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Graduation Portfolio
Spring 2019
Reflections
information. I was two years removed from switching careers. After 8 years working in
Charlotte, NC. I had not thought about going back to school. Then the opportunity was
presented to me to apply to Eastern. It was then, in my first meeting with Jamie V. Ryan,
that I realized how little I knew. And as I delved deeper into the program, I realized that
I met with Mr. Ryan literally a week before the semester began. I had been
playing only drum set for 10+ years at this point. I had zero percussion experience, in an
ensemble setting, outside of worship bands. Mr. Ryan gave me a short interview and
took me through the audition process. I had never felt more lost in my life. I could not
read music. I did not know my scales. I buckled in trying to perform the simple tasks
that Mr. Ryan gave me. After 20 minutes, it was safe to say that I was not ready to be a
student.
take the theory rudiments course during the fall semester, work with one of his students,
and audition for Spring 2017. In theory rudiments, I picked up so many of the basic
music essentials (scales, solfege, notation, rhythm reading). With the help of Craig
Buckner, I worked on learning music for my audition. In December, I auditioned for the
program. Although, I thought I had done terrible, Mr. Ryan saw enough improvement to
accept me into the program. Now, five semesters later, I am excited to look back and see
The focus of this paper is on a song analysis that I wrote about a Muddy Waters’
Blues tune called “9 Below Zero,” an Electronic Music composition I created called
“Bane of My Existence”, and a Jazz Combo performance. The paper “9 Below Zero”
represents my ability to analyze and write about music. The composition represents the
The analysis paper on “9 Below Zero,” came from my Nonwestern Music class.
After learning a form of music analysis that focused on the overall feel of the
performance rather than Roman Numeral Analysis, I had to listen to this song on vinyl, in
the library, and then analyze from my own critical perspective. That being said, in order
to have a perspective, I used knowledge from my music theory class to understand the
chord progressions, song form, etc. I also had to research the origin of Blues music and
the performer, Muddy Waters, to gain a better listening experience. Blues music is an
mixing with other styles of music. It is one of the basic elements to so many genres of
class, Electronic Music Studio. Honestly, I initially thought the class would teach me
techniques on how to be a producer, but Dr. Decker helped me to see so much more. He
broke down so many techniques of sound manipulation from analog to digital. I had to
listen to a lot crazy compositions. This class turned music into a science because
composers worked on their pieces the same as an engineer would calculate constructing a
machine. Then I was assigned to create my own compositions and it was so much fun. I
learned about sampling and how to develop sounds in the digital audio workstations. It
in the piece. That semester I was working on pieces in percussion ensemble and concert
band that focused on a 7/8 time signature (a time that was impossible for me to count and
feel without struggling to stay in time). In logic I used MIDI information to construct
several different rhythms in 7/8 time. The sweeps and cascade of sounds that overlay the
rhythms were instruments that I had recorded (including my own voice) and transformed
using filters, wave manipulation, and panning within the stereo field. I believe that the
listener could focus on one sound and have a different perspective, from another listener,
of the soundscape based upon how they perceive the sounds to be interacting.
performer. The combo is a great chamber group for two reasons. First there is an
organized setting in which the group plays an introduction, a melodic chorus, and a
bridge. Second, there is a time when each member of the group will play solos with their
instrument over the arranged parts. This part is where the soloist can showcase virtuosity
on their instrument and the rest of the group continues to play a loose structure of the
arranged parts as an accompaniment. The challenge for the group is to listen to each
other, keep a collective time/groove going, and understand how their individual part
I grew from this group for so many reasons. First, I learned an appreciation for
the skill of playing Jazz music. Mr. Ryan has done a great job of teaching me the
elements of playing swing drum set in the group. Paul Johnston gave me some great
suggestions of music to listen to and showed me the importance of keeping a solid groove
with the bass player. Both professors reiterated the importance of “keeping my head on a
swivel.” In other words, keeping my ears open and paying attention to what the group
was doing. The two numbers that are on my page, “Isn’t She Lovely” and “Forecast,”
In “Isn’t She Lovely,” one major challenge was the overall time of the piece. The
time signature for the piece was 3/4 + 4/4, which meant that I had to play time in 3/4
followed by 4/4 in the next measure, then repeat. I am used to 4/4 swing playing, but
3/4-swing time is something I have recently learned. This took a great deal of
concentration, but because I was listening to my band mates and following the music
(another part that was impossible for me until coming back to Eastern), I kept the time.
During the solos, we kept the time strictly 4/4 to make it easier for the soloists, but it also
changed the feel of the song which prevented the audience from getting bored with
repetition. Also, I love the dynamic nature of Jazz music and how a group can use shout
In “Forecast,” the challenge was more directed towards how I can accompany the
ensemble and how to craft a solo of my own. Both tasks required me to think and listen
in the moment, but I also learned the importance of having a “drumming vocabulary” of
rhythms and fills to help me think and react quickly to the music. The solo that I
performed was inspired by the original recording of this song and by my studies with Mr.
Ryan. I changed the 4/4 feel of the tune into 6/8, first by swinging my fills (changing
from duple to triple feel), and second by incorporating an Afro-Cuban bell pattern that
Mr. Ryan taught in Percussion Ensemble. You can hear elements of it as I progress in
my solo. It reaches the full pattern when I switch to ride cymbal and snare drum. Then,
working with my bass player we slowly bring the feel back to 4/4, which leads the group
The common theme of these three artifacts is that I needed to learn how to listen
to, and think critically about, music within the moment of an experience. As a critic of
music, do I hear and appreciate the individual parts? Do I understand how the
for the details within the performance, can I make the decisions on how to best convey
When all is said and done, I think the best part of my education is that I have
learned “how to learn.” It is impossible to know everything about music in 2.5-4 years of
education. And I realize that I have a lot more practicing to do. But knowing how to
approach my career with an inquisitive mindset, and to keep improving at my craft, has
equipped me to pursue my career as a musician. On top of that, I now have the ability to