Final Product

Dream Big Project Introduction

     For my first HoHum first semester Dream Big Project, I have been learning how to play the ukulele. I came into this project never having played an instrument before. Playing an instrument is something I have always wanted to learn, but with such a busy schedule, I never had a chance to learn one. So, when I was given a chance to learn something I wanted to learn, I knew right away I wanted to learn to play an instrument. However, I wasn't sure what instrument. 

     There were many different reasons I chose the ukulele. The first being that I liked that it was different. Not very many people can say they play the ukulele. Another reason is that I liked its small, portable size. If I ever wanted to bring it anywhere, it wouldn't be a problem. The main reason I chose the ukulele, however, is that I really liked the way it sounded and the memories the sound of it brings back to me. My family went to Hawaii over the summer, and I would hear people playing ukuleles all the time. There would be people playing them on the beach and at the hotels. Even restaurants and shops had Hawaiian music playing. I could tell it was a really important part of the Hawaiian culture. Now, whenever I hear it I remember all the fun times my family and I spent there.

     To show my progress, I put together a video using the app iMovie. I would take videos on my phone of me playing. It was easy to see my improvement over the course of the semester. My video, "Dream Big Project: Learning the Ukulele," is now on YouTube. By putting together this video, I also learned a lot about video editing and how to upload videos to YouTube.

     Overall, this Dream Big Project was a great experience. I really liked that I felt like I was in complete control of what I was learning. I am very grateful Mr. Bowers has given me such an amazing opportunity to do a project like this. I would recommend everyone to do something like this and get a chance to learn on their own.

     

Day 15: Ukulele

Today I filmed the last clip for my video. It is me playing the song, "Stitches" by Shawn Mendes. I played the introduction, the pre-chorus, and the chorus. The strumming pattern for the introduction is D-D, U-U, D-U and the chords are Am, C, G, and F. The pre-chorus is just one down stroke on each of the chords. The chorus has the strumming pattern D-U-D-U-D-U and the chords Am, C, G, and F. I could definitely see my improvement, because I was able to learn this song very quickly, and I filmed it perfectly on my first try. It usually takes me at least 5 tries to get a video I am happy with.

Day 14: Book

So, I finally finished my book! I really liked it, and its now one of my favorite books. I liked that I was able to relate to the book so much. I think the deepest connection I made was when Lulu wanted to quit the violin, and then when she finally quit. I really relate this event to what's happening in my life right now. I've played soccer for almost 10 years now, and I am so thankful for that. This sport has changed my life in so many ways I never thought it could and its given me amazing relationships with my teammates that I now view as family. However, I feel like this past year, the passion I once had, just isn't quite there anymore. I'm not going to quit yet, the game has done so much for me and I still love it so much, but I feel like this might be one of my last years, the same way Lulu felt about the violin. Then, Lulu quit the violin to play tennis. I feel like eventually I will end up quitting soccer to play field hockey. I just started playing this year, but I fell in love with the game the same way I fell in love with soccer. If I do end up quitting soccer, it will always have a special place in my heart, the way the violin does for Lulu.

Day 13: Ukulele

Today I spent a lot of time working on my video. I am using the app iMovie to make my video. So far, I have put in short clips of me playing a few different songs. The problem is, I don't really know how I should start the video. As of now it is a picture of my ukulele with the title, "Dream Big Project: Ukulele," but I feel like I need an introduction before my first clip. I also feel like I need to put something between the clips, but I'm just not sure what. Another problem is, my video is really boring. I'd like to find a way to make it more bearable to watch. Hopefully I'll think of something to keep my audience from falling asleep.

Day 12: Ukulele

Today I learned some a new song, and reviewed an old one for my video. They are "Count on Me" by Bruno Mars, and "The Fun Song" as seen on  the cartoon Spongebob Squarepants. The strumming pattern for, "Count on Me" is D, D, D-U-D-U, and the chords are C, Em, Am, G, and F. The strumming pattern for "The Fun Song" is D, D-U, D, D, and the chords are C, F, and G. I started playing this before, but it didn't sound very good. Now that I am better, it sounds the way it is supposed to sound. I plan on putting parts of these two songs in my video. I have also started piecing together clips for my video using the app iMovie.

Day 11: Ukulele

I finally realized today that I really need to start coming up with ideas for my video. I had been keeping track of ideas my friends and I had been coming up with. The first idea was to create a music video with my playing a song I learned. The next idea was to choose one hard song that I really wanted to learn and focus on just that one song. My last idea was to choose parts from a bunch of different songs I've been learning throughout the course of my learning. I ended up picking the last idea. My idea is to pick 3-5 songs and just show clips of them. I want to show a little less than a minute of each song, so the video won't be too long. I'd like to pick diverse songs to show that I have learned to play different types of music. The first song I chose is "Lava" from the Pixar short film. It is a Hawaiian song and I really like the way it sounds.