Marissa Wiebe - Songwriting and Production

My time in the Propel program has been filled with many obstacles - the biggest one being the fact that the majority of it was spent at home. For my project, that meant I was to record one full song at home all while trying my hardest to achieve the best possible quality I could. My goals were to write a song which included ukulele, vocals, bass guitar, drums, and many other instruments and sounds to create an alternative/indie song of my own. The song was recorded in GarageBand, with the mixing arranged and broken down for me by my mentor/teacher. This process has given me great insight into how producing a song goes from start to finish.  

There were many obstacles I faced while recording my song- the biggest being the pandemic, which gave way to many more. Recording at home was impossible. My house is small with so many different appliances and people making noises in the background, there was no way to record a clean take. Luckily, my grandparents have a big house where I was able to stay and record. Living with my grandparents meant I could record whenever I wanted and had all the space I needed to do my work. It also meant I had to rely heavily on internet access to find videos to learn from, send files and assignments to teachers, and to join the class calls. The problem, however, was that there were many times when the Wi-Fi would be unreliable. I had to call the support line of the Wi-Fi provider who fixed the problem only to have it happen again in another few weeks. The lack of stable Wi-Fi made me panic and worry if I was going to even finish in the end. I also felt a lack of motivation and inspiration which made it hard to complete everything I needed to on time. I found myself completely missing deadlines and not finishing the goals I set for the week on time. I still haven’t found the perfect solution to get me on track, but I have learned to push through and finish.

As aforementioned, the time I was able to spend in Propel was not what I expected it to be. However, I got the chance to learn more about music, the production process behind the music, and I have even learned more about myself as a person. I’ve had the chance to meet many great, creative people and found new ways to solve a wide variety of problems. Propel has given me the chance to explore what I’m passionate about, and through every assignment and problem, I have found strengths and skills that could use some improvement. The experience I have had in this program is one I will remember. The fact that it is now coming to an end is bittersweet. On the one hand, it's sad that it's over. On the other hand, I’m so grateful for this chance to find out more about who I am and what I’m passionate about. It’s inspired me in many ways and has made me feel more capable of pursuing a life where I can continue to create.

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