James Coleman
Weekly Reports
Take It Easy3/12/2018 These past two weeks consisted of a handful of productivity. However, it is safe to say that Spring Break was well needed, and I am ready to hop back on the ISM grind.
I spent a majority of spring break resting. Senior year has taken a real toll on me mentally, especially with the combination of ISM work and college and scholarship applications. However, I did all that I could to rest, all while maintaining an appropriate level of productivity over spring break. I made great progress on my Final Product alongside Luiz, despite having a few setbacks. We are currently struggling on scheduling interviews with professionals, especially considering how busy the individuals we are reaching out to are. However, it is safe to say that we are not discouraged. We are in the process of working out an arrangement with a professional video editing company, to potentially have them assist us in the process of the video. In the meantime, Luiz and I are both working effortlessly to work out a time for the extremely busy professionals that we want to interview to meet with us. Additionally, we are both working to do everything we can to have this big project completed by the end of the school year! Alongside the progress on my final product, I am working with Mrs. Meinershagen to schedule as many mentor visits as we possibly can before the end of the school year. I am confident in my ability of keeping up with my school work academically, and I want to be sure that I am getting everything out of the ISM experience this year so want to schedule as many mentor visit opportunities as possible. Aside from progress I have made in regards to ISM, the rest of my time has gone into working to make money before I leave for school, and keeping up with my scholarship applications. I am determined to finish senior year strong, and the best way that I know to do that is through continuing to work to assure a future as a successful college student. To wrap up, the break was well needed. Spring break gave me an opportunity to rejuice after a difficult start of the school year. However, I am confident in my ability to begin working again, and I am ready to utilize the rest of the school year to have a fulfilling and eventful ISM 2 Journey.
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And So It Begins...2/26/2018 The Final Product for my ISM 2 Journey is now in full effect, and making great progress!
My partner for this project, Luiz Rosa Nanini, and I have finally sent the emails out to the community influences that we hope will allow us to interview them for this project. I must admit, it was nerve wracking to be sending emails to so many people of such great influence, asking to meet with them. It was almost intimidating, and it took 10 plus proof reads before Luiz and I both felt comfortable to send the emails out. However, we were very pleased with the fact that many of the individuals we reached out to responded almost immediately. With the interviews in the process of being schedules, it is safe to say that the ball if finally rolling on this project. Alongside the progress of the Final Product, I am preparing for the week of march in regards to mentor visits and ISM work outside of school. This includes writing my very first “Performance Assessment” in this upcoming week, which I am very excited to begin working on! With spring break coming up, it is safe to say that it is well needed. Between the heavy, yet extremely productive, course load of ISM, alongside college work, I think a week long break is well needed and deserved not just for me but for all of the ISM students. Above all, I am beyond excited to continue working on my final product and continuing the progress and improvement upon my performance ability. In addition, I am looking forward to spring break! The next couple of weeks will be very eventful and productive, and maintaining a level head will be very important. I am taking this time to do all that I can to avoid falling victim to the inevitable “senioritis”m and work towards a successful career in college and as a professional. Running Home To You2/26/2018 This week in ISM was extremely eventful. My partner and I for the Final Product met a couple more times to discuss the future of our project. However, as eventful and productive as that was, there is one thing in particular that made this week stand out, and this weekly update is going to revolve around this event.
For the first time, in my entire performing career, I performed a song without an instrument. I had a friend of mine play piano while I stand and sang a song. Now, I know that this may seem like a big deal to an average person. However, this was a great accomplish for me. I have been performing for 5 years, and each time I’ve had a piano or guitar with me. I’ve always thought of having an instrument sort of as a “shield”. I used this to protect myself from the audience because how I nervous I always am before a performance. This particular performance marked a landmark for me, as I was able to overcome this fear and perform without my shield. I was very proud of that performance. It was incredibly nerve wracking. In fact, while I was singing, I felt my hands freeze. I wasn’t able to move them because of how nervous I was. It was terrifying. However, upon rewatching the performance, I was pleased with the fact that it was hardly noticeable that I was that nervous. More details on that in the upcoming performance assessment that I will be working on in the upcoming weeks. Overall, that was the most eventful portion of the week. I can definitely say that it was a stepping stone towards improving the performing aspect of my music career, and needless to say, I am very pleased with the outcome! I Found A Way2/12/2018 ISM week 22, the pace is beginning to pick up. The most significant component of this week consisted of a landmark of the ISM program...the Original Work speech.
I clearly recall this particular time of year last year, especially considering how nervous I was for this speech. Following this presentation, there is only one more practice speech before Final Presentation night. It is very nerve wracking, especially when you set one of your SMART goals are personal growth and improvement in regards to public speaking. This speech, for me, was much more than a presentation. It was an opportunity to, for lack of a better word, “test” how much I have improved in regards to this aspect. I am proud to say that following my presentation, I was very pleased. Granted, I have not yet had the opportunity to watch the video and reflect upon the speech, I felt very confident during and after the speech that I had done a good job. I truly felt like I was clear in my passion and I was able to effectively get my point across in my speech. More than anything, the key for a successful presentation, I was able to tell a story. More particularly, the story of my ISM journey. Alongside being proud of this speech, I can confidently say that there are still many aspects in which I would like to improve in regards to public speaking. More than anything, I was disappointed with the outcome of the amount of filler words that I used in this particular speech. This is something that I continually want to improve on, and this speech showed me that although I improved in many other aspects of my public speaking, this is one in which I need to continue to practice. Overall, it is safe to say that I was proud of this speech. I am proud of how much the ISM program has allowed me to grow through this aspect of my high school career, and more than anything, I am looking forward to continuing to practice and grow and give a great presentation on Final Presentation Night. Five More Minutes2/5/2018 This ISM update consists of not one weeks worth of work, but two. Mr. Speice saw the intensity of the ISM course load over the next couple of weeks, and decided to give us some extra time to assure that the proposal for our final products are efficient, accurate, and impactful. These past two weeks, in regards to ISM, have consisted of this proposal.
For my final product, I decided that I wanted to make a advertisement video further encouraging the arts. I felt that this would give me a great amount of exposure to the business and marketing aspect of music, and would show me the behind the scenes of pursuing a career in this aspect. I was lucky enough to find a fellow ISM student, who also had the intentions of further exploring the business aspect of art, and him and I sat down to discuss a potential partnership for this product. We met this weekend and spent hours upon hours discussing the expected outcome of this project, and how we could incorporate this project into both of our ISM topic of studies. We then sat down together for a 3 hour period and put together a product proposal and an effective and as accurate as possible product calendar. Upon hopeful approval from Mr. Speice, we will continue to take the steps to execute the project. I am confident that working alongside another ISM student who is just as passionate as me for my final product will have a great outcome, and I am excited to hit the ground running upon approval. With a week off to refresh and “play catch up” in regards to both ISM and the course load of my other classes, I can confidently say that I am ready for the heavy load of ISM, and to continue to explore my passion of music performance all while learning about the practical and business aspect of music as well. Those Shoes1/22/2018 Semester 2 of senior year is off to an amazing start. This week of the final stretch of my high school journey consisted of a very beneficial mentor visit as well as the initiation of my Final Product.
My mentor and I met at a Starbucks for our most recent mentor visit. She wanted to sit down with me and get a gauge of how the rest of the year would pan out in regards to the future of my ISM journey, as well as reflect upon the success of the Research Showcase. I was extremely proud when she informed me that she had no critiques in regards to my performance at the Research Showcase. She complimented my confidence as well as my presentability, as said that I was extremely successful in effectively telling the story of my ISM journey. For me, the best part about hearing this was the fact that it truly illustrated how much I have grown since last year in regards to confidence and public speaking. As improvement upon these two things is one of my long-term SMART Goals, I am excited to be able to say that results are being to be apparent. Alongside a discussion and reflection of the Research Showcase, Mrs. Meinershagen and I discussed the future of my ISM journey. To sum it up: Mentor Visits, Experience, Final Product, and more Experience! I have gotten to see so many amazing things so far this year through my ISM mentorship, and I am looking forward to continuing to be amazed. This week further consisted of the beginning steps of my Final Product. As I have constantly reiterated throughout the year thus far, I would like my Final Product to revolve around a video (a form of art), that advertises for my mentors cause, as well as places emphasis on the music performance aspect of art. I spent this week meeting with a fellow ISM student to discuss a potential partnership. Originally I had planned on putting on a performance and working alongside an ISM student working in that aspect, but upon the change in heart to work towards a different goal, that partnership fell through. The ISM student that I am speaking with now is pursuing a career in the arts, and we met to see if there is a potential way for us to combine our two art related topics (the music performance aspect of my career topic of study), as well as incorporate business and real world applications to our project. I am sure that the next couple of weeks will consist of intense planning for this big project that we are in the process of planning! Above all, it is crazy to think that it is already second semester of my last year in high school, and I am being able to accomplish all of these amazing things through the ISM program. When asked to write a semester reflection, I was shocked by how much has changed over the course of my first semester. Hopefully my individualism will continue to be positively shaped by the ISM program, and I will finish my last year of high school with a BANG! |