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Brianna Robinson

Mrs. Oliphant

CAA Academy Plus 2

28 April 2021

Senior Defense Reflective Essay

I used to always imagine who I would turn out to be once I finish high school. Because of

Disney Channel movies and high school romantic comedies from the 80s, I thought my time as a

teenager would be similar, if not, more extravagant. I was unaware of the hard work and

dedication there needs to be in order to achieve my goals. Thanks to the Clayton Arts Academy, I

have been able to reach beyond the stars and get closer than ever to making my dreams come

true. I have always known I wanted to be a part of the Arts Academy. My older sister was a

member while I was still in elementary school, and I looked up to her and her friends

tremendously as role models. I also have always known that I want to be a performer. The Arts

Academy was the perfect place for me to expand my knowledge of theatre to prepare me for

studying it in college. In Mr. Cline’s Troupe class, I was able to learn how to think outside the

box and make risks that lie beyond what would be normally expected. This has allowed me to

artistically grow as a performer and stand out since I am not afraid of doing the extreme.

Academically, the academy has also taught me how to pace myself when it comes to getting

work done on time. My friends who are not in the Arts Academy are always impressed with the

amount of work and quality that is given by students within the academy. Thanks to our amazing

teachers, I am inspired to always do the best I possibly can with every assignment and project

given to me. As a social activist, the academy has inspired me to promote self-love and

acceptance to all people. One aspect that makes it such an amazing place to grow as a student is
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that every opinion can be voiced and heard. In Mr. Munch’s history classes, we would spend

hours discussing political and social problems in the world, allowing us to shape our morals and

hold no prejudice or bias. This has allowed all academy students to grow socially.

Theatre has been a huge part of my life. The adrenaline of singing or reciting a

monologue with complete internal trust is one of the most fulfilling feelings of all. In the Clayton

Arts Academy, I have learned to not only perform with complete stage presence, but to make

unexpected decisions that are distinct to the character. This allows me to stand out as a performer

by making these “risks”. For my Sophomore year final at the end of the first semester, I

participated in the Great Gatsby Speakeasy Project. As a member of the Hollywood group, I was

able to do thorough research about my celebrity from the roaring 20s, Helen Kane. Not only was

my job to act out Helen Kane the day of the project, but I was in a leadership position. Taking the

lead in this project taught me how to communicate with everyone in the group and make sure

everyone gets an equal opportunity. This project relates to acting tools that I use in Troupe and

shows outside of school. Simply researching the character I am portraying builds subtext.

Subtext is the underlying, or unspoken message that motivates the way the actor portrays their

character. In the Gatsby Project, researching Helen Kane allowed me to get a deeper

understanding of who she is, so when the day of the project arrived, I was able to become her to

the fullest extent, whether it was changing my voice tone, accent, or delivery.

In upper core, I was able to take advantage of subtext and research tremendously in the

Troupe production, “The Laramie Project”. Unlike most plays, “The Laramie Project” is written

entirely off of real interviews from people who knew Matthew Shepard; a boy who was brutally

beat in Laramie Wyoming for being homosexual. I learned how important it is to study dialogue

to its exact wording since we were portraying real people. I played Grace (Greg), Andy Paris,
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Monologuer, and Amanda. It was challenging since all of my roles were interviewers and I had

to make sure each character was still distinctly different. Using the idea of taking risks, I was

able to change my voice tone and power of delivery for each character. I even got to shout and

show extreme emotions that I usually don’t express in public. I have learned that taking “risks” is

not an actual risk. It is the opportunity to grow and do things outside what is normally expected. I

have also been able to take risks in academic classes, making my writing and analytical skills

stronger.

One of my top goals when I started high school was to maintain high grades. Once I

joined the Arts Academy my freshman year, I finally started to find true interest in the topics

discussed in class. The CAA teachers have a way of gaining interest and motivating students to

do their best. Because of the academy, I have learned to pace myself with large work loads and to

take my time with assignments in order to gain complete understanding of the topic being

discussed. For my Sophomore year final, I completed the ‘Decades Project’. I was given the 50s

era where we had to research the music, artistic, and social trends of that time. Our goal was to

make a video representing all of these components. Upon completing the project, I learned how

advertising made such an impact on how people behave socially. For example, women were

advertised as home makers, while men were supposed to have a steady job. This stereotype has

influenced how people have evolved today. Luckily, sexism has become a well-discussed topic.

In this project, I learned how to multitask effectively. I had to research and do my part of the

project, along with editing and filming the entire video. With complete creative freedom, I was

able to use complex video editing software to create the project. I was motivated to make the

video as old fashioned as possible, along with covering all required components to receive a
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perfect score. This project is an example of how important pacing is because I could not have

gotten it done on time without motivating myself to work on it gradually.

In CAA Government Junior year, we were given the Shark Tank project. We were able to

create a prototype for a product that we wish to pitch to the sharks (or classmates). In order to do

this project, we had to create a business with pricing and followers of our company. While doing

this project, I learned about how important it is to advertise and have accurate data when pitching

a business plan. I also learned about the hardships of entrepreneurship. My partner and I created

an app that is used for fashion! The user could take a screenshot or picture of any outfit or

clothing item that they found stylish and the app would find the exact product or something

similar to the image that was processed. To complete the project, we created a poster that showed

our advertisement photos, our prices, and our logo (SSS). Our app was called ScreenShot&Save.

I now know the extent and hard work there is behind developing an app and getting proper

numbers. Before this project, I knew nothing about entrepreneurship, which motivated me to try

my best to gain a better understanding of it. I was able to work at a fast pace to come up with a

product and sales pitch, which will benefit me in the future if I ever want to start my own

business.

As an agent of change, I want to emphasize the importance of self care and the use of

music. Therefore, for my senior project, I decided to elaborate the importance of music and its

ability to communicate. My topic, being music therapy, focuses on the use of music to “address

physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs”. That is why I wrote music for my project,

somewhat as a continuation of my junior project. I used a video to demonstrate healthy and

therapeutic lifestyles using songs that I composed. Movement and composing music are forms of
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music therapy practiced, so I thought yoga would be a perfect way to exemplify my topic. I hope

it inspires others to use music to their advantage, along with healthier life routines.

In the world of COVID-19, I learned to meditate and listen to music that corresponds to

my mood, inspiring my topic choice. Yoga is a form of movement that can be used while

listening to music. It gives the person a therapeutic experience by gaining awareness throughout

the entire body using yoga flows and sound. According to the article, “Intersections of Yoga and

Music Therapy”, yoga gains strength and awareness in breathing technique and proper posture.

With better body awareness, comes better effectiveness when incorporating music. This is why I

decided to incorporate yoga with the music I wrote for my senior project video.

Writing music is a very powerful form of music therapy that I use when I can’t find the

words to express what I am feeling. When I was asked to compose for my friend’s projects, I felt

honored and excited to explore creatively how I will write a song based on the theme I was

given. I wrote the song called, ‘Rebirth’, originally for the webseries “Meant to Be”. Although

this song was not used, it is still one of my favorite pieces that I’ve written because it tells the

story of a new beginning and seeing a bright future full of possibilities. I also wrote the theme for

the webseries, which is based on the suspense and hardships of being a teenager in a homophobic

town. The last song I wrote is for Kennedy Littlejohn’s documentary about mental health and

school. The song is called ‘Battle of the Brain’, based on the idea of the left and right brain

trying to find a way to work together without influence from school and social pressure. These

songs all allowed me to explore how to tell a story using a melody.

With the turbulence of life, it is difficult to find time to take care of oneself. Even if it’s

hard to find time to do a yoga practice or write music, simply listening to music is a very helpful

component of music therapy. According to the website, “The Benefits of Music Therapy”, music
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therapists create a goal for the client. For example, if they are feeling depressed, the therapist

will suggest music to listen to that will lift one’s mood. I myself have multiple different playlists

that I will listen to depending on how I am feeling. The magic of music is that a person can listen

to a playlist while doing homework, work, or chores. Therefore, it is easily accessible and should

be taken advantage of. Not only is it a simple tool to improve a person’s mood, but it can also

bring subconscious thoughts to light. On Psychology Today, it talks about how people who have

experienced trauma and/or have anxiety or depression can be helped by listening to songs, which

can bring subconscious thoughts or memories to light. These thoughts can give the client clarity

as to what they are experiencing, thanks to the help of a song.

A song can easily be taken for granted, which is why it is crucial to spread awareness of

the emotional impact of music, with or without lyrics. Instead of laughing at someone when you

see them crying during an opera or Broadway musical, keep in mind that their own emotions

might be reflecting the same meaning of the song. This is something beautiful and should be

celebrated. I encourage every person to create their own playlists, so when they feel stuck or left

without words, they’re reminded that they’re never alone. I also hope every person creates a

bond with their voice and will feel free to sing out whatever they’re feeling! Music is expression.

That is why it is such a powerful form of therapy. My senior project is meant to inspire anyone to

write their own music when they feel lost, sing out a song when they’re happy or sad, and simply

listen to music.

The Arts Academy has inspired me to embrace my individuality. I learned to love who I

am and embrace my quirks. Artistically, I have learned to take risks and look at new or different

directions when it comes to performing in theatre or conducting projects. Academically, I have

learned to pace myself and use my time effectively by immersing myself in the information.
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Socially, I have learned to accept everyone for who they are. Everyone has their differences, but

that’s what makes life interesting and beautiful. Without our differences, we wouldn’t be able to

evolve and comprehend multiple perspectives. Being capable of understanding others and

collaborating ideas is what creates masterpieces, whether it’s a play, art piece, or poem. That’s

what makes life magical, and that is why the Clayton Arts Academy is the most incredible place

to grow as a person. I am an artist, and the academy has taught me to use my gifts to make the

world as wonderful of a place as possible. Although my life is definitely not like a Disney

Channel movie, it is full of opportunity and dreams that are meant to be made through the

expression of art and love.