The End & The Beginning

Well, I did it! I made it through Full Sail University's Music Production, Bachelor of Science program. I made some incredible friends and industry connections during my 23 months here. Did it go fast? Absolutely! Would I do it all over again? Without hesitation! 

I learned so, so much during my time here, both musically and about myself. My work ethic and drive that I've always had sure helped get me through it. It also allowed me to work on some pretty incredible projects, specifically helping with WWE NXT. 

There is a list 100 miles long of people that I could thank, but I'm going to leave it at "you know who you are." We're Full Sail family. The last few months were a grind, but they were so, so worth it. I built up my resume, made even more friends, and busted my ass to showcase my work-ethic, something I bank so hard on in my life. It's already brought a lot to me, and I look forward to seeing what opportunities it brings in the near future! 

The last two months of class I had the opportunity to compose a hybrid orchestral, Hans Zimmer-inspired track. It started with me playing around an arpeggio I came up with on the piano. When we got in the studio to record, I became heavily inspired. I had the opportunity to bring in a live cellist (who was my lab instructor) and my good friend Abby, who is an incredible vocalist. Having live cello and vocals on my track changed the entire direction of the track from a mixing standpoint. I've embedded a SoundCloud link below. The song is called "The Beginning." 




This track is not close to being done, as there's so much that I want to do to it yet. I'm hoping that it will get picked up by a movie or something and then I'll be forced to finish it. 

On top of having to compose a song we also had to create a website for our portfolio. Luckily, I had built one awhile back so I just added and updated it to suit the needs of the class. However, now I need to update it again (I think). Web design is fun, but I can never completely put out what I want. You can view my website, projects, and other portfolio items here. 

As I sit here writing this post, I still can't get myself to fathom the idea that I'm completely done with school for the rest of my life (unless I decide to go back). I'm a very analytical person so I know that I'm going to learn so, so, so much more once I get out and land myself a job (which I'm currently working on). Life is full of opportunities. Why not try all of them once and learn something from each one?

Lennon 
Graduate
Bachelor of Science, Music Production 

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Is Full Sail Worth It?

Graduation is shortly approaching for me. I started online at Full Sail University back in September of 2014. I was part of the hybrid program, which means that I could do a maximum of four months online and then I had to move to campus to pursue the rest of my degree. This wasn't my plan before I'd heard about this program; however, I knew that attending Full Sail would require me to step way outside of my boundaries. Moving across the country to live on my own and attend the college I'd dreamed of attending for years was inevitable, and my family supported me 100%. It caught me off guard, and I hadn't mentally prepared myself to move away so soon, but I knew that I had to do it. I'm glad that I did. It's been one of the best decisions I've ever made! 

"If you're serious about your dream, we'll take your dream seriously." "Your journey starts here." These quotes are quotes that I see around campus every so often. When I first came to the campus in July of 2014, that's one of the first quotes I saw, and it was very reassuring. I'd done my research on Full Sail and knew what to expect. However, I wasn't 100% sure that they would be able to live up to my dreams. I've always been a creative, non-stop thinker and I have high standards in most aspects of my life, but seeing these quotes plastered all over campus and in the videos we watched while on the tour of the school was very reassuring. I went in skeptical, as I do with most things. You can read 100 books, watch hours and hours of video, and even get reviews from other people, but experiencing everything for yourself is the most rewarding and beneficial for you, especially mentally. For me, it sealed the deal. At the end of that tour, I knew that Full Sail was where I needed to be. 

When I started online in September of 2014, I jumped in head first, pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. I took full advantage of the discussion posts we had to do each week to network with our classmates. (They were there for a reason!) I also took advantage of group projects. Although I'm normally not a fan of group projects because I usually end up doing a bulk of the work, I was ecstatic to swim a little deeper into networking. After all, Full Sail does push networking pretty heavily, and I'm glad that I caught on from the beginning. I met some pretty talented people and had some pretty interesting conversations. It's always interesting to get to know somebody, their story, and what their dreams and aspirations are. The world is full of amazing people! 

I moved to Florida to attend Full Sail on campus in January of 2015. I was nervous as all hell to get started and do this thing called "adulting." I had a pretty good understanding of what needed to be done, but it was still scary and nerve-wracking. The week prior to me moving, my laundry was being done for me, I had no bills, and I had dinner being cooked for me every night. (I do miss Mom's delicious cooking!) Now I had to do all of that myself. It was a little tough at first, but I caught on pretty quickly. I had amazing support from my family and knew they would always be there to help me when I needed it. They knew I could do whatever I set my mind to, and I did, too. When all of the hustle and bustle boiled down, I realized that this was good for me. I would rather learn these simple things early on rather than later. Now I can focus on the things that are more important being that a majority of these "adulting" things are somewhat figured out. 

As classes progressed, assignments got more time-consuming, and I started getting involved with various events around campus I realized something about myself. I realized something that I thought about but never really paid attention to: I have anxiety. Bad. I'm a creative thinker and I overthink a lot of things, even things that are petty. When it would get really bad, I would notice myself breathing weirdly and feeling like I'm not getting enough oxygen. I would also get small chest pains. And I'd even lose sleep at night because I don't know how to shut my mind down. Then I would begin to worry about my chest pains, thinking they were something more than anxiety, and about losing sleep. I was an anxious mess. Thankfully I went to the doctor and am being medicated for it, which has helped immensely and changed my life. I no longer have any of the aforementioned symptoms. In fact, I may even be a little too relaxed...

Aside from learning a lot about myself, I've learned a lot about society. (If you can't tell by now, I'm a very analytical person.) Growing up in a small town had me set in the small town mindset, which isn't a bad thing. I had just never really been exposed to the world before coming to Full Sail. Much like love, talent has no boundaries or borders, and I've accepted that and really, really appreciated and embraced it. Art has this amazing power to bring people together to speak one unified language. Creative-thinkers like myself are free to be themselves and can connect on a level that really is another language, even if there is a language barrier. After I accepted and embraced that, I truly learned the definition of art and talent. And it has revolutionized the way that I think and view the world. 

After I embraced and accepted the meaning of art, I was able to push myself even further out of my comfort zone. I was able to network and really start digging into various activities that Full Sail was providing us with. I started meeting people who speak the "art" language and are willing to work as hard, if not harder, as me to achieve their dreams. I sifted through those who thought that Full Sail was just going to hand them all of the opportunities and found those who had done their research and are working their asses off to leave their mark here at Full Sail and even in the industry. 

This is when I met up with my career development advisor, Jeff (who happens to be a 4x Grammy-winning recording and mixing engineer). He gave me some good advice and told me about the SPARK group. This was the turning point in my Full Sail journey: joining SPARK. I've made some of the best friends while I've been in the SPARK program--friendships that will carry past graduation and into the industry. Not only have I made amazing friends, but I've had some pretty amazing opportunities come my way, which definitely helps with the resume! The people that I've met and opportunities that have come my way in the SPARK program have changed my life and me as a person. Hard work does pay off! 

Full Sail University isn't for everyone, and that's okay. Some people come in thinking it's going to be really easy because it's an accelerated program, but they get a rude awakening. If you're not willing to put forth that extra 150% to go above and beyond what is expected on your assignments, during meetings, and networking, then don't expect to be handed a good job. Yes, you can press your luck, but it's not recommended, especially when you're spending so much to soak up all of the information and opportunities that Full Sail throws at you. You will learn the hard way, but sometimes that's best. If you're like me, you hit the ground running and learn the small stuff first. Then, when you get to the bigger stuff, the small stuff will just come naturally. The opportunities and the connections are most definitely here, but you have to be willing to sacrifice yourself, time, friendships, and sleep in order to make the most of them! Like I said, I've had some amazing opportunities come my way all because of how hard I work in class and in outside projects. I've made a name for myself and know that being successful from here on out is absolutely inevitable, regardless of which path I choose to take. 

Bottom line: Learn the language of art; embrace change; step out of your comfort zone, and challenge yourself each and every day. By doing these things, you'll wake up every morning saying, "Hard work does pay off."

Lennon
Student
Bachelor of Science, Music Production

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Game Music Composition: 2dPlatformer Project

A new month means a new class! I'm a few months out from graduation and it's slowly starting to hit me. 

This month I'm taking Game Music Composition. I'm not a huge gamer, but I was when I was younger. I'm open to everything music related and the game industry is an $80 billion industry. Wow! Not only that, but writing music for games requires different techniques than writing for a radio spot, commercial for TV, or any other form of media, specifically writing music that loops seamlessly. 

Our first assignment was to write music for an arcade game called 2dPlatformer. It was built by Unity Games to showcase their set of game development tools, appropriately called the Unity game engine. The game has a bit of a ridiculous concept, but that's the fun in games: You can be creative! The aliens have attacked and you are the hero, a bean with a bazooka. Destroy as many aliens as you can while racking up the points. Along the way you can find health pickups and bombs to help you out. 


Game Music Composition: Project 1: 2dPlatformer from Lennon Cihak on Vimeo.

The music you hear in this game was composed by me. You will hear a variation of three, 2-bar introduction loops (before the game starts), three, 8-bar main music loops (during gameplay), and three, 2-bar ending loops (when you die). The picture below shows you what my session looks like. 

I have my intro loops in blue, main loops in purple, and the ending loops in pinkish/red. 

I haven't reached out for feedback from my instructor, so this could be entirely wrong. However, it is my project and I do like how everything turned out. Stay tuned for a revision during this week. 

Lennon
Student
Bachelor of Science, Music Production

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Miami Motivation

Downtown Miami

A couple of trips to Miami, family time, and beautiful weather is enough for me to continue pushing in the entertainment industry. As of right now, I'm very proud of myself for doing everything that I've done for myself and for others thus far. In doing so, I've established myself among my classmates, peers, industry mavens, and instructors. If you've read any of my previous blog posts you'll know that I've talked about professionalism, which is how I've established myself and built the reputation I have for myself. 

In the past year, I've built lifelong friendships, worked on some amazing projects, and assisted in some life-changing projects that have forever changed the lives of those who aren't as fortunate as I am. One of my most recent projects that I had the opportunity to work on was composing the music for an event for the homeless called "He Got Up." I was given the chance to compose the music for a PSA that was played on TV and radio in the Orlando, Florida area. My second proudest assignment was having the chance to compose a theme song for a WWE wrestler or diva. I poured my heart and soul into those projects and I eagerly await an email, phone call, or in-person interview from WWE. It would be a life-changing gig! 

What does all of this mean? It's a reassurance for myself that I'm on the right track; I'm headed down a path that many struggle with and dream to succeed in. I've done my research on Full Sail, the industry, and trends within to aid me in succeeding. At the moment, I firmly believe that I have everything going for me. I've established myself, succeeded in a multitude of projects and, most importantly, I have an amazing support group: my family. Without them I wouldn't be where I'm at today. 

I've veered off topic once again, which happens in a lot of my blog posts. That's alright, though, because this is meant to be a journal for myself that I've chosen to make public and share with all of you. 

Going to Miami has inspired me once again. Seeing all of the nice cars, affluent clothing, and beautiful homes and architecture only motivates me to become successful. I'm sounding a bit materialistic; however, it's a way to keep me pushing forward and realize that hard work pays off. My family has given me everything, so it would be a way to repay them. I mean, who doesn't like a beautiful place to stay when they go on a vacation? :) I would love to be able to share what I've worked hard to earn with those I love and care about. 

A bit of a shorter post today, but I wanted to talk a little bit about how going to Miami has inspired me. So, I bid you a farewell, my friends. Until next week! 

Lennon
Student
Bachelor of Science, Music Production

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Advanced Music Composition Programming: Final Project

It's been a whole two months since I was in my Advanced Music Composition Programming course. It seems like just yesterday I was sitting in that class. 

Back in July of 2015, I took a very similar course to Advanced Music Composition Programming called Music Composition Programming. The projects were a bit more simple and focused more so on the technical side of learning Apple's Logic Pro X and a few musical elements such as arpeggios, bass lines, and drums. The months prior to Music Composition Programming were very heavy into music theory, identifying the meter of a song and various intervals within pieces of music. Music Composition Programming was the first class where we had to write an original song using only the Logic Pro X default plugins (to ensure that our projects opened up on the instructor's computer). At the end of the month, we were to present our final project to the class, friends, family (if they wanted to come), and even some Full Sail faculty. It was fun, and I learned a lot that month. 

Moving on to the advanced course...

Advanced Music Composition Programming was certainly a fun course. The music theory (which I thoroughly enjoy!) was caked on, and we got to work on a variety of cool projects. The one that I really enjoyed was our final project, which we were to compose an original piece at least 2-3 minutes in length. My project went very, very well! I nailed all of the points as stated in the rubric and my instructor (who earned their doctorate degree in Minnesota at the University of Minnesota) wanted me to share it on the class's SoundCloud page. This certainly isn't one of my most prized works, but I do really like most of the elements that are heard throughout. I had a lot of fun composing this piece because everything just came to me. That feeling you get when you're working on a song and everything you do to is working and fitting into the song is so, so refreshing! It saves a lot of time, headache, and hair. Give my final project a listen below. 

Certainly not my most prized composition, but there are a few things that I really, really enjoy in there, particularly the piano melody. Simple, yet very effective... I think.

This was just a quick blog post to share my project from Advanced Music Composition Programming. I was going to post this last month but never got around to it. I hope that you enjoyed this post and my song. :) 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Lennon
Bachelor of Science, Music Production

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Music Production for Media: Project 2 Rough Cut

As I continue to trek along in my Music Production for Media course here at Full Sail, I'm finding talents I didn't know I had. Is this because I haven't had any creative output until the last week? I'm not sure, but I know that I'm loving it! And it's going to make me excel and push myself even further throughout the month, and hopefully through the rest of my degree program. 

In this assignment, we were given six options for companies we could write a jingle for. The companies (all fictional) and their information are below: 

• ShamPuppies
• A company that creates soap bars in the form of various puppies.
• Target group - 2 - 10 year old kids. 
• Slogan: ShamPuppies, let your dog wash you! 
• Big Barry's Boats of Winter Park (the one I chose)
• A company that buys and sells boats and water sport crafts.
• Target consumers -- Adults 18 - 75 years old. 
• Slogan: Big Barry's got the best!  
• Tony Tarantella's Pizza
• A pizza place
• Target group -- Everyone
• Slogan: The best pizza in the five boroughs
• John Howlin Ford
• A car dealership
• Target group -- Drivers 16 - 65 years old
• Slogan: You'll be Howlin' over these deals! 
• Murphy and Murphy 
• A law firm 
• Target group and specialties -- Divorce, Personal Injury, Bankruptcy, Estate Planning, DUI
• Slogan: Create your own

We had a pretty diverse selection to choose from. The second I opened the assignment and read these companies' slogans, Big Barry's Boats of Winter Park's jingle came to my head. I instantly had something. There's a commercial that would play every morning before I would go to school in Minnesota. If I can remember correctly, I believe it was the Furniture 4 Less store, but I could be wrong. Nonetheless, the inspiration came from one of those overly-played commercials. So, here's what I came up with: 



The music was composed by me, dialogue was recorded and said by me, and the slogan was sang by me. Although I'm usually not too fond of my singing, I think I did alright in this. I hope you all enjoyed, and I'm always open for suggestions to make things better. 

Take care! 

Lennon 
Bachelor of Science, Music Production

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Music Production for Media: First Project

I've always been one to be extremely diverse, immersing myself in a plethora of projects. In fact, I'll learn about anything and everything I can. I've always been like that, and I know that I always will. How can one not want to learn about anything and everything, question why things work, and why they work the way they do? 

Being a diverse individual has opened the doors to a lot of opportunities for me. My people skills have enabled me to excel in anything, especially when I owned and operated a lawn care service and currently a photography service. If you follow me on my personal Facebook page you can most certainly see that these skills have carried over to my schooling and professional career (which is definitely a good thing!). Before I delve too deep into a tangent (which happens more often than you think), let's dive into this project! 

As I mentioned earlier, I learn anything and everything I can. And I've been doing just that over the past few months. In my most current class, Music Production for Media, projects range from composing music for TV commercials, radio spots, jingles for branding, and even a song for WWE wrestlers and divas. (Pretty awesome, right?) 

In this first project, we were to come up with a 30-second jingle for one of six companies, making sure to convey specific feelings and vibe throughout. I chose to go with a company called UzCom, a travel agency. When I first started this project, I had a pretty solid idea of what I wanted the music to sound like. And being that I haven't actually had time to sit down and produce music for myself in months, the ideas were just flying out. I laid out a very happy, corporate-like chord progression, simplistic drum rhythm, some strings, and, of course, sound effects. This animation has a lot of movement, so my instructor (the client) insisted on having a bunch of animation, but not over-doing it and killing the overall vibe. 

UPDATE: I removed the old version of this from Vimeo, so this is the final version.

UzCom Commercial from Lennon Cihak on Vimeo.

I've always been interested in composing music for various television shows, companies, radio spots, etc, but I've never had any media to compose for. So this is most certainly my time to shine! I look forward to the rest of the projects throughout the month! Stay tuned to see more of my work. 

Peace out,

Lennon
Bachelor of Science, Music Production 

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To say I'm Grateful is an Understatement...

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve had a few life-changing opportunities come my way and I’m so excited to finally get some time to share them with all of you! There have been so many extraordinary people come into my life, and I’m forever grateful for each and every one of them. They’ve all taught me something wonderful in life, school, and my professional career.

A month ago, my dad came down to Florida to spend the week with me before we headed up to Minnesota for the holiday season. Atom, one of my previous instructors at Full Sail, took a good chunk of time out of his day after class to meet with my dad and I, show us around some of the studios (studios that I won’t ever use because of my degree program), and share some wonderful opportunities with us.

Atom and I sitting at the Neve 9098i.

After viewing all of the studios and wrapping up our little tour, we headed over to the Dub Stage, a room that is set up like a movie theater, Dolby certified, and has state-of-the-art technology. As we’re visiting with one of the instructors in charge of the Dub Stage, Atom says, “I might just have my next recommendation for the Dub Stage internship,” as he points at me subtly. “I haven’t been able to recommend anybody in a long time and I think I’ve found my next recommendation.” I couldn’t help but smile. I was overwhelmed by the fact that he wanted to recommend me out of all of the extremely talented students that go through his course. Do I really stand out that much? Is my hard work paying off? The #TLS (The Lennon Standard) is finally paying off! After I finally internally regathered myself, I turned to my dad and we both smiled. Oh, and did I mention that I would be the first Full Sail Music Production student to go through this internship? And I was told that many students that go through this internship go right out to New York or Los Angeles (where I want to go) and start working on feature films. As my aunt Carmen usually says, “Awesome blossom!”

The Dub Stage

For those of you who don’t know Atom, he truly is an amazing, talented, and an all-around kind-hearted person; one of a kind, in fact. His musical abilities have led him to write multiple singles and a few albums (one of which is in the works), a few songs have been released on Rockband, and even covered by an American Idol contestant. Atom is originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and attended the University of Minnesota. He currently works closely with a label he and a friend started called Atomic Records. Full Sail got extremely lucky when Atom came on board!

A few weeks prior to Dad coming down to visit, Atom was talking to me about hooking me up with an internship at Atomic Records. “If you ever need an internship, please let me know and I can hook you up,” said Atom. “The guy hired the last Full Sailor I sent up there.”

That being said, I’m so glad I have a few things sitting on my back burner for after graduation because I was a little nervous when I first started Full Sail. It’s a huge relief to know that things are slowly falling into place. I didn’t have any connections in the music industry, unlike quite a few of the students here at Full Sail. I held myself to high standards by enrolling in Full Sail and not having any connections. I knew I had to network, step way out of my comfort zone, and be professional. It’s nice to see that all of my hard work is paying off! I’m quite proud of myself!

"I knew I had to network, step way out of my comfort zone, and be professional."

The Dub Stage internship is a six-week internship post-graduation. After I obtain my Bachelor’s degree in Music Production, I would like to move on and get my Master’s degree in Entertainment Business. But being that things are quickly changing gears at a rate that I can’t even keep up with, that may change. I’ve been told by the instructors at the dub stage that I am able to take classes and do the internship at the same time. However, I haven’t been able to decide if I want to do that. Both the internship and my schooling are very, very important to me, and I want to be able to focus on one or the other full-time so I can fully immerse myself in every aspect. So, when it all comes down to it, I should probably just stick with doing the internship after graduation. Afterall, I can always come back and do my Master’s or do it online. Coming back/staying here is definitely an option; I’ve met so, so many amazing people here at Full Sail and I am excited to meet more!

I remember FaceTiming Mom shortly after Dad and I arrived back at my apartment. I had to tell her about the news I had just received from Atom and a few other instructors. She immediately started crying, and I couldn’t help but tear up a little bit myself. She was at a loss for words, and I was, too. To see her tear up, smile, and tell me how proud she is of me puts me at a loss for words. Making my parents proud is by far my top priority in life, and I’m glad that I’ve done that and more. I’m so lucky to have such wonderful and supportive parents!

"Making my parents proud is by far my top priority in life, and I'm glad that I've done that and more." 

As I mentioned in a post on my Full Sail Journey blog, Facebook, and even Twitter, I joined a student production agency called SPARK. SPARK is in charge of a variety of technical projects in the Orlando, Florida area, such as filming promotional videos for the City of Winter Park, various local non-profit groups, and filming the Gradfest interviews. The interviews are your standard interviews, containing pretty stereotypical questions, such as “What’re your plans after graduation?” “What has your Full Sail journey meant to you?” “Who would you like to thank?” This video is then played at the graduation ceremony.

Last month I signed up to be an editor for the Gradfest interviews. Scary, right? Yes, it was, but I took it on and knocked it out of the park. My supervisor (who is a lab instructor for the Film program) was so impressed that he, too, told me about the dub stage internship. He said that my rough cut was phenomenal and my final cut was superb; one of the best they’ve had in awhile. I only spent 12 hours cutting two hours of interviews into roughly 7 minutes. It should not have been anything less than superb! To have not one, but two Full Sail faculty members recommend this dub stage internship all within a week is phenomenal. It’s almost too much for me to soak in. My excitement levels are completely through the roof!

Before I conclude this post, I would like extend a few thank yous to some very important people in my life. To all of my friends: thank you for your never-ending love and support. Your kind words mean so, so much to me, and they keep me motivated to do my best each and every day. I love you all!

Secondly, to my Songwriting instructor, Atom. I know I’ve thanked you before, but I feel that I should say thank you to you every day for everything you’ve done for me in the last few months. You’ve taught me so much about music, songwriting, and the music industry. You truly are one of the most inspirational and amazing people that’s ever came into my life. I continue to strive and do the best I can each and every day because of the opportunities you have laid on the table for me. You’ve reaffirmed that a good work ethic, passion for your career, and professional image are key in a tough industry. With all of these qualities and the right connection(s) (people like you, Atom), I’m wiggling my way into an industry I thought I would have a tough time getting into.

Finally, I would like to say a thank you to Mom and Dad. You both are my rock, my biggest fans, and biggest supporters. Your words of wisdom, support, and love is truly the reason I wake up with a smile on my face and remain so positive each and every day. When I wake up every morning, the first thing I ask myself is, “How did I get so lucky?” I continually remind myself that very few people are as fortunate to be able to do what I’m doing and have such an amazing support system to get them through it. Moving across the country was not easy, but you told me it would be good for me and you were right, as always. It was the best decision I could’ve made; my life has turned into everything I dreamed it would be and more. Mom and Dad, thank you. Thank you for believing me, supporting me, loving me, and giving me the opportunity to go out and live out my dreams! I’m so lucky to have you as parents and I love you both more than words can say! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Dad, Me, Mom

A huge thank you to everyone who has been a part of my amazing journey! I could not have done it without you!

Lennon Cihak

Student

Bachelor of Science, Music Production

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My First WWE Experience

Where do I even begin?

In September 2015, I joined a group called SPARK here at Full Sail. It has to be one of the best decisions I've made while I've been here. The group is responsible for assisting with the technical--and some non-technical--events around campus. For example, they will come in and record both the video and the audio for a guest speaker or assist in setting up the equipment or props for an event. The group works closely with the Full Sail event crew. SPARK is also very, very involved with an abundance of non-profit groups in the Orlando area. While I've been doing everything I can with the SPARK group to get involved and meet new people, one of the most amazing things I did was get involved with the WWE events. 

It all started on Tuesday, October 6th. I got to the school and signed in. I was a little nervous because I didn't know what to expect, especially with all of the massive generators out in the backlot and a semi pulled in the little alley between Full Sail Live and the Audio Temple where I normally walk through. Wrestlers, divas, and very important WWE executives brushed past me as I walked to my location: the vignette room (which happened to be in my math room back in January). The room was already completely setup, but there were a few things that had to be done. It was a lot of sitting and waiting around after that. Being that everything was already done it was just a matter of helping out when we needed. We were going to do some filming, but the talent wasn't there yet. Instead, I got to meet and know some of the other amazing SPARK members. We had a blast visiting and getting to know each other. How did I get so lucky to be where I am today and be with so many amazing individuals? 

Tuesday was an easy day. I helped with WWE from 1PM - 5PM then went to class from 5:15PM - 1AM. Wednesday, however, was a little more hectic because it was the day of the live show. I showed up and signed in at around 10:30AM that morning. I was ready to rock and roll! It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, it was around 80º, very few clouds in the sky, and a slight breeze. It was going to be a great day! Everything from Tuesday had been done, so we just had to wait some more for the talent, which was about five more hours. Good thing I had a great bunch of people to keep me company! 

When 5PM came around, it was go time. We were sitting around and all of the sudden one of the producers or supervisors came into our room and said, "We're on shortly." We all jumped up, took our places and were ready to rock and roll. I headed over to the door I was manning and I heard the "lock it down" command on my radio. A big smile came over my face and I remember thinking, "let's do this." There was no time to waste at this point. We were on a schedule and we had to be ready to go at all times. Manning the doors may seem like an easy job, but it's not. You try and tell a WWE executive "No, you can't enter." Haha!

I could go on and on and on about my first WWE experience, but I'm going to keep it brief. I knew that joining SPARK would only bring positive outcomes. I also knew that I was going to meet an amazing group of people, people that I'll build professional relationships with. Helping out with WWE confirmed that. I'm so proud of myself for going after my dreams and attending Full Sail. Full Sail has opened the doors for me on so many amazing opportunities and connections. I look forward to working many, many more WWE events!

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Songwriting: My Favorite Class?

"Favorite" is most definitely an understatement.

When I first started this class, I was told by my instructor that we would have to write lyrics for two different songs. I got a little nervous at hearing this because I had never successfully written lyrics before. I tried a few times, but I just could never seem to get anything to sound decent. I also can't seem to get myself to channel all of the ideas, emotions, events, and experiences into one focal point. But with all frustrations aside, I sat down at my piano, plucked out some chords, and wrote whatever came to mind. It wasn't until this point that I actually came to realize that I wasn't such a bad lyricist afterall. I repeated a quote by my instructor over and over again in my head while working on the lyrics: "This isn't songwriting class, this is song re-writing class; your lyrics don't have to and won't be perfect the first time you write them." We had to have some kind of concept for the songs that we wrote, and the one that I chose that stuck to me was about my journey from Minnesota to Florida to attend Full Sail. I remember having so many different emotions flowing through me at the time, so it was the perfect concept for me to write about. Everything just fell into place at this point. 

Before I start any song, I try and get in the ballpark of what genre I want the song to be. I wanted to go for a little bit of a different style for my song and try something new and out of my comfort zone, but I wasn't sure how far out I wanted to go. Did I want to stay and be somewhat comfortable and go with something dance, or did I want to go with something more dramatic? I came to a conclusion that I can't put restrictions on music and decided to just go with whatever I came up with. This happened to work out perfectly! 

For the second week of class we had to have a foundation for our song and lyrics, which meant that we had to have a chord progression, melody, and drums. I remember thinking to myself, "I write music all of the time, so this won't be too hard." And boy was I wrong. I realized that I struggle when I have to write music while under pressure. After sitting in front of my Mac with Logic open for about an hour, I walked away. I just couldn't get anything to work or sound the way I wanted it.

I took a break for awhile and then went back to work. I then remembered that we could use Drummer, which is a virtual "live" drummer within Logic Pro. This changed everything. I quickly learned that this song will not be a dance tune, but a singer/songwriter instead. Things only went up from that point on. The piano sounded great; the bass line I wrote worked quite well; and the strings put the cherry on top. It all worked out perfectly, and I reinforced an important lesson: don't put restrictions on music. Just go with the flow. 

Week three came upon us, and my colleagues and I were so excited to finally get in the studio and record the vocals for our songs. Some of us were nervous, but we were all excited to start working together, sharing our songs with each other, and sharing ideas to better our songs. We couldn't help but be ecstatic because our instructor hyped it up to everything it was and more throughout the whole month. It was such a valuable learning experience in every aspect of the music creation process. I'll never forget it!

While in the studio, I got to work on and record with a Neve 9098 (pictured below) and an Audient console. I had walked by this studio with the Neve in it a hundred times. I always remember thinking, "I hope I get to work on that someday." Ask and he shall receive, right? We recorded two of my colleagues' songs before mine. Everything was going absolutely perfect. Logic was running smoothly, the sound was crystal clear, and we were getting a lot of work done. About ten minutes or so into my time slot, the Neve decides to glitch and basically shut down. The instructor did everything in his power to get it back up and running, but he couldn't. I guess that's what happens when you play fire (slang for "a really good song") on an old piece of equipment. 

Rupert Neve 9098

After the Neve decides to shut down, we head over to the other lab, wait for the other lab group to finish their session, and then we setup camp to finish my session. Everything went smoothly and we got everything I needed recorded, except for the guitar. In fact, I had never planned on getting a guitar recorded for this track, but I quickly changed my mind after hearing our lab instructor play guitar. I asked him if he would be ever so kind to lay out some acoustic guitar on my track. Afterall, you can't have a singer/songwriter track without a guitar on it! 



A few days later we headed back into the studio to put any finishing touches on our songs. It was during this session that I got the guitar recorded. I didn't have anything else to do on my song; everything I needed got done a few days prior. So I ended up helping my colleagues and friends in my group get their finishing touches finished by running the board or Logic.

Our final project entailed making a few minor changes based on the feedback that we received from our peers and the judges when we presented our songs. Due to time constraints I couldn't do everything I wanted to do. Instead, I kept things rather simple and just made the transition from the bridge into the key change a little more dramatic. 



There is nothing like being in a studio. Absolutely nothing like it. It's a place where creativity and talent go perfectly hand-in-hand. Creative minds get together and make magic. It's truly a magical experience, and I can't thank my colleagues and instructor enough for making it such an enjoyable atmosphere! I learned so much about all of the magic that happens in the studio. 

As I conclude this post, I would like to throw out a few thank yous. A huge thank you goes out to my good friend Marlon for singing on my track. Without your musical and vocal talents the song would've went down the toilet. I'd also like thank my other good friend, Christian, for singing on the background vocals during the bridge. It's always nice to have a Grammy-winning friend sing on your song. Also, a huge thank you to my lab instructor Mark. Thanks for taking the time to lay down some beautiful acoustic guitar on my track. You truly took it to a whole new level! Last but not least, a huge thank you goes out to my instructor for the month, Atom. You are by far one of the best instructors I've ever had. I learned so much throughout the course of the month. And I will use the skills and tips that you shared with me for the rest of my professional career! Thank you, Atom, for such a memorable month in Songwriting! 

Lennon
Student
Bachelor of Science, Music Production

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Execution Over Excuses

"No matter what you do, believe in yourself, fight for your art, serve with love and excellence and you will be rewarded." -Brendon Burchard

A friend and colleague of mine has a perpetual, never-failing positive view on life, the struggles, and success. Instead of thriving and beating himself up over life's simple mistakes, he takes them and turns them into a positive outcome and learns from it--a skill many people have a hard time utilizing effectively. I envy his success and hard work that he's put in thus far and I know that he's going to go extremely far in life. As I've watched him grow and succeed, I've added him to my list of role models because of his many talents and admiration.

Many of us (including myself) make excuses to get out of something. Let's all be real here. We've all had a friend or an event we didn't want go hang out with or go to, so we made up some lame or stupid excuse so that we didn't have to hang out or go, right? I know I have, and sometimes it's came back to kick me in the rear. I often regret not going and doing whatever it was I was asked to do. There have also been a few things that I'm glad I missed out on due to their outcomes. 

While attending school here at Full Sail there have been a couple of events that I've wanted to attend but never did because I came up with some excuse not to go; however, I've always had a keen eye for success. I'm always on the lookout for an event that can really benefit me and so far I think I've done pretty well. Those events would've been purely for entertainment purposes. While having something look entertaining is still a good reason to go, it's not good enough for me all of the time.

I have also attended quite a few events where I have learned a lot. I mean a lot. The Hall of Fame events that I attended back in March were a wealth of information. My favorite event was the "Behind Google's Cloud." While this event was geared more towards software developers, mobile developers, etc, I still learned a lot about Google as a company. Learning about how various companies achieve various struggles and climb different mountains has always been fascinating to me.

Sometimes my inner "professional" self takes over a tad too much because it has held me back from a few things I know I would've enjoyed. The perfect example of this is basically my Junior and Senior years in high school. I never went to parties, smoked, drank, or anything. I was a good boy. I knew that I had way too much going for me, and one stupid mistake could ruin it all. I ran two (and still run one) successful businesses: a photography and lawn care service. I also worked at the grocery store, which was really good advertising for both of my businesses because clients could put a face to Lennon Cihak Photography and Lennon's Lawn Care Service. I also worked for Stoneridge Software, which was a fairly new business in town and not many people knew what it was, what they did, or that I even worked there, but needless to say, my name was tied to it. And to bring everything together my mom works for the city, so most people know or recognize her as my mom. I know that we all go through a phase where we try to "fit in" or "be cool," but for me getting a minor or something as simple as that could've ruined everything I had going for me in a single newspaper publishing.

Does my "professional" self kick in a bit too often and/or too much? Probably, yes, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing all of the time. Full Sail has these things called GPS points or "Global Professionalism Score." Often times if potential employers know you attend Full Sail they will ask what your GPS score is because it states how professional you are in and out of the classroom. In fact, if I were to get in trouble with the law at all I believe it gets reported to Full Sail in one way or another. If the situation is bad enough I can have scholarships revoked, get suspended, or even worse, get expelled from my program or even the school. Professionalism is everything here at Full Sail, and I'm glad that I've kept my record clean all these years because it did pay off. 

Success lies everywhere, every day, and in each and every industry. There's also a time and place for everyone, and it's your job to make sure that you're at that place at the right time. Some of it's luck, but most of it's skill. Is it going to be difficult? Absolutely. Will it get handed to you? Most definitely not. Does hard work pay off? Heck yes! Whatever it is you're trying to achieve, don't stop working towards it. Next time you're asked to go somewhere or do something, think about it. Think about the consequences (if any) and think about the rewards. I encourage you to have fun, but always remember: Execution over excuses. 

Lennon 
Student
Bachelor of Science, Music Production

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Full Sail GRAMMYs Celebration

As a music production student at Full Sail, the GRAMMYs can be an exciting event for me. People who have worked their tails off their entire lives are finally being recognized for their hard work and dedication to music and the industry. It's the grandaddy of all accomplishments and awards in the music industry; it's like the Heisman trophy in football. Music is not something that just happens over night. It takes days, weeks, months, and even years to complete an album, and there are many, many people involved throughout the process. This year, I got to spend it celebrating at Full Sail Live, with a group of friends, trying to win prizes, enjoying free food, and with some amazing like-minded people. It was a blast!

Before I started at Full Sail I never actually sat down and watched the GRAMMYs. I just felt that they were too long and/or I was preoccupied with something else. It was also a little less than a year ago that I had decided to pursue a degree at Full Sail. Before then it was just a simple thought in the back of my mind, and I had other options laid out. I had no idea I'd be pursuing a degree in music.

Like any important event, you always begin the evening with a fancy dinner outing with great friends. We went to a restaurant that wasn't too far from a friend of mine. The food at this restaurant was excellent, but the service was horrendous. I'm not sure if we had a newbie for a waiter or we sat at an invisible table, but the service was horrid. Oh well. We went early, so we weren't rushing to get out of there or anything, so we made the most of a bad situation by teasing each other, telling stories, and getting to know each other a little better. 

After our meal, we headed straight to Full Sail because we knew it was going to be crazy busy. These types of events always are because they're really what make Full Sail stand out among other colleges. Sure enough, the line was crazy long. I wasn't sure if we were in the right line or what was going on at first, but Full Sail staff members were going up and down the line asking questions pertaining to the GRAMMYs and the grads that worked on the nominated projects. If you got the question right or sang the correct melody, you won concert tickets. Two of the friends that I went with won. 

Once we got through the doors it was sort of a mad house. There was a red carpet right as we entered Full Sail Live where a staff member was interviewing us as we walked in and you were projected on the big screen in the venue so everyone in there could watch and listen to your interview. My friends and I didn't get interviewed; however, we did have our picture taken (which I'm still waiting to get) and then moved along so we could get a decent seat inside the venue. We couldn't wait to get in and enjoy the music and free food! When we entered Full Sail Live, this is what we saw: 

Full Sail Live - GRAMMYs Celebration

Not a whole lot of action going on because we got there somewhat early, but I had one of those 'I can't believe it moments'. I felt as though the gates have been opened and I'm about to enter into Heaven. That's what it felt like at least. My mouth dropped, I looked at my friends, and a huge smile came over my face. I knew that we were going to have a blast this evening. I was surrounded by a pool of extremely talented people who are very like-minded and take this industry seriously. (This atmosphere is not very common in Barnesville.) I think that's why I enjoyed it so much! I'm finally in a place where people will understand the technical jargon I've longed to speak. I'm finally here! 

The music stopped, the lights dimmed, the chit-chat quieted, people found their seats, and the GRAMMYs began. Full Sail Live was jam-packed with people who were ready to get their groove on. Tuxedos, dresses, and many other high-fashioned outfits were worn by many of the students. I seriously felt like I was actually at the GRAMMYs. AC/DC opened the evening with "Highway to Hell" and we went crazy. We were singing along, dancing, and playin' our air guitars. After AC/DC's performance we clapped and cheered. The night had officially started, and I was so excited to see what the evening had in store for us! 

The energy throughout the night continued. I was so surprised because normally people get exhausted, but now that I think of it, Full Sail students are used to no sleep... During the commercials, the emcees for the night would get up on stage and we'd play a game. In order to participate, your raffle ticket had to be drawn. I knew that I wouldn't get drawn because that's just my luck; I never win anything. These games varied from singing, doing cart wheels, and dancing. Some of the prizes included: studio time with a somewhat well-known engineer, guitars, and (I think) the best one was an 18-channel Scarlett Focusrite audio interface (there's that technical jargon I was talking about). Once the GRAMMYs started back up everyone on stage would run back to their seats and we'd start chanting and cheering for the next performance and award. It's go time! 

The night raged on and we all had a blast playing games, laughing, networking, and dancing. This was one of my most memorable nights at Full Sail thus far, and I can't wait to attend this event next year! I also look forward to many, many more of these types of events while here at Full Sail. Afterall, I'm here to soak everything up, learn as much as I can, and network with as many like-minded people as possible because that's what Full Sail is all about.

All the best, 

Lennon
Student
Bachelor of Science, Music Production

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What Are Dreams? What Is Success?

One thing that has really bothered me ever since I started getting into business was the fact that people think that they should just be handed everything on a golden platter. "I've worked hard so I just get this." or "I've done this so I should get that." You know that's not how things work. If you want something you have to go out and get it, and you have to work extremely hard throughout the process. It's one thing to want something, but it's a whole different ballgame when you're actually out on the field playing the game to achieve something.

The first thing I want to touch base on is the concept of money because over the last few years I've really used this thought process to strengthen the meaning of my motto, "just do it"! Money is a piece of paper that controls every aspect of our entire lives. It controls our jobs, the food we eat, the cars we drive, where we live, how big or small our houses are, our relationships with people, where we go to school, and even our health. Why, of all things, does money affect our lives so critically? Why is it that everything we do we base it on how much money we do or don't have? I've always been one to be conscious of money, but I've never let it stop me from doing something I know I'll enjoy. Attending Full Sail for starters. Do you think I can afford Full Sail? Hell no. Will everything work out in the end? Absolutely. I'm sure of it. I know for a fact that I am going to be successful in whatever I choose to do with my career, which leads me to my next topic: success. 

How do I know that I'm successful? First of all, I have an extremely supportive family. I always have and I always will. They've been with me through each and every one of my endeavors, and I can't thank them enough for that, but that's not the only thing that determines whether or not I'm successful. Previous life experiences is another way that I gauge success. How? I'm currently nineteen years old and I can not thing of a single moment where I regret not doing something. If there was something that I wanted to do, I did it, and I'm glad that I did. A life full of regrets is not one that's been fulfilled, in my opinion. I had the opportunity to run two successful businesses in Barnesville: A lawn care service and photography service. I learned so much while running those businesses, and I will use that information and those skills that I learned for the rest of my life. I've always wanted to run and own my own business, so I started two because it's what I wanted to do. If I wouldn't have started those businesses I would've had a lot of regrets. Trust me.

Before I started at Full Sail I read tons and tons of reviews because I wanted to make sure that Full Sail was the right school for me; I wanted to get other people's opinions so I wouldn't become biased towards it; and I wanted to hear the pros/cons of the school so I knew what I should stay away from or how I should approach certain aspects of the school. Upon reading many, many negatives reviews I slowly got turned away, but I stumbled upon so many positive reviews that I eventually caved in and just decided to go with it. (Keep in mind that a huge percentage of the negative reviews about Full Sail are either dropouts who couldn't handle the workload or they're a graduate that hasn't done anything with their education.) I knew that Full Sail was expensive. I knew that Full Sail would be tough. I knew that Full Sail would be time consuming, however, none of these things slowed me down as I always had this gut feeling that Full Sail would be the only school that would take my dreams and aspirations seriously, and their motto says just that: "If you're serious about your dream, we'll take your dream seriously." We all have dreams that we want to pursue, but we don't have the time, money, or resources to get that dream rolling. I've never been one to sit around and wait for things to come to me. I always chase what I believe to be right, especially if it's a dream of mine.

Quite a few of the negative reviews that I read before I began at Full Sail were along the lines of, "I graduated 5 years ago and I still don't have a job." So, it's the school's job to give you a job immediately after graduation? It's the school's job to start and run a successful business for you? And lastly, it's the school's problem that you didn't learn anything? Throughout your time here, you are given plenty of opportunities to better yourself and your skills. It's up to you to utilize them. There are tons and tons of events that also occur here. It's up to you to sign up and attend them as that is what the industry is like. All of your available resources are there, but you must figure out why, how, and when to use them. 

I see far too many people get caught up in the fact that they're going to school (Full Sail especially) and that they're going to get a degree eventually. A degree is a piece of paper that shows that you've committed to something for a certain period of time. (Yes, it also says that you've learned this and that, but for the most part, it states that you've committed to something.) Often times employers don't even care that you have a degree, especially if you're in the entertainment/music industry. Why? They're looking for your experience. You say that you can mix and master a track, but can you really? Take a look at how many people consider themselves "musicians" these days. Look at how many people produce electronic music. It's becoming easier and easier to write music effectively and efficiently. I learned how to produce electronic music solely from watching hours and hours of YouTube videos. There are people of all ages that have learned how to produce music digitally solely from reading blogs and watching hours and hours of YouTube videos. The fact of the matter is that if I really, really wanted to, I could find a job sometime, somewhere doing something that has to do with music based on the stuff that I already know. There are instructors at Full Sail who don't have college degrees. They have years and years of experience and that's good enough for some people. 

As I mentioned before, I'm not one to sit around and twiddle my thumbs. If I really, really want something, I'm going to go out and do whatever it takes to get it. For example, it's been a dream of mine to own a Mercedes. Yes, a Mercedes. Yes, they're expensive and yes, it might take me awhile to get one, but eventually I will have one. I've always been one to live by the phrase, "Keep your goals high, but your dreams higher". Well, owning a Mercedes is a big dream of mine, so I'm goin' for it! And I strongly believe that attending Full Sail is a big step in the right direction for me in achieving this goal of mine. 

My message to you: No matter how big or small your dream is, go for it. Do not let anyone ever stop you from doing it. A life filled with regrets is a life that will go unfulfilled. Also, remember that money is a piece of paper, so don't let it control and run your life. Do what you love and love what you do! 

I wish you all the best in chasing your dreams, 

Lennon
Student
Bachelor of Science, Music Production

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(Online) Class Review: English Composition

Before I even begin this post I'm going to start by saying that I absolutely love English. I love writing papers, essays, etc. I love anything that has to do with writing. Hence why I'm running this blog. I may not be the best at writing or grammar or anything like that, but I do love learning about it and some day I will have the English language mastered. So, without further adieu...

As I said, I love English, so this class came really easy to me because it was basically a big review. No, you didn't have to read a book and write a literary analysis, but you do have to compose a research paper at the end of the month. This is English Composition: You're composing English writing assignments to better your writing skills. Although a literary analysis would be somewhat helpful, it would be horrible (I loathe reading) and there just wouldn't be enough time to complete it. There are, however, a lot of practice assignments called LSA (Learn. Smart. Achieve.) which are time consuming if you play the guessing game and don't take the time to actually do them (kinda sorta like I did a few times). These are very easy points even if they take you three hours to complete them because you're not graded on how well you do them, you're graded on whether or not you complete them. If you complete them with 100%, you'll get 100% on that module. One of the nice things about these is that once you start you don't have to finish; you can leave and then come back to it after you've had time to cool down a bit. (There were multiple times I raised my voice at my computer screen and almost put my fist through it.) So, as you're progressing through them, I would highly recommend giving yourself some time to do these (unless you're really good with English). 

On top of the LSA module(s) that you will receive each and every week, you have a homework assignment. Now, I'm not going to delve too deep into unveiling these assignments as they are pretty simple and really kind of fun. (I thought so at least.) If you're a creative person, now is your time to shine! The assignments are really geared towards any and all degree programs and the Digital Arts and Design students are not going to have an advantage over the Recording Arts students. For example, I believe it was week three where we had to create a PSA (public service announcement) for a topic that we had chosen at the beginning of the month. This PSA could be created with any medium (a song, poster, photo, radio advertisement, etc.). I'm a photographer, so I decided to go with a photographic PSA. In week four we had to "revise" this PSA to make it even better by changing basically the whole thing. You are to "revise" it, but in order to revise successfully you must revision your work. This was really quite fun, actually! Below is my original PSA and my revised PSA. 

Original PSA

Revised PSA

Overall, English Composition was a really fun class. (For me anyways.) Most of my friends struggled with it and really didn't like it. Why? Most people just hate English. I'm glad I focused all of my energy, had fun, and succeeded in this class! If you put forth the time and effort, not just in this class but all classes at Full Sail, you will succeed. I can guarantee you that. 

Stay focused and best wishes,

Lennon
Student
Bachelor of Science, Music Production

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