Author: Hannah Park

Hannah Park is a freshman piano performance major at the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. Captured Moments is a series in which she shares her day in the life, and her thoughts on the latest music industry news.

Chapter 10

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Hello, and welcome back to Captured Moments! As I plan to head back home, this post is very sentimental as it will be my last one from freshman year! I decided to document the last day of classes, April 23.

9:30-10:30

I started off my day with a final in my Theory 140 Aural Skills Class. The final consisted of material such as the seven diminished chords and two diminished chords. It also included half diminished chords which only appears in a minor mode. I found these chords very interesting to learn about and when I combine all of them together, it produces a compelling sound.

12:30-1:30

I then went to my final sight-reading class. I learned a lot throughout the semester, and I passed the class! The hardest part of this class, for me, was learning how to read four voice Bach pieces. It might look easy at first, but I have to strategize on which hand takes which voice, adding on to the complexity.

3-4

I went to my last French class on central campus, in which I reviewed for my final.

4:30

Finally, I went back to the Music Building to practice for my final performance. As I walked by the pond, I saw baby ducklings! I incorporated this image onto my playing by producing beautiful sounds.

Have a good Summer!

Chapter 9

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Hello, and welcome back to Captured Moments! This week, I found a very interesting article that reflects on AI and Taylor Swift’s new album, The Tortured Poets Department. Before the release of her new album, there was a leak of a snippet of one of her songs. Fans, of course, wondering if it was AI generated or real, began spreading word about this. Even prior to this incident, there have been many instances of AI generated T-Swift songs circulating the internet. Fans generally can’t tell if it is AI. That is how scary and frightening AI is, as it presents how highly advanced the technology is.

Another artist that has also been affected by AI is Drake. A leak of a snippet of Drake’s diss track against Kendrick Lamar led fans to be confused of whether Drake himself had made it. Yet, the recording was grainy and not clear, in terms of audio, leading many fans to believe this was AI. However, Drake officially released the song in which fans now believe he wrote it. AI has caused a mess in the music industry, as more on more people become unsure of whether a song is genuinely from the artist.

I have attached the article for further reading. See you next week!

https://time.com/6968769/taylor-swift-drake-ai-vocal-deepfakes/

Chapter 8

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Hello, and welcome back to Captured Moments! This week, I am showing a day (April 9th) in my life.

9:30-10:30

I went to my aural theory class. Today, I learned about sentences and periods and how to identify the difference between the two in a piece. I listened to many examples, ranging from Beethoven to the movie “Frozen”, and identified if the song was a sentence or period. A sentence in musical terms has one cadence in the end and begins with a basic idea. This basic idea is then repeated and fragmented. On the other hand, a period has two cadence. The first cadence is weaker than the final cadence. The picture I provide is a catchy song I learned that is an example of a sentence!

12:30-1:30

I then went to my sight-reading class. Today, I sight read a movement from a Beethoven piece. This class is very helpful for pianists as it helps us sight read faster and accurately!

3-4

I went to central campus for my French class. I had a journal-like test in class today in which I wrote about my daily routine.

4

The last thing I did today was practice. Juries (final for piano performance major) are coming up, so I practice as much as I can.

That’s it for this week. See you next week!

Chapter 7

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Recently, I was scrolling through Instagram when I found that I was on Billie Eilish’s “close friends” story. I was immediately shocked as I opened the story to see a possible upcoming album?! I bring this up because I came across a news article with Billie Eilish and Nicki Minaj wanting the stop of AI in the music industry. A sentence that stood out to me was how AI will “devalue the rights of human artists”. Ultimately, AI replaces human creativity and musicality. Reflecting on this, I am concerned for the future of the music industry as I fear music produced will become robotic and formulaic.  

For Eilish’s music, it is very dark and contains elements of pop and electronic music. Listening to each of her songs, us listeners can experience the emotions she conveys. For example, her hit song “Happier Than Ever” is very popular because you can feel with her as she belts out the words towards the end. Her creativity will never be replaced, even with AI in the music industry, but the advancement and technological development of AI is a growing concern. I agree with Eilish and Minaj that AI should not be used in the music industry, as musicians’ creativity should not be replaced. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-68717863

Chapter 6

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Hello, and welcome bace to Captured Moments! This week, I picked Thursday, 28th, as a day to show what I did.

9:30-10:30

I started the day with a test in Music Theory. The test had material had material on seven diminished chords, passing 6/4 chord, pedal 6/4 chord, and cadential 6/4. I found it challenging to differentiate between these chords because they all look and sometimes sound similar, but each chord has a purpose. For example, the seven diminished chord creates tension and acts as a leading tone. Once you hear it in a piece, you can identify them easily because there is a certain quality of sound that you can hear.

12:30-1:30

Next, I had my weekly lesson. I performed Chopin Ballad No.3, and I found some things that I had been practicing on show up seamlessly during my playing. There are still some things, dynamics and flow, that I need to work on, but the progress is going well!

3-4

Then, I have my French class on central. I am learning about superlatives and comparatives. Also, I can start to see some connections between learning French and in classical music. I can pronounce French music pieces that I was not able to before, and I also know some culture that I can incorporate into my playing to evoke certain emotions.

4:30

I had a wellness check up for my hand and hearing. I received very good advice on how to keep my hand in good posture, as well as some stretches to do before and after I practice. I received a hand brace to prevent my wrist from bending while I sleep. I also received earplugs to wear when I am working with large ensembles. The SMTD wellness program is very helpful for musicians like myself!

5

I practiced the rest of the day before I perform at my jury!

Chapter 5

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Hello, and welcome back to Captured Moments! This week, I found a very interesting and eye-opening article on the worsening conditions of the music industry. As a pianist, I am always looking for the newest updates on AI in the music industry. One specific part of this article caught my attention as it states, “there’s a new, horrifying AI tool called Sun.ai that lets anyone create a full-length song with AI generated lyrics in the style they want.” Personally, I think this is amazing in terms of how far technology has come. It can be fun for anyone to play with and experiment. Additionally, I enjoy playing and producing music, and AI can definitely be a helpful tool for me. On the other hand, I am scared of the lack of acceptance towards emerging artists. The article links this idea with Taylor Swift. If the next Taylor Swift enters the music industry, will the industry reject the singer due to AI’s advanced music making? If anyone can create music simply using AI and without inputting creativity, the music industry ends up pushing away talented artists. I am worried for the future of the music industry as AI continues to have a prevalent role. There are so many pros and cons to AI’s role in the music industry, which is why I enjoy talking about it. See you next week!

I have linked the article for further reading:https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.themarysue.com/the-state-of-the-music-industry-is-so-grim-even-taylor-swift-probably-cant-save-it/&ved=2ahUKEwiu_e3bmouFAxWGjIkEHfX5BB8QxfQBKAB6BAgLEAE&usg=AOvVaw12aci1d9Y3us12vQmSz_qz