Major: Music Technology
Gabrielle Franks is a Linehan Scholar and URA award recipient who is majoring in Music Technology (’20).
Title: Producing an Extended Play Compact Disc (EP) Release: A Multinational Collaboration
Describe your project: My project proposal is to do research on how music is written and marketed to venues and radio stations via the internships I’ll be participating in over the summer, and then how an EP is recorded/produced, and how music marketing differs in the UK from the US at Newcastle in the Fall of 2019. I will additionally create a concise outline as to what the foundational steps are for releasing an EP (with little to no help from outside sources, like marketing agencies, record labels, etc). I’ll have an exhibition of this EP at some sort of reception – could be a senior recital, where the EP is performed live, or just at a reception of some sort outside of school.
Who is your mentor for your project? Alan Wonneberger, Music Technology
How did you find your mentor? Why did you choose them? Alan is the head of my major department, so I figured it was my best choice to have him aid my research project.
How did you become interested in this project? I have been writing and recording music since I was quite young, and thought it would be really special to conduct a research project about it! Considering Spring 2020 will be my last semester at UMBC, I wanted to make my mark on the community, and explore the world of creating and marketing music.
What has been the hardest part about your research and what was the most unexpected thing about being a researcher? Documenting all of my experience so far has probably been the most difficult aspect of it. I didn’t fully expect how time consuming writing everything down and remembering to take pictures/videos of my experience would be.
What has been the most rewarding part? Being able to see and hear my own progress on this project is extremely rewarding. From recording demos of songs I’d written back in January 2019, to beginning the recording process with scratch tracks now in September, is really exciting – I’m looking forward to having a completed project by the time April 2020 rolls around. Time has flown!
How will you disseminate your research? I plan to orally present my research at URCAD 2020, and am also considering having a senior exhibition next Spring.
What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research? Find research that you’re passionate about – making, recording and promoting my own music is what I enjoy doing, and have done for a long time. Doing what you love makes getting all the work involved done much easier.
What are your career goals? After graduating in Spring 2020, I plan to continue my career in Radio Broadcasting/Music Programming.I also plan on pursuing a career in music by touring and performing.
9/16/19
