As a music major, much of my time in both my undergraduate and graduate programs

were spent doing hands-on activities, such as lessons, practicing privately, and performing in

ensembles. However, as a psychology minor, I was able to be exposed to the research world and

writing scholarly essays. Below is a reflection on my research and writing techniques, as well as

my strengths and weaknesses, and what concerns I would like to address going forward

throughout this class.

Resources, strategies, and techniques that I have used while completing a research project

tend to typically depend on the project itself. If, for instance, I am presenting my research in a

poster format, I would focus on the primary body of the text so that a reader can easily

understand the topic, get a general sense of what the project was, and then allow them to ask me

for further information. On the other hand, if I were presenting the information in the form of an

oral presentation, I would use a visual aid in the form of PowerPoint, Keynote, etc. However,

rather than use the visual aide as the primary reading material like a poster, I would use it to

highlight main concepts with bulleted points. This format would allow for both the audience and

me to progress through the presentation together.

Generally, these strategies have worked well throughout my research. I have found the

trickiest part to be when I am using a poster format. Often it can be difficult to get all the

information into a concise enough format to work for the poster presentation. I find myself

having to work to trim down my thoughts in order for it all to fit on the poster.

Throughout my time as both a researcher and writer, it has become clear to me where my

strengths and weaknesses lie. My strengths come heavily on the side of generating topics to

research, finding the material and data to use, and putting it into a legible format that makes
sense. The entire idea of research is something that fascinates me. Finding new connections is

something that, as a percussionist, has been revolutionary for my learning. Being able to remove

dividers and think about big-picture ideas while also still focusing on minutia and seeing where

the world of rhythm intersects and how seemingly unrelated genres have so much in common

have greatly helped as both a performer and a researcher.

My weaknesses come in the form of creating a document that gets to the point a little

quicker. I often write too much, and it can sometimes detract from the core ideas and meanings I

am trying to present. This is something that I am working on and hope to get better at as I find

myself progressing through this degree. For me, it’s not necessarily a lack of information, but

rather how to summarize the information and get the point across without over-explaining. This

weakness is also where my concerns lie moving forward.

As someone who plans on researching and writing about music for the rest of my life, I

want to make sure that I turn my weaknesses into strengths. In this regard my main concern is

about how to most effectively write with concise language that is still as informative as possible.

Throughout this semester, I hope this class can help me strengthen what I am confident in, as

well as learn how to most effectively say what I need to say without getting too long-winded.