CAP 2017-18 End-of-year Self-Assessment

Assigned: Monday, 5/21

Due: Friday, 5/25, 8:00 AM (except seniors, who will complete theirs after the senior show)

Part 1 - Exit Skills Reflection, Spring 2017

Artists have to be particularly skillful at steering their own work lives, both in terms of setting

creative challenges for themselves and in terms of career management. Honest self-appraisal is a

fundamental component of this ability. Your self-assessments are finally much more important

than any assessment I can provide. Like last term, I’d like you to link your self-assessment to the

exit skills of the CAP program. But this time, you will consider just three skills and examine

them more deeply. Write one paragraph for each section below (a-d).

Link to CAP Exit Skills: ​CAP Exit Skills

a. Pick a skill in which you believe you have grown the most this trimester. Describe

the project that allowed you to grow in this area and what you learned about

yourself as an artist in the process.

This trimester, I feel like my self presentation skills have grown significantly.

Throughout these past few months I have had a lot of different presentations that I have had to do

both inside and outside of CAP. I have participated in a recital at the University of Hartford, a
spring concert for orchestra and ensemble, the collaboration project in CAP Seminar, and most

recently achievement days that take place at the University of Hartford. Throughout each of

these events, I have realised it has become a lot easier to be in the moment which has given my

performances and presentations a lot more depth than usual. I took a lot away from my

triangulation project in the winter. By implementing some of Will Smith’s and Drake’s routines

for performing into my own life, my presentation and performance skills were able to develop.

As a person who generally has a lot going on, I find it hard to focus for an extended period of

time. This trimester, I have learned how to completely block out anything else that I might be

doing during the time of my presentation and that has allowed me to be more consistent.

b. Pick a skill on which you would continue to give yourself a fairly low rating, and

write a paragraph in which you devise at least one strategy that might help you

improve.

I have realised that my time management skills have been lacking recently so I would

like to become more self disciplined. It seems that I have been running close to deadlines before

I complete my work. For the rest of the year and the summer, I will work on completing the

work that is a high priority before any other work and also set time limits for myself. For

example, instead of knowing I need to have it done by the due date, I will give myself a few days

to get a smaller piece of the project, piece etc. and keep setting new deadlines that fit

accordingly. By doing this, I will avoid having to put in long work sessions a day or two in

advance and not having time to finalize and edit my project.

c. Pick any other skill from the list, and invent a project that would be FUN and that

you could actually do this summer and that would allow you to practice that skill.
 This summer, I want to be able to develop a larger selection of work. Over my years of

playing, I have collected a large body of polished pieces that I can play whenever I perform. This

summer, my goal is to assemble a variety of different pieces from different genres. In the past I

have played mainly classical, jazz, and occasionally I have played a piece that doesn’t fit into

those two categories. As a traditionally classical instrument I want to be able to break that barrier

and try something new. As a project, I will choose a selection of songs from five different genres

of music. After I develop a good list of songs, I will try to find violin parts for them or learn the

parts on my own. I do not expect all of them to sound great, but I want to experiment with other

genres and be able to see what I else I can do besides the usual.

d. Wild card: What artistic experience would you like to reflect on that you have not

yet had a chance to write about? Why was this important for you, and what skills

did you use?

After the spring ensemble concert ended, there has been a lot of different things that

we’ve been doing in class and one of them is improvising. In the beginning of class, the piano

will play chords and we go around the room and everybody solos for 12 measures. As long as

I’ve been playing, this is one of the things that I have never really felt comfortable doing. By

doing this activity I have improved my listening skills. As the measures progress, the key

signature changes so I have to constantly be looking and thinking ahead to avoid playing notes

that are not in accordance with the key signature. I have also improved my ability to count. It is

really important to stay on beat when improvising and getting back on track if you get off tempo.

This also has allowed me to further expand the types of music and musical techniques that I am

familiar with.
Part 2 - Masterclass/Event Reflection, Spring 2017

We have had 25 CAP events/masterclasses this year. Take a moment here, at the end of the year,

to take stock of what you have seen by recording the events you attended (all year) and reflecting

on a trip, masterclass, or event on campus that was important and memorable for you ​in the

third trimester​.

Link to Field Trip and Masterclass Checklist, 2017-2018: ​Field Trip and Masterclass Checklist

a. Make a copy of the CAP Event Checklist and check off all of the events you have

attended this year. Put this document in your online portfolio in the Masterclass and

Field trips section.

Ƙ CAP Field Trip and Masterclass Checklist, 2017-2018 ƢƢ

Trimester 1 Attended?

Sept. 28, An Evening with Glenn Ligon and Visual Art Yes

5:15 - 7:30 Hughey Long​ at The Wadsworth Atheneum

pm Juniors only

Sept. 22, A Midsummer Night’s Dream​ at Hartford Theater Yes

8:00 pm Stage

8:00 pm

Oct. 1 First Masterpiece Page Due

Oct. 2, Masterclass: Rick Rozie, ​principal bass Music Yes

B block with the Hartford Symphony

Oct. 15 Masterpiece Comments Due

Oct. 16, Masterclass: Irene Papoulis​, Professor of Writing Yes

B block Writing Trinity College and Bard

Oct. 20, CAP Coffee House Everything Yes

4:30 - 6:00

Oct. 26, The Diary of Anne Frank​,​ ​at Park Road Theater, Writing Yes

7:30 pm Playhouse

Nov. 1 The Wolves​, ​Theaterworks Theater No

10:30 am - **CAP Actors and Varsity Girls Soccer

1:00 pm trip***

Nov. 10, 11, The Visit​, Theater Yes

7:30 pm Watkinson Theater

Nov. 15 Denis the Pirate, with Sam Messer and Film, Visual No
5:00 pm Jonathan Safran Foer Art, Writing

Wadsworth Atheneum

**CAP writers and filmmakers***

Nov. 16 Foreign Film Festival #1 Film with No

3:00 - 4:30 Room 704 Global Studies

Trimester 2

Dec. 15, Full New York Field Trip Visual Art, Yes

Day Trip, ● World Market Dance, Theater,

depart at ● Brooklyn Museum Music, Film

7:30 am, ● BAM, Cambodia Living Arts

return at Performance

12:00 am

Jan. 15 Masterpiece Page Due

Jan 16, Masterclass, ​Ya Rath, Cambodian Music Yes

B block, American Musician

theater

Jan. 19, Watkinson Music Concert Music Yes

7:00 pm
Jan. 25, B Masterclass, ​Danny Tieger, actor, Theater, Music, Yes

block songwriter Film

Jan. 31 Freshly Squeezed: ​Bix Biederbeck Music Yes

Feb. 1, B New Britain Museum of Art Visual Art Yes

block, all

school, club

time

Feb. 1 Masterpiece Comments Due

Feb. 2 CAP Coffeehouse All Yes

4:30 - 6:00

Feb. 8, B Masterclass with Cyrus Duff: ​Making an Film Yes

block. indie film

March 2 Open Studio for Visual Art, Carriage Barn Visual Art Yes

3:00 - 5:00

Trimester 3

March 28, B Bolokada Conde​ Masterclass Music Yes

block
April 6, Hartford Symphony: Copland and Music Yes

6:45 lecture Gershwin

8:00 concert The Bushnell

April 9 Masterclass: Janet Brodie, ​Creative Arts Dance, All Yes

Therapist at Yale New Haven Hospital

April 13 CAP Coffeehouse, dining hall All Yes

4:30 - 6:00

April 15 Masterpiece Page Due All

April 26 CAP Trip to New York, ​Lincoln Center, Visual Art, Yes

Museum of Modern Art, ​Chicago​ on Music, Theater,

Broadway Dance

May 1 Masterpiece Comments Due

May 4, 7:00 Music Concert, Theater Music Yes

pm, Theater

May 18, 19 A Raisin in the Sun​, mainstage upper Theater Yes

school play

May 23, B Tonille Watkis ​Masterclass Theater Yes

block
May 23, Grace Gardner Senior Recital Music, Theater,

5:00 PM Dance

May 30, 4:00 CAP Senior Show All

pm

b. Write a 1-2 page reflection on a masterclass or event from trimester 3. This should

be an event or class you attended, not one in which you performed or presented.
 Hartford Symphony: Copland and Gershwin

When I found that the CAP Program was going to see The Hartford Symphony

Orchestra at the Bushnell earlier this spring, I was excited. I had seen them play before a few

times in concert and was looking forward to another one of their concerts. For this particular

show, I was interested to hear the works of Copland and Gershwin who I was not too familiar

with prior to the event. I assumed it would be a good show either way because I have always

thought that the Hartford Symphony Orchestra was very good.

When the show started off, I realized how big that the orchestra really was. Since it has

been awhile since I last saw them, I forgot how many players they really had in each of the

sections. Naturally, my attention first went to the violins. Whenever I’m watching violins I pay

attention to how clear their sound is as a group and how together they are. I was amazed at how

they seamlessly shifted from different positions as well as rapidly change their dynamics in

unison. When violins are performing, in most cases, they need to perform as one violin no matter

how many that there are in a particular section. When they don’t, their parts can easily get

messed up because the dynamics, effects, rhythms, and the overall sound of the piece will all be

off. They will also look unorganized to any of the audience members who see them. The

Hartford Symphony Orchestra continuously played together. All of their bow movements

matched with each other and the transitions, tempo, and dynamics would between movements

would flow perfectly throughout the section. When the concert master had a solo, the rest of the

violins would play under her in accordance to whatever she was playing.

The piano was another instrument that stood out to me throughout the performance. It

seemed like the piano had some of the most intense parts in the entire show. When I was focused
on the entire orchestra, there would be times where the piano player would grab my attention.

There were times where I saw him getting off of his seat because he was getting so involved in

the music. He would also bend his head so that it wa directly above the keys as he was pounding

out the notes. I could see that he was sweating from where I was sitting. He continued to outplay

many of the other instruments and I admired his dedication to the piece at hand, especially since

he had very lengthy parts and did not need to take breaks to regain focus.

One of the last things that stood out the most to me at the performance was the audience.

Our group seemed to be the youngest there. Everybody else there seemed to be at the youngest,

middle aged. I tried looking around for other groups of people that were closer to our age or at

least in their twenties but I didn’t see any during the entire time we were there. A few of the

older people there asked me if I enjoyed the show while I had one who asked why I was there

and one who was angry because we were talking too much throughout the show. While it was a

Friday night and people are typically out doing other things, I was really surprised at the age

group that attended and that there weren’t even a few teens or young adults who were watching

the show.

Out of all the trips and masterclasses that we had this trimester, I really enjoyed this one

and is probably one of my favorites. My favorite part about playing the violin is being able to

play in orchestras and groups. I think that when a whole orchestra comes together it creates

something that one instrument can not do on their own. There are also times where I find it

enjoyable to sit down and experience the music that I do not regularly listen to. I feel that

Copland and Gershwin specifically had a great selection of works that was played at this event.
Part 3: Update Your Online CAP Portfolio

Link to CAP Photo File: ​Photos 2017-2018

Everyone

● Update the examples of work section with new work

● Update the evidence of going public with new evidence

● Insert the ​CAP Event Checklist​ on the “Masterclass and Field Trip” Page

● Include any photos that would like on the Masterclass and Field trip page

● Make Sure ALL of your reflections, including the tri 3 self- and masterclass- reflections

from above, are in the reflections section.

Seniors only

● Put the artist statement you will read at the CAP senior show on the “Artist’s Statement”

page

Sophomores and Juniors

● Revisit your CAP plan and at the bottom of the page write down any ideas for next year

that you want to remember now