S O L PA D I N P E R F O R M I N G A R T S P O R T F O L I O

Most Memorable Trip

The principles contained in this portfolio are a collection of everything that I have learned
through my college career. Through the acquisition of knowledge of these four years, I could
learn and appreciate all the fields of the arts and their legacies as they helped me to develop a
respect for the appreciation towards them. Indeed, arts taught me their presence through each
historical period with either its literature, visual Arts, music, dance, and drama. Furthermore,
knowing all about what composes the performing arts, also helped me assess the realities from its
historical background and the main factors of its evolution to our contemporary world.
Moreover, through them, I could use with solvency and responsibility the technology, for in this
way I develop an attitude of respect and conservation to pass it on to the generations of the
future.
As a matter of fact, during my major, I had the opportunity to create, learn and practice
many different skills I did not even know I could do. One of the most memorable experiences I
had been in my production class. I had to create a documentary essentially about any theme I
wanted, but I had to use all the production techniques thought in class, including video and audio
editing techniques. This was amazing but at the same time incredibly scary. As you see all these
multi-million dollars movies with amazing cinematography and effects, so I felt an intense

amount of pressure never having done this before. During the filming process, I relieved a lot of
lost emotions as my documentary was about my husband and his life in music, and his life with
me. It was very powerful to see my life being told by someone I love in a video, giving me the
chance to reflect on all those beautiful and sometimes hard moments. I had to also create a
storyboard and a small questionnaire since it was an interview. In addition, I had to practice my
camera focusing techniques because something people do not think about it that when people
move around the shot needs to be refocused to keep the focus on the key points. It was so much
fun, but then came the post production process. Even though I had fun here as well, sitting hours
and hours in a computer hitting play and rewind to make things look just right is not for the faint
of heart. The patience required is immeasurable. All in all, it gave me an insiders look into the
world of film and audio/visual media. In the end after all the sacrifice and patients, It was a very
rewarding experience and definitely a different one.

Moreover, I also had a wonderful experience in my Music for Children class where
Profesor Leland, guided us in the world of music and how we can use simple musical techniques
to teach and make learning for children more fun.The most fun I had been when we had to create
a children's class and treat my colleagues as the students. It was especially fun because my song
was about teaching children basic words in Spanish, with a song, pictures, and dance moves.
Imagine, a class of 20- year -olds dancing and singing random Spanish words; it was awesome.
Now, I also learned how some really simple music techniques can really go a long way for
student development. Besides media and the internet which is more than known for providing

information to kids nowadays, simple songs about everyday activities, or even the act of creating
an instrument from scratch really catch children interest.

Furthermore, I would like to add that my aesthetics class was probably the most
challenging class I have taken so far at Wheelock. This pushed me to my limits of interpretation
and critical thinking. Not to mention that it is notorious for being hard before you even take it,
people are warning you about it so you go in expecting the worst. In reality, it is hard mainly
because it makes you think, a lot. It makes you a question and poke at theories that were stated
by some of the biggest authorities in the world. It is also none stop reading, and some of it can be
pretty dense in terms of how Socrates spoke, and how some of these philosophers expressed their
ideas, sometimes taking hours just to decode what they said, to then start analyzing the actual
message or purpose. I will say that, I appreciate this new way of thinking critically, and the
techniques learned in this class to analyze concepts and ideas. Giving us the opportunity to
maybe one the plant our own ideas in a way that can be understood clearly and that have a
rightness about them. Well educated proposals and arguments are the direct results of this class
for anyone who manages to excel at it, and wealth of knowledge and critical thinking are a great
take away from all the essays and analysis you do as well.

Lastly, I would to also mentions the incredible experience mixed with hard work and
learning that I received in my internship at the Wheelock Family Theater. It was amazing to see
the behind the scenes of the Shrek the Musical, and how everyone worked so hard and were
committed to the success of the production. From the sound engineer to the cast and everyone in

between, the sacrifice and long hours were the key factors which made this play so much fun to
watch. I worked directly with the choreographer as well as part of the stage crew during some
performances and rehearsals. Standing backstage, I could feel my heart thumping in my chest. I
remember my first few days, I was so nervous that on multiple occasions some of the crew
would tell me to relax and that I would be fine, but it was hardly enough as I had never worked
backstage before. Usually, I am on the other side of the project as a dancer. I felt a little out of
my comfort zone, but I managed to pull through and work as a team to make the musical a
success. It was a very enriching process to see what the backstage goes through since I was never
aware of all of the things they did.

In conclusion, all of this learning process led me to grow not only as a student but
professionally; discovering and developing ideas and values that allow me to know my social
role and the culture in which I live. But most importantly, through the hard work, I learned to
value myself and look at the goals that I want to achieve. But, it is important to highlight that all
these academic and personal achievements were possible thanks to every professor that I had
throughout my college career, which served as an educational tool and guides through my
learning, as they also supplied me with the necessary context to achieve my goals.