeoning artist.

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  Cantes Libres

  Alba Haro
  2020

  Cantes Libres aims to be a musical proposal inspired by Flamenco tradition with the will to reflect my trajectory, approach and concern for music, art or any manifestation that evokes reflection, inspiration and growth to create my own musical discourse through the cello. An instrument that comes from classical tradition and needs to be released. Analyzing references and looking into tradition and musical languages that inspires me the most leads me to look for new technical resources to achieve that new voice. Word and poetry also take an important role for my speech that goes beyond the music. The sum of this search in tradition and subsequently adapting the necessary technical resources, lead to a creative component where composition, performance and recording come together to become three new songs where my cello and my voice merge. To this end I rely on two pillars such as the case study and the Performative Research. The result is a proposal that combines gender references, different cultures and search at the roots in order to build a new voice. Three songs born from the concern to communicate with my own language.

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  Wonder’s World: Begin to Believe...

  Gillian Alexandra Harwin
  2020

  Wonder ́s World is a multimedia, music-based project that expresses and evokes emotion in an entertaining, educational and engaging format while inspiring community building and promoting healing by addressing topics about inequality, culture, food, nature, music and acceptance and allows me to be executive creative producer, collaborate with artistic teams, delegate responsibility and bring my creative ideas to life. I used a self-ethnological methodology as well as research, interviews and workshops to build content with collaborative teams to develop a thirteen-song soundtrack, a script, twenty physical characters and a foundation for a unique brand. Wonder’s World is inspired by childlike wonder, Stevie Wonder’s music and Wonder Woman. The live performance of the musical will be postponed and all creative content will be available on online platforms with the intention of building a marketing team, seeking collaborators, investors, stakeholders and sponsors to help grow, develop and expand the brand. The potential fields of expansion of the proposal could incorporate books, a full length feature film, an animated series, a youth and adult TV show, camps, a school and a nonprofit sector that creates and supports charities and promotes service in our communities by creating safe environments that support equality, acceptance, understanding, compassion and healing through conversations, creative collaborations, expression and love.

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  Tres, Cuatro y Seis: The Role of the Electric Guitar in Afro Cuban Latin Jazz

  Neff Irizarry
  2020

  The electric guitar in Afro Cuban Latin Jazz is to some perceived as a specialist domain where few guitarists dare to go. However, the often dense landscape of melody and harmony over intricate rhythmic patterns still allows a place for the electric guitar to thrive and dwell as the principal accompanist and soloist without the use of traditional instruments such as the tres, cuatro, requinto, and piano. This investigation proposes and defines the role of the electric guitar in Afro Cuban Latin Jazz based upon an examination of historical precedent, with interviews, highlight of key guitarists within the genre, and the author’s own performative experience, while exploring learning strategies that promote comprehension and execution in that role. Through musicological, performative, and educational methodologies, a deeper analysis brings forth compelling circumstances such as electrification, imitation, re-adaptation of traditional stylistic devices to the guitar, the creative nature of artists, arrangers, composers, and mainstream culture that are all contributing factors to the development of the role of the electric guitar in Latin Jazz. On this basis, the electric guitar can regain the role of principal accompanist and soloist that it lost within Afro Cuban Latin Jazz while deriving new learning strategies in this field from its unique voice and the vast possibilities of the instrument.

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  Combination of Korean traditional instrument Gayageum and Western Instruments

  Jungsoo Ji
  2020

  The purpose of this CE is to combine traditional Korean instrument Gayaguem with western instrument and record and produce the result into songs. This project is consisted of multiple stages, which can be divided into writing, recording, and mixing. To blend Gayaguem with western music, I had to come up with alternative tuning, ways to play chords, different mic positions and more. However, Gayaguem I didn't put all my focus on Gayaguem alone. I put the biggest emphasis on the balance between elements of western and eastern music, and it is clearly shown through out the project. Even though the Corona virus presented us with some hardships, we were able to come up with three songs with distinctive characteristics and you will be able to check out the results through this paper. I hope these three songs can help fellow CPPD students in their research of traditional music.

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  Rainbows and Roses: Love and Affection

  Jon Gavin Juckette
  2020

  This creation will help eliminate discrimination against the queer community by making acurate queer content available on the internet. To do this I recorded music and a video to reflect the early life of a gay man. Growing up a gay man in a hetero world was very difficult and it shouldn ́t be. To create Rainbows and Roses: Love and Affection I used lyric writing, contemporary harmony and production techniques to write, film and record a trilogy of songs alongside a music video. I used action research and case study to acquire skills needed to create meaningful music and visuals to show a heteronormative world the gay experience. I learned about myself as a human making this and I believe my project will push LGBTQ+ awareness further into the spotlight of pop culture and normalize queer love. Clubs play queer music but what about coffee shops? In the future I plan to expand this project to three videos and I want to record an album with more music like the three songs presented here.

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  Versatility

  Natalia Lacrete
  2020

  The purpose of my project is to show who I am as an Artist, Performer, Musician, and Composer through a collection of work composed in different genres. From having a diverse background as a Musician, being a Pianist, Percussionist, and Singer, as well as having a diverse family background (Caribbean, Latin, African, European, Native American, Asian, and Pacific Islander), I have created 3 songs in 3 different genres (Instrumental Ballad, Pop, and Latin/Caribbean) using those influences. For this project, it was a combination of creative research (Researching how to play patterns on the Congas for Afro-Cuban and Haitian music), performance research (Looking back at past pieces that I have written, and developing them more into the songs that are a part of the project), and production research (Researching how to mix certain instruments on Pro Tools). From this project, I grew a lot as a Musician and Producer. I plan to release 3 of these songs as singles on all music streaming platforms. I also plan to use this project as a stepping stone to introducing myself into the music industry.

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  Polyphonic Bowing: An Exploration of Rhythm and Improvisation from Other Cultures

  Michael L. Lucarelli
  2020

  This project contains the sum of knowledge and influences I have received over not only the last year of being in Spain, but the sum of all my experiences as a musician from my roots as a classical violist growing up in a jazz family, to my first discovery of music from other cultures, to performing with my Nashville string heroes at the Country Music Awards, and to performing Arabic music under the instruction of legendary musical visionaries. This is a stepping stone towards the longer musical journey and exploration of community and how my voice impacts those around me as performer and teacher. The project tackles artistic development, collaborative performances, pedagogical and methodological practices, and ethnomusicology. Throughout my studies, I focused on rhythmic development for stringed instruments by studying music from a multitude of different cultures. From studying and researching this music, I informed my own artistic vision to create compositions and develop exercises for myself and for my students to help connect ourselves to a broader global community. It is my hope, that with the work presented here, that I may be a more informed musician and educator and that those who are interested in developing new paths of creativity can find inspiration from this work.

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  TBH (To Be Honest)

  Fairin Moon Hightower
  2020

  This project is a journey toward forging a genuine artistic identity. Having yet released a body of work that truly showcases my fullest potential or musical desires, I have set out to complete an EP that is founded in my faith in God, and merged with sounds of contemporary R&B music. Throughout this project, I have analyzed my own creative processes, further developed writing and instrument skills, developed a deeper understanding of R&B characteristics, and tracked the progression of original pieces from beginning to end. This journey has afforded me the opportunity to learn much about music production and technology, band leading, remote collaborations, and the power of creative intuition. My hope is that my EP will meet people in intimate and transparent places, challenge pop culture, and be a source of inspiration to many.

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  Arhan Afndy – Tale of a Merchant

  Shaden Nahra
  2020

  Inspired by the spice merchants of the past, by their travels, wisdom and stories, fascinated by how much spice trade influenced the exploration of foreign lands and fusion of cultures, I consider myself a sound merchant that travels between East and West, fusing my Arabic roots with Western music in search of a new sound. Through studying Jazz violin and harmony, transcribing solos and analyzing standards, I broadened my musical perception and harmonic vocabulary; through production classes and studio experience, I acquired fundamental production-engineering skills such as: recording, mixing and editing . Both of these fields allowed me to co-produce my short album with Jacob Henbest: “Arhan Afndy - tale of a merchant” - 4 songs, 3 in Arabic, 1 in English, 1 Instrumental, which tell the story of a merchant that travels through: psychedelic rock / film folk / rock / Jazz. Through this project I learnt the importance of having a team in the music industry, experienced the full production process of my short album and most importantly learnt the basics of the Jazz language. My wish is to inspire future artists to tell stories through their music, as well as to contribute to the fusion of Arab-Jazz music.

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  From the Bottom: My study of Contemporary Music Creation

  Sean Oliver
  2020

  The synthesizing of a musical concept from beginning to end is a long and multifaceted processes. I will dissect my experience with this process from beginning to end. From the roots of my musical ideas, to my time studying at Berklee Valencia, I will look at how different influences came together to inspire me musically and how I turned those ideas into a tangible product that represents me as an artist. It is a study of contemporary music making in the 21st century.

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  Music and Visuals: Storytelling music

  Sungeun Ong
  2020

  My music of the culminating experience project is really experimental and adventurous, but it’s a reality. Each person has own purpose to accomplish a goal. My aim is to perfect my composing skills (or enlarge them) with the future goal of using them for scoring. As I analyze and study my music and other composers’ music and create my works based on this project, I gradually get closer to my music as applying theories in my way. I am going to explore various kinds of music as a performer and composer. As the fields of technology and multimedia are evolving day by day, I would create music that could harmonize with them and make storytelling music that suits multimedia, so I envision various things. Classic, jazz, and pop, are used on TV and online platforms. I’d like to combine them to arrange and compose in my style.

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  MUSIC - DANCE - SCIENCE: The Development of the Artistry and Mission of ABØN

  Lauren Adah Mary Pedersen
  2020

  “The Development of the Artistry and Mission of Abøn” explores the creation of an artistic identity through a multidisciplinary approach that combines music, dance, film, visual arts, storytelling and science. This paper discusses how the character of Abøn was built through the connections I found within each field of passion and study, and the resulting vehicle in which to express my artistry. I speak of my upbringing, my studies in dance and science, and moments of crisis which were the driving forces of my identity and ultimate sources of inspiration. Research consisted of self-ethnography; exploring past creative works and journals; field research; conversations with scientists and physicists; action performative research; assembly of elements in composition, arrangement, recording, connection of movement, choreography, storyboard concepts, artwork, and videography. I explore the execution of my development through a cycle of original music I call “Talon”. Talon is a concept and storyline which aims to re-enchant the world in wonder and connect us to nature and the stars. The musical experience is complemented by visual artwork as well as compositions for dance on film with a foundation in the science of sound. These compositions serve to transition from one song to the next, and take the listener on a “Hero’s Journey” through sound. I will discuss four pieces from this song cycle which I chose to release on the digital stage, serving as the first presentation of Abøn. I highlight the skills and experience gained from this transformative graduate program at Berklee, and discuss my professional plans for the future of my artistic career as Abøn.

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  Songwriting as a Healing Experience

  Estefanía Pizzi-Fernández
  2020

  The purpose of my project is to explore the use of songwriting and music composition as a healing tool. By analyzing and reflecting on my own journey, it will help me not only to improve my skills as a songwriter and composer, but also to be able to create a healing experience for me and for others through my art. Firstly, I researched similar works, and about the healing aspect of music and Music Therapy. Through the process, I broadened my knowledge of the history, writing techniques and healing tools that were available for me to incorporate into my creative process. I further discovered the relationship between modes and emotions. In the second stage, I incorporated elements of other compositions from various artists, that were part of my research and analysis, into my own compositions. Three original songs were recorded and analyzed to explain how the whole process was a healing experience for me, for the other artists that collaborated in my project, and anyone who has the chance to listen to the compositions. My proposal is that we use songwriting and music composition mindfully, honoring the healing powers of sounds and words. I hope this will help others in their own healing journeys.

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  (des)encuentro: Into the process of developing an artistic identity as YÉ

  Yeidimar Ramos
  2020

  This creative project’s intention is to explore and forge an artistic identity as YÉ, based on the concept of a transformative experience, rather than mere performance. Some, if not most, of pop music coming out in the Latin-American market, specially Puerto Rico, is superficial and serves the purpose of trivial entertainment. So, after years of studying acting and classical singing, I found myself eager to self-manage and embrace the creativity I had shunned down for many years by reflecting on schools of thought like Augusto Boal’s and Antonin Artaud’s, and using the findings to make music and performances of my own. The fusion of electro-acoustic sounds, and themes of duality, vulnerability and transcendence, are predominant all throughout the work and mold the oneiric pop world aesthetic that reflects my views and ever-growing artistry. Through self-ethnography, action research and performative research, I develop for the first time a body of musical, performance and visual works that resembles cohesively the cathartic experiences that I have gone through myself while becoming an adult. Wanting to transform in the future to an immersive performance installation that will provoke a similar reflective state in the spectator, who will then become active within the performance.

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  Alfonso: Forging the Future Through my Past

  Jorge Salas Quesada
  2020

  This project intends to reimagine the music of my great uncle and composer Alfonso Quesada Hidalgo and link it with my experience and knowledge in contemporary and popular music styles with the goal to develop my own artistic voice and apply it to future work. Within this work, I will refer to my relationship with contemporary music and my Costa Rican heritage through the figure of Alfonso. I have applied case study research to Alfonso’s background and his work as a composer and writer, and creative research to the recreation of his song Sonata del Viento. The key elements considered were: the arrangement, reharmonization, instrumentation, and interpretation of the composition. It is my hope that this project will contribute to contemporary Latin-American and Costa Rican music as well as create professional opportunities through dissemination and pedagogical strategies.