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A Jury of Seven Men

Writer's picture: angelonatalieangelonatalie

Updated: May 12, 2023


Yesterday (May 9) I presented my Senior Capstone Project to a jury of seven WestConn professors. I have taken courses and/or private audio production lessons from all of them. They represent my five-year deep dive into music theory, arranging, and audio production. Anyway, I felt so privileged to have these men present though it did feel a little like a men's club. Beer and cigars would not be out of order... if that were permitted in the studio.


My capstone project is a 5-song compilation of original worship songs. When a songwriter shares their work, it is an extremely vulnerable experience. Their songs are like children to them. Producing them is akin to dressing up one's children for Easter Sunday. Nobody wants to hear, "Your kids are ugly."


I spent untold hours preparing these songs. Arranging, rearranging, producing one-man mockups, writing charts, and conducting recording sessions. Then there was the editing, mixing, and mastering.


After all that, I was still considering starting my jury presentation with the apologist's words, "This is a work in progress." Nah. No excuses. Just let the notes fall where they may. My turn came. I got situated. All the profs were waiting. A few of them appeared punch-drunk from jurying all day. I hit the 'play' button and out came the first song "You Thirst For Us". It was loud and, through the state-of-the-art studio monitoring system, sounded amazing.


Then again, it's my kid. Do I have the objectivity to tell if s/he is homely?


The objective affirmation came when The Jury of Seven Men concurred that it sounded great. Not perfect. There was some valuable feedback that will be implemented in revisions before release. But it went far better than I anticipated. It makes me all the more eager to share this music with you. That was my final undergraduate academic act. After the jury, I decided to take a seat outside in the courtyard between the music department and the student center. I wanted to take it all in. I ran into Matt and Jordan separately. They were both in my Public Speaking class last semester. We had a chance to catch up. In the fall, Matt is going to start his master's program in writing. Jordan has to finish his criminal justice studies at WCSU. I'm all the richer having crossed paths with these young people and the hundreds of others I've had the pleasure to know for too brief a moment. For five years I've been part of the WestConn community. There will be a post-graduation vacuum. Even though my cup runneth over, way over, with family and longtime friends, WCSU in Danbury, CT will always hold a special place in my heart. To the Western Connecticut State University Class of 2023, I salute you.



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