I2 Q1 Benchmark (2016-17)

A. Big Goal
I. I plan to have learned how a piano works and also have a piano app (or program) completed.

II. By the end of this year, I will know the parts of a piano, how to put a piano together, and how a piano produces sound. I will also know the history of the piano, famous pianists, and piano companies. For the app or program part of the project, I will learn how to make an app and how to make an app that would function as a small piano.

III. I enjoy playing the piano, listening to and composing music, so I think that if I actually make a piano and it takes up less space, it would be fun and interesting.


B. Timeline for Completion of Smaller Goals
I. In order to complete this project, I will need to accomplish smaller goals:

• Learn the parts of a piano
• How to build a piano and how it produces sound
• Learn the history of the piano (who invented it and the story behind it)
• Learn about famous pianists and piano companies
• Learn how to make an app
• Learn how to make an app that can function as a piano ( or piano oscillator)

II. By month

• (September): Learn the parts of a piano
• (October): How to build a piano and how it produces sound
• (November): Learn the history of the piano (who invented it and the story behind it)
• (December): Learn about famous pianists and piano companies
• (January): Learn how to make an app
• (February): Learn how to make an app that can function as a piano ( or piano oscillator)

III. Learn how a piano functions and how to program an app

IV. Each portion of the project can be completed according to the schedule in part II.


C. Resources
I. Knowledge of how to make an app, Internet (history of the piano, etc.)

III. I will have to learn how to make an app.

IV.  I will learn how to program during the Coding Club meetings on Wednesday.

V. Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartolomeo_Cristofori
http://www.choose-piano-lessons.com/famous-piano-players.html
http://pianobrands.info/piano-brands/

I2 Project Q3 Benchmark

As you may have seen in last quarter's post, I will be composing a song on the piano and then I will be remixing the song on an app called LMMS.

I am not sure if I want to keep writing or if I have finished writing the song. I have already begun remixing the song using LMMS software. My schedule will remain the same.

Here is a link to the second part of my song:
https://youtu.be/BGj9Rc8cmCo


I2 Project Review:

Nathan Cramer: Nathan's plan was to make a vehicle with omnidirectional wheels. He figured out that it was close to impossible, so he changed his project. Now, his project is to make a hat that can be used on hikes or on an orienteering course. It will aid the wearer with light and an adjustable compass. This is a very good idea and I think that Nathan can make the hat work so that he can add improvements or other attachments to it in the future. I suggest reinforcing the hat with metal (on the outside) or something rigid, so that the hat keeps it shape and doesn't fall apart.

Sarina Patel: Sarina's project is to create new cake recipes to bake. She plans to bake something every weekend whether it's an old recipe or an new one. I think her project is cool because she can be creative with the decorations on the cake. One suggestion is that you could create new recipes for other items like cookies or lemon squares instead of just cakes.

John La: John's project is a sports science video that talks about basketball. He chose to do this project because he enjoys playing sports. He is researching the mechanics of basketball and what is required to shoot basketballs proficiently. This is a very interesting project and I would like to see how the video turns out.

I2 Q2 Benchmark

For my I2 Project this year, I am planning to write a song on the piano. In addition to writing the song, I will also be making a remix of the song using LMMS (app).

Here is my updated schedule:

October: Review/Learn the basics of the piano & research psychological effects of music
November: Learn the basics of how to write a song and learn new songs
December: Brainstorm and get ideas from the songs learned; Begin writing song
January: Continue writing song
February: Finish writing song and figure out how to use LMMS software to remix it.
March: Remix the song.
April: Make edits & changes to song.
May: Present completed song, remixed song, & info about psychological effects.

Here is what I have so far for my song:

https://youtu.be/gmzqIP9PBCc


I2 Project Review

Lucie Cutler: Lucie's project combines singing/piano and technology to solve a problem that some people may have if they want to write music. Her project falls under the "make" category because she is creating an app that will likely help herself and anyone else writing music. I also play the piano and my project is about writing music, so I would like to see how her project turns out.

John Chapman: John's project will give him the knowledge he needs to build a computer and will also help him be in tune with his friends' conversations.When completed, his computer will be very useful to him because he uses it every day. With all the right parts and enough time, he will be able to build his computer and be able to use it in the future. He can then use his knowledge of computers to build a new and improved computer.

Ernest Chen: Ernest's project will help athletes be more better prepared when it comes to injury. His project is under the "make" category as he is making something that can potentially benefit him and other people. His project has a strong base that can be worked off of and it is also applicable to himself and can be used by other people who may want to try it out. By using the technology he has created on other parts of the body, he could make sports a much safer thing for all athletes.

A picture of me in Skagway, Alaska holding a puppy that will be trained to become a sled dog.

I2 Q1 Benchmark

What I would like to (continue to) learn this year is playing the piano and write a song (MAKE Category). I have been learning for some time and I would like to write a song. One thing I could do by learning how to play the piano would be teaching others how to play the piano or helping others who need musical therapy. There are also many websites and apps that you can play the piano digitally instead of playing an actual piano. What I would need is a piano/keyboard and space for it, way to learn (teacher, lessons, videos, or learn by trial & error, etc.), sheet music, pencil (for writing notes), and a creative approach towards it. I chose this topic because music can help people in different ways and it's enjoyable to listen to. Those who suffer from a disorders or illnesses and have musical therapy show reduced effects of their symptoms and help a positive attitude. It can also help relieve peoples' stress and help people with depression. Hopefully, I will be able to create music to help people who are going through a lot.

I have written songs before, but they were very simple songs. I would like to write a more complex song that will require a little more time and thinking. I will learn how to structure a song and put different parts together that I feel would fit. I also have to think about what the genre and theme the song would be: pop, blues, jazz, classical; happy, sad, love? Artists like Coldplay and John Legend incorporate piano into their music and I would also like to do this to.



Here is a song by Yiruma called "River Flows in You" (Ray Mak Cover):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arBlzlrSGi4


Here's another song called "A Sky Full of Stars" by Coldplay (Francesco Parrino Cover):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtON5-zDpN4



Here is my plan:

October: Review/Learn the basics of the piano & research psychological effects of music
November: Learn the basics of how to write a song and learn new songs
December: Brainstorm and get ideas from the songs learned; Begin writing song
January: Continue writing song and create basic melody & bass
February: Continue writing song and create chorus & bridge
March: Finish writing song and create intro & title
April: Make edits & changes to song
May: Present completed song & info about psychological effects


Related Project: Musicorp is a rehabilitation program that helps injured soldiers returning from war, get their lives back with the power of music. This program helps these soldiers recover from war and play music. Musicorp tries to bring joy to these soldiers as they may have PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) or TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) and need help getting their lives back on track.


Progress: I have already learned some songs on the piano and I have yet to learn more and write more!

This is the Q-tip launcher that we made in a group (Luka, Lucie, and Myself). We used a lighter, a film canister, electrical tape, a pen, hot glue, and alcohol.