Final Draft: The Elevated Octave

 I hope this magazine can be perceived as a message to people about the beauty of classical music. Classical music has many healing and soothing properties that I believe should be made more known to help people. I am proud of the outcome of my magazine although I believe there is more I can do to make it better. If I was more certified in InDesign I would be able to better use the program to my advantage. Altogether, I think this magazine is a reflection of my hard work and the elegance of classical music.

Post Production 2- Feature Article

To make my featured article better, I added a picture of a piano that I have at my house to create more variation among instruments. To add more color to my featured pages I added some translucent boxes on the page to make the pages more eye-catching. To do this I firstly created a box, then filled it with a light blue. I turned the opacity of this box to 10. I added one box to each page. The first box is on the lower half of the first featured article page. The second box is on the upper half of the second featured article page. I did this to add more color to my article, thus making it more presentable and attractive.

Post Production 1- Cover Page and Contents Page

To edit the cover page of my magazine, I have added the month and year that the magazine issue would have come out, that being March 2021.

My work has been short on the contents page. I have aligned the page numbers and article titles. To align the numbers, I added a construction line so I could set each period upon the line and be vertically aligned. I also added a row of periods between the other articles to draw in more attention from the audience.

Peer Review

I solicited two peer reviews and received positive feedback from both. I was also able to have some of my family members, including my mother, review my work. For some final touches, I edited more aspects of the pages. On the contents page, I lined up all the numbers and titles so they would not seem out of order. On the second featured article page, I added a solid black line to separate the article from the two interviews. I was not able to provide more interviews because I had no other responses. I could fully understand the program In-Design so I could have put more features into my magazine. One idea I had, but could not fulfill, was to have a very transparent picture of my violin behind the wording. I also wish I had a smaller camera so I could take a cool picture of the inside of a violin and use that in my article somehow.

Before I submit my magazine project there are a few aspects I need to change. I was given feedback and advice from my peers about my magazine. I was told to darken the edges of my magazine page or maybe just provide a shadow effect so the white title and subtitles can be easily read. I also need to add a month and year to determine the release of my magazine. Other aspects I could include in my magazine are adding more photos of other instruments instead of just the violin and removing indentations from my featured article. I was also given positive feedback, complimenting my pictures and well the minimalistic vibe my magazine presented.

1st Draft: The Elevated Octave

Production 3- New Imagery Ideas

I have also taken three new pictures after I had the idea of having a grey background for my shots. For the first photo, I placed my violin on the grey carpet in my room. For the other two photos, I found a silky grey blanket. Instead of leaving the blanket flat, I decided to pinch the fabric to give more definition to the blanket. Then I placed my violin on top and took photos from above. I also happen to have LED lights in my bedroom, so I played around with lights colors and I found that when I turn the LED lights to orange it makes the colors in the violin pop more. Thus making the violin look more vibrant compared to the dull gray color it is placed on. 

I have also been adding more to my featured article with scientific facts and evidence to conclude how music, specifically classical music, is beneficial to the body and brain. 

Production 2- New Images and Featured Article

 An introduction to my featured article: Music can improve brain and body function as well as induce relaxation. Classical music for example has been proven to greatly affect brainwaves and lifestyle in people. Classical music is known to take away symptoms of anxiety such as nervousness or jitteriness... 

 

 For my featured article, I wanted to write about how classical music can affect your brain activity and lifestyle. I have found many articles doing research on this topic. According to Science Daily, "listening to classical music enhanced the activity of genes involved in dopamine secretion and transport, synaptic neurotransmission, learning and memory, and down-regulated the genes mediating neurodegeneration." I can write a scientific article about the effects of classical music. I think this would interest my audience of wealthy older people. To put myself in the position of an older person I would be concerned about preserving what is left of my life and brain. According to the Symphony Central Coast, "classical music down-regulated genes associated with neurodegenerative diseases. A happy brain is a healthy brain, and classical music – especially that that evokes positive memories – can increase dopamine and neuro connectivity in the system, slowing down the aging process." I would listen to classical music to combat the natural deterioration of the brain.

 I have recently come up with the bright idea to email the teacher of the Sarasota High School Orchestra program to ask him questions about how his orchestra has impacted his students and his own life. I would also like to email the band director and get his input on how music has affected his students and his life. I will go to the Sarasota high school website to find both of their emails. There are three music teachers; Charles Alfrey, Christopher Leiper, and Kirby Sanders. 

 To contact an American violinist, Taylor Davis, I went onto her website and found a contact page to ask her some questions. “Hello, my name is Zoe. I am writing an article for my media studies high school class on how the violin and classical music can help improve a person's brain activity and lifestyle. The violin has personally done so much to impact my life. I absolutely love your covers of Fairytail, ATOT, and literally all the Zelda covers. I have some questions if you are willing to answer them: How do you think the violin has affected your life? Do you think violin has a positive influence on your mental state?”

I have also taken some more pictures that I may include in my magazine. For my new images, I wanted to include some greenery as it would contrast with the brown color of the violin.