Hannah worked on a music composition project over several months, keeping a detailed log of her activities and progress. She wrote music, took lessons, taught a student named Caroline, and received feedback from her project facilitator. After many revisions, she completed her composition titled "A Rose Without Thorns" and recorded it to submit for her facilitator's final review.

1. Product Work Log
Name_Hannah Karenna Wery
Date __April 18, 2012___
Product _Music composition
Date/Time: Activity: Comment/Suggestions:
1. July 2011 I began writing the piece I originally
intended to be my senior project. I did not
have access to technology at the place I
was staying for vacation, so I wrote my
composition with pen and paper.
Commentary:
It was frustrating not to be able to have a
program play the song for me, so I could
only hear it in my head, not out loud.
Despite these conditions, I managed to put
a tune to the words I had written.
2. August 2011 - (May Activity:
2012) 55 minutes every
school day Learning AP Music Theory from my
project facilitator.
Commentary:
This is by far the best class I have ever
taken. I have learned so much, and it
directly relates to my intended major.
Learning the technicalities of music has
really helped me with my composition
skills.
3. August 2011 - March Activity:
2012
60 minutes once a week Voice lessons and piano lessons.
Commentary:
The voice lessons help train me vocally,

2. especially in the style of opera. They also
have helped my voice to mature. This
training has shown me not only what I can
do with my own voice, but also how I can
train others to use their voices. The piano
lessons have introduced me to piano
compositions, which will help me write the
piano part in my own composition.
4. August 11, 2011 Activity:
30 minutes
I stayed after school to practice for my
upcoming audition for Allstate Chorus, and
I met a freshman in chorus with a beautiful
soprano voice name Caroline. I approached
her after practice and offered to train her in
voice and the basics of music theory. She
accepted with a smile.
Commentary:
Since we both have the same lunch period,
I plan on teaching her at that time. I'm
excited to gain some teaching experience.
5. August 15, 2011 Activity:
3 hours
I worked on the composition I began in the
summer, called "Notre Etoile", which is
French for "our star".
Commentary:
Since I have already written the lyrics and
the tune, all I had to do was write the piano
part, which is turning out to be difficult,
seeing as I have had little exposure to how
piano music is written. I got about halfway
through the song, which shows me that
composition is very time-consuming and
requires a good amount of revision as well.
6. August 16, 2011 Activity:

3. 2 hours
I worked on my composition.
Commentary:
I got most of the way through the song. I
already have ten pages of work, which
makes me feel very accomplished.
7. August 18, 2011 Activity:
50 minutes
I went online and searched for a pre-test to
print out and give to Caroline. Also, I did
more work on my composition, and I now
have 14 pages of work.
Commentary:
I think that giving Caroline the pre-test was
a good idea because it will help me gain an
idea of how much music theory she already
knows and what I need to teach her. My
AP Music Theory teacher had the class
take a pre-test at the beginning of the
semester, so it must be beneficial in the
classroom too.
Activity:
8. August 27, 2011
10 minutes I started brainstorming lesson plans for
teaching Caroline.
Commentary:
I think that it is important for any teacher
to have a plan for how the class should go
each day. Of course, I will evaluate
Caroline's progress so that I know what
pace I should be teaching. Overall, I am
very excited to see what it would be like to
teach private lessons.
Activity:
9. September 2, 2011

4. 45 minutes I made Caroline some flashcards with key
signatures.
Commentary:
I think that flashcards are a great way to
study, and I think they will make learning
key signatures easier for Caroline. I plan to
test her over them in a week to make sure
she is on the right track.
Activity:
10. September 5, 2011
30 minutes Today, I had Caroline do some vocal
exercises so that I could determine how big
her range is.
Commentary:
Caroline can sing about two and a half
octaves comfortably, which is impressive
for someone her age. However, since I feel
that she is more comfortable singing high, I
would like to spend more time training her
soprano range.
Activity:
11. September 8, 2011
2.5 hours I spent two and a half hours composing
today.
Commentary:
Although I do enjoy composing music, it is
frustrating at times. Finding inspiration is
difficult, and I think taking a break is a
good idea so that I can return to my
composition feeling refreshed.
Activity:
12. September 9, 2011 I planned out how I would teach Caroline
30 minutes intervals and the circle of 5ths.

5. Commentary:
I feel good about having a plan for what I
will be teaching her next. However, these
are advanced concepts, so it may take
longer for her to fully understand them.
Activity:
13. September 13, 2011 I helped Caroline rehearse for her solo for
30 minutes the upcoming chorus concert.
Commentary:
I like being able to teach her to sing instead
of strictly music theory. I can tell she has a
great amount of potential as a vocal
performer. Also, I now know that training
students how to sing is more difficult than I
had imagined.
Activity:
14. September 14, 2011 After taking a break from my composition,
5 hours I came back to it and did five hours of
work on it.
Commentary:
Giving myself that break allowed me to
look at my work in a new light, and
inspiration came easily to me. It may not
be perfect, but I did manage to finally
finish it.
Activity:
15. September 15, 2011 I introduced to Caroline intervals and the
30 minutes circle of 5ths. I also showed my voice and
piano teacher my composition, and she
rather liked it.
Commentary:

6. Despite all this, I still crave more music in
my day. This is a good sign, considering
my intended major and career. Someday, I
hope that music will be a part of my
everyday life, moreso than it already is. On
another note, my teacher said my
composition is a bit lengthy and suggested
that I shorten it.
Activity:
16. September 16, 2011 I helped my chorus friend Kayleigh with
15 minutes her solo in the upcoming chorus concert.
Commentary:
This provided me with practice for training
Caroline vocally. It also opened my eyes to
how different people's voices can be and
how assisting one person with singing can
be completely from different from how I
would assist someone else with the same
thing.
Activity:
17. September 17, 2011 I revised my composition for half an hour.
30 minutes
Commentary:
It seems to be coming along nicely. I am
proud of the work I have done, and I
cannot wait to share it with the world.
Activity:
I prepared lesson plans for Caroline for
18. September 18, 2011 after fall break.
60 minutes
Commentary:
I like being able to get ahead on lesson
plans. I think I will review what I have
already taught her after break to make sure

7. that she still has a firm grasp on it.
Activity:
I graded Caroline's pre-test.
19. September 25, 2011
60 minutes Commentary:
It took a very long time to grade it. Next
time I will remember to make an answer
key before attempting to grade a test.
Activity:
I made a few changes to my composition.
20. September 26, 2011
20 minutes Commentary:
It is amazing how quickly time flies when I
am working on my music. I only made a
few small corrections, and it took me
twenty minutes. I thought it would have
taken about five.
Activity:
I helped Caroline rehearse her pieces that
she had to learn for All-State Chorus. I also
21. September 27, 2011 warmed up the class and directed a song
60 minutes total called "Ubi Caritas".
Commentary:
Warming up the class was no big deal, but
conducting was a completely different
story. If I ever want to conduct a piece, I
will need to know the song well
beforehand.
Activity:
I went over the "Loch Lomond" solo with
Caroline for audition purposes.
22. September 29, 2011

8. 15 minutes Commentary:
I wish I could have spent more time
working with Caroline, but since she is my
only student, I have to work around her
schedule. I completely understand that
sometimes schoolwork takes away from
me being able to teach her.
Activity:
I graded Caroline's interval test.
23. September 30, 2011 Commentary:
10 minutes
She seems to be learning well.
Unfortunately, the most a teacher can do is
introduce the concept of intervals. To
master them, the student has to train his or
herself outside of class.
Activity:
I have begun working on another piece.
This new song is in English.
24. October 3, 2011
35 minutes Commentary:
I was advised to compose something else
because the French would be difficult to
sing in. I took my facilitators advice and
started writing the words first rather than
trying to create both the words and the
melody at the same time.
Activity:
My project facilitator sent me the link to a
brief online biography of his so that I could
use that to complete a resume about him to
25. October 7, 2011 turn in for approval.
25 minutes
Commentary:

9. I am quite pleased to see how qualified he
is as a musician. I know I have made an
excellent choice in selecting him as my
project facilitator.
Activity:
I made an interval worksheet to help
Caroline learn the intervals visually, not
just aurally.
26. October 12, 2011
30 minutes Commentary:
I've learned it's difficult not to fall behind
with teaching because it takes a good bit of
time to prepare lessons. I feel that my time
is well-spent if the worksheets help her
learn intervals, which is fundamental to her
understanding of music theory.
Activity:
I wrote 48 measures of music as an
assignment for AP Music Theory.
27. October 19, 2011 Commentary:
60 minutes
I used this as a chance to put into practice
new composition techniques I have learned
in the class. Composition is harder when I
follow these new guidelines, but I feel that
my composition skills have certainly
improved.
Activity:
I was excused from my seventh period
class to teach the girls in beginning chorus
a song we will perform at the holiday
concert.
28. October 21, 2011
55 minutes Commentary:
They seemed to really enjoy learning from

10. me, and they picked it up very quickly. I
felt that I could really connect with them,
which made teaching them enjoyable.
Activity:
I made Caroline another interval
worksheet.
Commentary:
29. October 28, 2011
25 minutes This should further solidify her
understanding of intervals. It should also
compound on the other interval worksheet I
gave her.
Activity:
I wrote the piano introduction for my new
composition, "A Rose Without Thorns".
Commentary:
30. Nov.4.2011 I think my composition skills for piano
45 minutes music have definitely improved at this
point. It is not easy for me, but I am willing
to push myself.
Activity:
I worked for three hours on "A Rose
Without Thorns".
Commentary:
31. November 6, 2011 I began working with the vocal parts,
3 hours which was difficult for me because I had to
create harmonies that would make all four
voice parts sound good when sung together
and when sung with the piano part.
Luckily, my knowledge of music theory
and chordal structure has been a great aid
in this endeavor.

11. Activity:
I attended a Creekview band concert.
Seeing the band concert inspired me to
work more on my own composition.
Commentary:
32. December 5, 2011
2 hours I learned about band instruments from a
band student. This will help me in the
future as a music major if I ever compose a
piece for band instruments. I have finished
the vocal parts for my own piece. I added
in some modulations, since I recently
learned about them in music theory.
Activity:
I made another interval worksheet for
Caroline.
Commentary:
33. December 7, 2011 This should be the final interval worksheet
25 minutes that I make for Caroline. Intervals do not
seem to come as easily to her as they do to
me, but with practice, she could get a firm
grasp of them.
Activity:
I did some more interval training with
Caroline.
Commentary:
34. January 13, 2012 I have come to realize that there is only so
30 minutes much I can do with a freshman in high
school. This is why I plan to teach college-
level students so that I do not have to go
through the basics of music theory with
them. I think it is more difficult for me to
teach the basic concepts because they are
so second-nature to me. I have also learned

12. that the fact that music comes to me
naturally is a gift that may take others more
time to learn.
Activity:
I worked briefly on my composition.
Commentary:
My composition is mostly complete, except
for the piano part. It really is frustrating
35. January 22, 2012 when the song is so close to being finished,
20 minutes but yet I still have to create the piano part.
Activity:
For about an hour, I worked on my
composition. I took a break and came back
to it in the evening. For three hours, I made
some revisions and added more vocals to
the end of the song.
36. January 23, 2012 Commentary:
4 hours total
The piano part is mostly done, except for
the middle section with the modulations.
This is the most difficult part of the song,
so writing the piano part for it should be
difficult as well.
Activity:
I have finally finished the rough draft for
this composition.
Commentary:
My next step is to record it and send it to
my facilitator for his feedback. I hope that
37. January 29, 2012 he likes my work. A musician as advanced
30 minutes as he is will surely have some criticism for
me.

13. Activity:
I revised my composition.
Commentary:
I began making the changes that my
facilitator instructed me to. I started at
midnight, so I only worked for 30 minutes.
38. January 31, 2012 I will work more tomorrow.
30 minutes
Activity:
I made more revisions
Commentary:
I finished making revisions on my piece. I
hope that my facilitator approves of my
work.
39. February 1, 2012
1.5 hours Activity:
I recorded my composition and e-mailed it
to my project facilitator for review.
Commentary: I hope this new version of
my composition is acceptable. I changed
one of the modulations in the middle of the
song to make it sound less "abrupt" or out-
40. February 6, 2012 of-place. I knew it would be difficult, but I
was up for the challenge.
Activity:
I made my final revisions of "A Rose
Without Thorns".
Commentary:
Revision is difficult work, but I am glad to
have finally finished this composition. I
41. February 15, 2012 will record it for my facilitator another day.
2.5 hours

14. Activity:
I recorded my composition using
Noteflight.com.
Commentary:
I made four separate recordings. The first
one was of just the accompaniment. The
second was a demo version of me singing
42. February 16, 2012 the soprano 1 part. Using this recording, I
35 minutes recorded me singing the soprano 2 part on
top of that. Finally, I made one with me
singing the alto part on top of that, so the
final one had me singing all the women's
voice parts at the same time. I sent the one
of just the accompaniment to my
facilitator.