GR1: Proposal & Analysis
Project: Pitch Perfect
Problem Statement
Singers in musical groups often find it difficult to perfect their individual parts in ensemble rehearsals.
They often run into obstacles such as:
- not being able to hear themselves among many other voices
- not finding effective ways to practice alone outside of practice
- not receiving individual feedback as vocal directors are often usually only able to address groups of people
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His first two points were interesting to us, and we decided pursue that train of thought with our next two interviews.
Interview Two - The "New Guy" to Musical Theater
Background: The interviewee is currently involved with a musical theater group, but he has had no prior vocal training.
This interview was focused on understanding the difficulties that arise for new singers when joining an ensemble music group. We observed one of his group rehearsals to get a better sense of an ensemble practice. While listening, we noticed that it was hard to hear specific people singing. After practice, we were able to talk to the interviewee and gain three main insights:
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The key takeaway from our interview is that with so many people singing in a large group, it is very easy for one person's voice to be drowned out. The interviewee expressed strong interest in being able to practice his parts by himself first before going to group practice.
Interview Three - The Vocal Director
Background: The interviewee is one of the vocal directors for a musical theater group on campus that has an especially high number of amateur performers. In addition, she is also currently one of the music directors for an MIT a cappella group.
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The vocal director is in charge of all singers during ensemble meeting times and must help everyone learn and improve their parts.
Needs & Goals
From our interviews, we determined a set of needs and goals of our target user classes.
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