The main themes for my reflection are the different approaches to composing and performing music I used in this project. I am focusing on the “sci-fi ideas” project where I played the theremin, and evaluating both my performance and contribution to composing the piece.

In these workshops, I have learnt the value in experimentation while composing. In the project I have chosen to focus on, I played the theremin. This was a completely new instrument to me so it forced me to step outside my comfort zone during the course of the project. The theremin itself has 32 different settings so I independently explored the instrument so I could select the most appropriate setting for the composition.

Choosing the theremin also developed my compositional skills for a non-melody instrument. In sections of the composition, such as the beginning, the theremin takes on a sound-effect role. As a soprano, I typically only sing melody lines in choral, small ensemble, and solo settings. This made it feel quite unusual taking on a different role in the ensemble and composition.I found it quite challenging stepping outside my comfort zone to accomplish this. I found that both of these challenges helped me develop my skillset as a composer and encouraged me to try new things which, as an autistic person, I often avoid. (See below, a video from the first workshop on this project)

My composition was slightly influenced by The Prodigy, in particular their album Invaders Must Die (2009). The thing that drew me to their music was their use of synthesisers and effects that create both a sci-fi and videogame feel. This influenced my composition by determining the settings I chose for the theremin, in particular choosing the setting “magic missile.” This was for its similarity to the synthesiser at the beginning (0:00-0:28) of Omen-Reprise (2009) due to the constant pitch variation.

This project also supported my performance skills. The project helped me learn the basics of the instrument by necessity. I was also forced to use improvisation due to the theremin being a new instrument to me. This was because during this project, I only had a very basic understanding of the instrument so to successfully contribute to the ensemble I had to improvise and adapt to the ensemble around me. This included choosing the right settings for the theremin (often changing them mid-session), and developing melodies mid performance. This improved my performance skills because it made me think of ways to get back with the group if I accidentally moved my hand and ended up too dissonant. I have also learnt how to listen and respond to others during performance. I’m not used to electronic instruments so balancing dynamics was challenging to me at first but with practice it became second nature.

I feel like I also met my goal of developing my skills as a performer by taking on a background role in the ensemble in the beginning of the piece (the simple theremin line which helped create a dramatic effect), which then led to the sci-fi and 90’s videogame feel of the piece, which I thought was very effective.  

I feel like a barrier to my contribution in the group was my instrumental skills. As I was learning a new instrument, what I could contribute was basic, and although it did work in places, I feel like the 2nd half of the composition (the calm slow section where I mostly used chromatic scales) could have benefited from a more complex melody here. I feel like I did the best I could here with the skills I had at the time but as of writing this reflection 5 months later, I think I would be able to do a better job now than I previously did in November.

We then reflected more as a group and all agreed we thought the piece was effective and we liked how it turned out, even though it took a different approach and veered more into game music towards the end of the compositional process. I personally thought it created an 8 bit feel, like the main theme in Pac-Man (1980). A quote from a group member said they were “obsessed with it” which shows that multiple group members (including myself) found the project effective.

In conclusion, I feel that my contribution to the ensemble was very effective and I learnt a lot from this project, however, I have since developed my theremin skills and if I was going to reattempt this project, I would use more complex techniques in the second half of the composition to further develop it. In our reflection session, we discussed how we felt improvisation was at the core of this piece. We also discussed how there were several barriers to communication in our group, including language barriers and, in my case, autism making it harder for me to express myself verbally and portray emotions in a way that others understand. Another group member reflected on this and commented “I mean, regardless of language and all that stuff, music is universal.” Which I found very insightful and reflected why improvisation can be so important. (See below, a more recent video of me practicing the theremin. Here I am experimenting with a delay pedal).

Bibliography

Pac Man (1980) original theme YouTube [streamed] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxYzjjs6d1s [Accessed 04/05/2026]

The Prodigy (2009) Invaders Must Die Spotify [streamed] https://open.spotify.com/album/05FqRYaC6S9R1CnF85187v?si=63d3f3f1a31c4e5b [Accessed 01/04/2026]

The Prodigy (2009) Omen-Reprise Invaders Must Die Spotify [streamed] https://open.spotify.com/track/01Pd2VJYJbjn89zSvdFG7q?si=b5b62b353dc4441d [Accessed 01/04/2026]