Creating the project

I decided that I should base my project around something that will help me become better equipped to handle my own anxiety, and potentially help other students who suffer from mental health issues on top of regular school stress. In order to do this, I began to reflect on ways that I personally relieved my stress and anxiety, and decided to take my project in the direction of art, specifically music.

Music has a strong effect on moods, so I decided to research how people tap into that to help relieve stress and manage anxiety. Already, music is a big part of my life and I am surrounded by it through the band programs I am in and the opportunities I have to listen to music on my own time. However, I know that a lot of students don't have the same access to music or even art in general as I do. Many students at my school choose high level core classes over art classes in order to make their college transcript look better. As a result, some students may feel that they don't have enough space in their schedules to take an art class, and skip it after getting the one required art credit. As a solution to this problem, I thought maybe I could create an art club after school, since the school does not currently have one, and this could make art more accessible to kids who don't have space in their schedule.

Some ideas for this club could be just a normal art club, in which students can get the experience of an art class, just outside of school without the added pressure of grades, or maybe even an a Capella group. I found myself leaning more toward the second option. Personally, I love singing, and would enjoy an opportunity to spend time with like-minded people.

Another way to make music more accessible to students on a day to day basis would to have music play in between classes, or get teachers to allow for students to listen to music while they work. If the teacher is not alright with students wearing earbuds in their class, they could play music of their own through the smart board system.

I'm not really sure what direction to take my project in though, so I have to talk to my mentor and think about my options some more. Hopefully, an option will feel right and be feasible and I can go for it to focus my project on.