Strategy For Success by JORDAN

Strategy For Success by JORDAN - December 2017 Scholarship Essay

A lot of people get nervous when they hear they have a project due, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t one of those people, but I try plan out as much as can to make sure I have a sure shot as doing well. I’m currently a sophomore at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music so a lot of projects are studio related and rely heavily on planning ahead.
This semester I took a “Producing the Record” class where each group was given studio time to produce and mix a track from scratch. We were given 30 hours each, but also had to compete for the studio time with the other students in the program as well as find time between our classes. I planned many of my sessions ahead of time with my partner to try give us the most time needed, especially because creating music with someone for the first time can take some getting used to. And then there’s technical things to take account for, like mic’ing up the drum kit that we planned to use. We’re expected to work on a professional level, so we have to be in and out by our allotted times.
The next biggest part is really just communication with your partner(s). For my project I stepped out of my comfort zone and helped my partner work on a jingle to pitch to a TV show he had heard about. I normally make hip-hop and r&b music, so working with live musicians to create a jazzy TV jingle is a little unfamiliar with me. Still we kept in open contact and he was very open to hear my ideas and opinions. We ended up having a lot of fun and learning a lot that we wouldn’t have learned if we didn’t have an open line of communication and a level of trust. Planning ahead and communication are two things I know I’ll need to really do well on a project.