Blog 22: Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your Block Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
-I'm most proud of my slideshow presentation. I feel like I did a good job putting it together. I didn't overwhelm the audience with a lot of text. I added a lot of photos and was able to talk about the pictures rather than have a ton of bulletpoints on the slides.

(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Block Presentation (self-assessment)?

AE       P          AP       CR       NC

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?

AE       P          AP       CR       NC

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
-My mentorship worked a lot for me. I was able to get so much useful information just by going to the venue. I got to do a lot of hands on things, especially after going through my independent components.

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?
-I would have found a more effective way to find research. It was really hard for me to find a lot of good research, especially because my topic isnt one that is all over the internet, or has papers or articles written on it.
(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.
-I can say that I've met a lot of people that I probably would have never taken the time to get to know. This is a good thing for me because I now have people I can get in contact with in the music industry.

Exit Interview

Content:

(1) What is your essential question and answers?  What is your best answer and why?
EQ: What does a person need to do in order to open and manage a live music venue?

Answer 1:Begin by putting together a master plan which consists of strategic planning, business planning, budgeting and the writing of a mission statement. 

Answer 2: Look for a suitable location for for the venue and begin the procedure of acquiring business city permits and insurance.
Answer 3:Learn to successfully plan and promote events.

Best Answer: Answer 2- Look for a suitable location for the venue and begin the procedure of acquiring business city permits and insurance.
-I chose answer number 2 as my best answer because without a suitable location, the venue could come into a number of problems. Some of which could impact the venue in a negative way. Getting proper permits issued by the city are required in order to keep any sort of business up and running and without the proper permits, the local city law could possibly shut down the venue. On the other hand, insurance is greatly needed because in the event of an injury or any sort of liabiity, the business must have the proper insurance policy to avoid getting into any trouble that might lead to a law suit and/or the shutting down of the venue. Alll those three things I stated are needed in order to get the venue up and keep running in the first place.

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?
-When I was first constructing my best answer, I went to my mentor Kevin Lopez for advice. We discussed things that were highly crucial to the venue and came to an agreement that the things in my answer two were one of the most important. He helped me construct a list of things that were important and we gradually made the list smaller by crossing out things that were not high risk issues.

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?
-The main problem that I faced was trying to figure out what things were a bigger risk. By bigger risk, I mean, what things could shut down the venue indefinitely. In the end I did put together a big list by asking my mentor for help.

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?
-Two of the most significant sources Ive used to answer my essential question are: Kevin Lopez; my mentor and a book I read called Starting and Building a Non-Profit by Peri Pakroo. My mentor Kevin was a great source for me because he has been running a venue for nearly two years. He's dedicated a lot of his time to dealing with any issues concerning the venue and has been able to show me things that have led me to understand the way a venue is run and kept open. The book I read was an amazing source because it literally gave me a step by step list of how a non profit organization must be started and what needs to be done in order to keep it going. 

Blog 19: Independent Component 2

Content:  

LITERAL

(a) Statement: I, EMMELY AVILA, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.

(b) Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component:

-Kevin Lopez: Mentor at Bridgetown DIY, Pakroo, Peri H. Starting & Building a Nonprofit: A Practical Guide. Berkeley, CA: Nolo, 2011. Print.

(c) Provide a digital spreadsheet (aka log of the 30 hours).   Post it next to your mentorship log.

(d) Explanation of what you completed:

-Throughout Independent component 2, I attended quite a few more events to help out at and volunteer my time. During these events I learned more about what it takes to run an event, and what kind of background work goes on. I also completed the learning experience of putting on my own event once again like in the first independent component.

INTERPRETIVE

Defend your work and explain how the significant parts of your component and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work. 

-What I did during the independent component was volunteer my time at the venue during certain events and attend meeting. I feel as if these things demonstrate 30 hours of my work because not only did I volunteer my time, but I event went to book my own events and handled my events accordingly,  Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.  

*Pictures of events*

APPLIED

How did the component help you answer your EQ? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped.

-This component helps me answer my EQ because I was able to apply more of my newfound knowledge I have of running events and working the venue. I was able to put together a few events, made flyers, contacted the bands etc. Unfortunately I went through some unforeseen events. Some things happened that almost had me cancel an event but in the end I was able to work things out. On the other hand,  I was able to research and see in person how things regarding city permits and insurance for the venue are handled first hand. It has helped me answer my EQ because I've learned how to manage a non-profit business.

This is a flyer that I helped make during my independent component.

Above is a picture of a band that was booked for one of the events I put on. This event went okay for the most part. We did have a few difficulties at first. Those being, having trouble setting up the PA system. The main band that was supposed to be headlining dropped the event and a few of the bands had members that were running late on time.  I wouldn't say that it all went well, because it didnt. But it definitely was a good learning experience.

San Diego bands in La Puente: Extra Post-April

Northbound, pictured above, is a pop-punk band that my friends started earlier last year.

I put together an event two months ago and it happened about two weeks ago. I had invited several bands from San Diego to come play a show with my friends band at Bridgetown DIY. The show went great. All the bands were on time, everyone was friendly and it was an overall good time. I got to the venue a bit early so I could check in the bands and set up the PA system. The event ended really early which was great because it was on a Sunday. After doing all the busy work I was able to hang out with my friends and meet some really nice people. 

Blog 18: Third Answer

Content:

• EQ: What does a person need to do in order to successfully open and manage a live music venue?
• Answer #3 (Write in a complete sentence like a thesis statement)*: A person must be able to successfully put together/promote events at the venue, reach out to a variety of people and be open to all ideas concerning the space.
• 3 details to support the answer (a detail is a fact and an example):

         -Having a specific outline to booking any type of event is crucial. Must be sure all details are recorded EX: Having a calendar at hand with all events on it would help keep things well organized.

        -Promoting events through social media can lead to success. Include your venue on Social Media to have something to refer to when customers are trying to get information out through word of mouth(by doing so online)
-Allow different people to offer their ideas and opinions about things going on at the venue. Ex: Letting people book their own shows, bring in revenue etc.

• The research source (s) to support your details and answer: Peri H Pakroo in "Starting and Building a Non-Profit"
• Concluding Sentence: The person or people running the venue should always keep in mind what others would think about decisions being made at the venue.

Blog 15: Independent Component 2 Approval

Content:

Please review the component contract at page 12 of the senior project packet.   The independent component 2 is an opportunity for you to add a dimension of creativity and/or an additional outlet for research.  The goal of the component is for you to explore your answers in more depth.  On Friday April 25, 2014, you will be turning in the following to your blog to prove completion of this component:

·       Log of hours on an digital spreadsheet (with total number of hours included)
·       Evidence of the 30 hours of work (e.g. transcript, essays, tests, art work, photographs) as digital artifacts
·       LIA
 The senior team expects that your log will be on the right hand side of your blog with your WB, independent component log 1 and mentorship log.   In addition to this,  we expect that you will be able to prove the total 30 hours of work by submitting evidence to the blog by the due date. For this blog post and approval, please answer the following questions.

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.
-For my 30 hours I will continue to do volunteer work at the place of my mentorship, I will work the door, set up the PA systems etc. I also plan on booking about 3 more events by myself like the event I posted about on Feb 1st of this month. I want to also help promote events like I did before.

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.
- I plan on keeping a log of hours that I do at the venue, as well as update posts on my blog about things I'm doing, events I'm hosting, etc. Pictures, flyers all included as before.

3.  And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.
-What I will be doing will help me get more in touch on what it takes to host my own event. Like before, Ill be the one planning the dates, times, contacting the bands, etc.

4.  Post a log on the right hand side of your blog near your other logs and call it the independent component 2 log.

Your answers to the questions should be supported with details and examples for the senior team to understand what you plan to do.   Once we review your Blog Post 15, your house teacher will discuss with you the approval of your plan.  If it is approved, please start working on it.  If it is not approved, your house teacher will explain why.  It is your job to address the concerns so you can get your component approved.

Successful first event!

Last saturday, February 1st, I held my very first event at Bridgetown DIY. I just want to start off by saying that everything went according to plan and it was perfect(for the most part). I got to the venue around 6 p.m and started helping the bands come in and set up. When taking care of your event at Bridgetown, you have to make sure you follow the main check list. 

Above is a picture of the actual checklist we have at the venue. Follow this and your event should run smoothly(at least it worked for me). So after checking off the first four boxes, I waited until the event was over to check off the rest.

During the show I made sure that all of the bands were on schedule, that everyone coming in had paid the fee and that there were no problems. A few things did happen during the event that were on the rather bad side. During the set of the third band, someone made a huge hole in the wall by kicking it... Who does that kind of stuff? I'm including a photo of that too. While I was working the door and collecting the entrance fee, a girl walked straight in, can of beer in one hand acting rather obnoxiously. I walked up to her explained to her that she had to pay the fee just like everyone else, and that I would have to ask her to leave if she didn't throw away her can of beer. She didn't really question me but I continued by explaining to her that the venue was a drug free, sober space and that we didn't allow or tolerate the use of drugs or alcohol consumption in or around the venue. In the end, she did throw out her beer and was pretty respectful of our policy.

Seasons Change ft. Anthony the vocalist

At Heart

Hole in the wall ruining our awesome mural by street artist Gatts

To sum everything up, the event was successful, the venue made about $400 and everyone had a lot of fun!