What I've Learned So Far

What have you learned to do since you started working on your senior project?
I've learned the fundamentals of setting up a live band in a concert venue.

before:

during:

soundcheck:

after:

What research helped you to do this and how?
Note By Note: A Guide To Concert Production by Redwood Cultural Work because it breaks down everything you need to know about setting up a concert whether it be pertaining to sound, lighting, or business.

Independent Component I Plan Approval

1) Write a description of what you plan on doing for your independent study component.
For my independent study component, I will be working an additional 30 hours at The Glass House. This will include, but is not limited to, set-up and break-down of live concerts, working with Rene Contreras on promotion, and learning the fundamentals of live sound mixing and venue acoustics.

2) Describe in detail how you think your plan will meet the 30 hours of work.
If I help with the set-up and break-down of shows and learn about mixing, that's about 8 hours, so I could go to a few of those and work with my dad. Since he's not at The Glass House all the time, I can use one of my other options to complete whatever hours I don't do with my dad.

3) How does your independent study component relate to your EQ?
My independent study component will show me some of the different jobs that go into the whole concert production business. I have a variety of people at The Glass House that are willing to help me with it.

Defining the Essential Question

1. What is your EQ?
What is most important in producing a successful concert?

2. Define the words in your EQ:
important: distinct, successful: not only going well technically, but also making a significant amount of profit.

3. What are some possible answers to your EQ so far?
-A significant amount of promotion through all sources possible.
-Organization and clarification of information.

4. What has been your most important source and why?
The book, Note By Note: A Guide to Concert Production by Redwood Cultural Work because it's the perfect overview of everything that goes into concert production. It goes over not only the technical aspects, but the business and promotion ones too.

Second Interview Questions

For the second interview, I will be using the sample questions:

1. What is your educational background?   And how has it helped you in your job?

2. What is your work experience?  And how has it helped you in your job?

3. What is the most important thing you have done in this job and why?  

4. What is some background information about the organization or company you will be working with? 

5. How many years have you been in the field and why do you like the job you have?  

Presentation Reflection

1. In what way did the first interview affect your presentation?
My first interview affected my presentation in a good way. The person I interviewed, my dad, gave me a lot of useful information about the setup of different size concerts that I ended up using in my presentation. He told me all the different departments of concert production and what they do. We talked about how they differed in small, medium, and large scale concerts.

2. What would you say stood out about your presentation performance and why?
I think my props stood out in my presentation performance because I had two of them and I think I effectively explained how they pertained to medium and large scale concerts and also how the differed from each other.

3. What was most challenging to do and why?
The most challenging thing I faced in this presentation was choosing what to present on. I thought about it a lot, but I didn't come up with anything until the night before the rough draft was due. I had a few options, but I couldn't pick one to use.

Presentation I

Objective: Students will learn the difference between high production concerts and low production concerts
Procedure: 1. Ask students: "How many of you have ever been to a concert before?"I will then choose 3        students and ask them "Which artist did you see and where?"
2. Explain the difference between a high production concert and a low production concert.
Check For Understanding: I will ask 2-3 students to give me 1 difference between the two kinds of concerts.
Resources/Materials: I am going to bring a box of concert wristbands from past Glass House shows and some of my Dad's backstage laminates to show a difference between high production and low production.

Interview Check

For my first interview, I will be interviewing my father, Dennis Thorbourn. I want to interview him because he has worked in concert production for several years and he can offer me his perspective on how to produce a successful concert. In addition to the five required questions, I could ask him:
-In all of your years of concert production, what are the top three most successful concerts you have seen?
-On a scale of 1 to 10, how important do you think the audio engineer is in the production process?