Computer III Programming-Week 3

So, for this week, our main task was to create a song on Finale Notepad. But before working on this, I did a little work with Alice. I learned how to use this program by just watching/doing the tutorial and then just clicking on different options for the skater to do once it was finished (skate backwards, spin, etc.) Once I finished this, I began the main project for the week. At first, I was confused on whether or not we had to purchase it, but I eventually just ended up downloading the demo (free trial that lasts 30 days) after reading the discussion. Then, I tried making the song-that certainly was difficult. I have experience in music from taking piano lessons and being in choir, but I still struggled with this project. I had never used this program before so everything was new in a way. I tried to figure it out by just clicking different things. I at first must have clicked the button that closed the playback bar, so that messed me up. So, I just kept pressing the space bar (the play button), but that didn't help at all. So then, I went looked at all the bars at the top (File, Windows, etc.) and I clicked on Windows. Then, it said "playback controls" as an option so it brought the playback bar back up. So, that's how I figured out how to get the playback bar back. The way I figured out how to make a song was by watching tutorials, looking through my old music books (to possibly get inspiration for a song), and by trial and error. It took me quite a few days to write a song because my first few were all just terrible. It was just hard for me because I had no idea how to write music before. I had written lyrics before, but not "music." So, I just figured out how to make one by getting more and more experience. The tutorials kind of helped, but not really. Neither did looking through my old piano books. So, I just tried testing out different instruments until I found some that went well together. I eventually ended up using the acoustic grand piano, the cello, the flute, and the tubular bells. The way I figured out how to put notes together was basically, by accident. I meant to place the note next to another one, and I must have messed up my fingering and put it right below it. But, that's how I figured out how to place notes together and that definitely helped out with the rest of my song. I think that my thinking really changed over the course of this project in the way of "how" to do something. It's always "textbook" for me, and this project definitely wasn't. It was certainly more "figure it out yourself." So, now I've definitely become more open to having more ways of learning. I think that I changed by now being able to write music! As I said before, I had only previously written lyrics, and now I can write a composition! As previously said, all I did to learn this really was by trial and error. I just kept messing around with different notes, different instruments, and going over all the buttons just to see what options I could use. Overall, I thought this project was fun and I definitely learned something new-how to write music! Happy Fourth of July!