Project Overview
For my main collaborative project, I chose to work with King George’s Playing Fields, an activity centre which offers a fantastic array of activities for the whole family to enjoy. In the playing fields, there are 5 main sections: Ninja Tag Active, Soft Play, Splash Pad, Adventure Play Area, and the Sensory Room, which I have scored. My collaborator is Keeley Heasman, who is the general manager and also my mum. She is speaking over the adverts, explaining more about each sector.
For my secondary project, I attended the Leeds Arts University Animation Mixer Event. I picked up a project: a video game inspired by Dark Souls and Super Mario Galaxy, where the player hops around different planets. One of these planets is a rave planet, which is the planet that I am scoring, as this was right up my alley. My collaborator for this project is Wren, who is a video game designer and animator.
Final Tracks
PROJECT 1 – KING GEORGE’S PLAYING FIELDS
PROJECT 2 – RAVE PLANET GAME
Panopto Video – Final Product
Chronological Monthly Diary
September:
- Planned a few avenues I could go down to find a viable project – realised the easiest to start right away would be to score my mum’s work
- Contacted Keeley Heasman about the project
- First analysis of the project – viability and what resources I had available
October:
- Planned which sections of the centre I would be scoring
- Starting to make a playlist of all the songs I was trying to get a similar feeling to (see Appendix 1)
- Contextual research of the existing market
November:
- Final Project Viability Study + Presentation
- Secured drone shots and professional footage of all areas except the sensory room from the client
December:
- Ninja Tag and Adventure Play Area songs written
- I also tried to write Splash Pad, but my first attempt was too non-commercial, so it was scrapped
January:
- Soft Play song written
February:
- Sensory Room song written
- Started editing the video
March:
- Went to the Leeds Arts University Animation Mixer Event, where I got in contact with Wren, who is making the Rave Planet Game for my secondary project
- Splash Pad song written
- Finalised dates for Sensory Room filming
- Started mixing and mastering
- First Rave Planet song written
- Started Rave Planet Inspo Playlist (see Appendix 2)
April:
- Second Rave Planet song written
- Recorded the saxophone, flute, and guitar in the studio for KGPF tunes (see Appendix 4)
- Started evidence and evaluation
- Sensory Room filming is complete
- Spoken Interview with Keeley Heasman was recorded (see Appendix 5)
- Had a meeting with Keeley about the music + intro sound
- Finished mixing and mastering
- Finished editing the video
- Finished evidence and evaluation
Evidence of Planning/Process
By following the 5 phases of the Project Life Cycle, I managed the project with ease because everything had been thoroughly planned. The Project Life Cycle is a five-phase framework that project managers use to help guide their projects from the base idea to completion. It outlines all project stages, from inception to final implementation, and describes what the team must achieve during each phase.
Phase 1: Initiation
The initiation phase of the project life cycle is where a project’s feasibility and value are assessed before any detailed planning or execution begins. Luckily, the first assignment for this project, the viability study, helped make sure I did this before starting any musical work. To start Project 1, I organised some FaceTime meetings with Keeley and approached her about it. We discussed ideas and established the main idea for the video, and made an influence playlist to start ideas for each track. We also shared contact information to allow day-to-day communication. To start Project 2, I first met Wren in person at the mixer event, where they told me their vision for the planet, and we exchanged Instagrams to further communicate when either of us had new ideas that we needed feedback for.
Phase 2: Planning
During the planning phase in the project life cycle, a project roadmap is created for completing the work on time and in line with your success criteria. For me, I made a Gantt chart to try to stay on time with all my work and not leave it until the last minute. Unfortunately, I did end up procrastinating, and I had to rush most of the work in March and April, but I got enough of the musical writing done early on in December that this wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I also made sure that I had a backup plan in case any of my projects fell through, but I wasn’t that worried about this, as my collaborator was family. Additionally, I conducted various research into music that had already been used for similar things, so I could fit the market correctly without making my music too obscure.
Phase 3: Execution
The project execution phase is when you implement the project plan and deliver the project results. To successfully execute this project, I decided to try to have the music completed as soon as I could, as this was the main focus of the project. This meant I was able to acquire feedback and work with the collaborators throughout the length of the project, so I didn’t finish all the tunes for them to be discarded down the line. I planned to have all the KGPF music written before we came back to the conservatoire in January, which I almost achieved. I wrote one tune for the Splash Pad that I soon realised wasn’t very fitting, so I decided to scrap it and start again. Once I had my contact for the 2nd project, I got to work on the tunes straight away, so we had time to chat about changes they wanted and things they liked before I submitted, as this was already quite close to the deadline.
Phase 4: Monitoring and controlling
In this phase, I tracked my project progress and made adjustments to ensure the project stays on track. I used my Gantt chart to see how well I was spreading everything out, and I was not doing great. Luckily, my idea of finishing the tracks as soon as possible worked a treat, as when I picked up my second project, most of the KGPF tracks had already been written. I also ran into a bit of an issue in the filming of the area, as whenever I happened to be home, it was when KGPF was at its busiest, so I was quite restricted during the time in which I was supposed to be filming the location. Luckily, I managed to get sent plenty of footage from the KGPF team for all of the areas other than the sensory room, which I filmed myself. This saved me a lot of time as I only needed to do the filming for one area instead of the planned five.
Phase 5: Project Close
Towards the end of the project, I sent all my work to both collaborators so I could grab their final bits of feedback (see Appendix 3). Unfortunately, I could only get feedback from Keeley as my collaborator for the rave planet has yet to reply. This helped me reach the final version of the video and music, as, after adjustments were made, it reassured me that it was finalised and executed properly.
Reference Material/Inspiration
Project 1
As Ninja Tag Active is the centre’s main attraction, this piece had to be bold and attention-grabbing. I’ve attempted to create a piece of music influenced by the early 90s UK drum n bass scene, using fast tempos, chopped breakbeats and boutique versions of synthesisers from that time period. A few of my main inspirations for this genre include Omni Trio, E-Z Rollers and Aphrodite. I have also included Japanese instruments and influences to try to add to the ninja/samurai aesthetic of the activity. These include Taiko drums, a Shamisen lute, a Koto and gongs.
To score the Adventure Play Area, I have tried to create a classic 90s jungle track with a jungle/safari vibe that would perfectly match the area’s theme. To do this, I drew a lot of inspiration from the Donkey Kong Country soundtrack, as it is an early ’90s platformer set in a jungle. I used a lot of similar instruments, which include flutes, bongos, marimbas and xylophones.
For the Sensory room, I have made an ambient ASMR piece inspired by artists like Galen Tipton and Alexander Panos. These artists have a very unique softness to their music that some people describe as tingling in their brain, which is perfect for the sensory rooms’ vibe. The room has been designed to help people regulate, develop and engage with their senses, so ambient music will work perfectly for the video as well as to be played inside the room as guests interact and explore the environment. After I finished this piece, I asked my friend Rachael, who is a Community Music Practitioner, if this piece was suitable for people who have neurodivergency, SEN users and babies. She said that this piece is great as the harmony is very nice and predictable, and the waves added a nice texture throughout the piece, and they also create a constant stimulation that regulates the nervous system.
Originally for the Splash Pad, I intended to write a liquid drum and bass track. I thought that this would make my genres a bit too repetitive, so I decided to instead make a chill utopian virtual track. Utopian Virtual is a style of Vaporwave from the mid-2010s that focuses on the sound and aesthetics of commercial electronic music of the 1980s and 90s. The genre takes inspiration from a variety of sounds, which include Easy Listening, Synthpop and Chiptune. I thought that if I did a breakbeat spin on Utopian Virtual, it would suit the Splash Pad, as a similar genre combination is found in the current Frutiger Aero resurgence. Frutiger Aero is a design style from the mid-2000s that features themes of technology, natural imagery, bright colours and skeuomorphic elements, which is what the design of the Splash Pad really reminds me of.
The Soft Play Area was the hardest one for me, as I originally wanted to do an upbeat pop track based on the early PC music era, as I thought that this would be very fun; however, a lot of the elements of this style were a bit too experimental for the visuals, and they didn’t really match well. After realising this, I watched some similar adverts, and a lot of them had cheesy funk in the background, so that is the genre I landed on.
Project 2
After talking with the collaborator, Wren, we both landed on capturing a vibe similar to the soundtrack of Neon White. Neon White is a speedrunning FPS parkour game with an amazing soundtrack created by Machine Girl, who is an intense electronic duo. The soundtrack is heavily inspired by 90s drum and bass, acid house and breakcore, which is a pathway I was very excited to go down.
For the first track, I made a happy hardcore track, which I thought would be a perfect fit for the introduction of the rave planet. Happy hardcore is a highly energetic genre developed in the 1990s by producers such as Slipmatt, Dougal and Sunshine Productions, who would push the melodic and lively sounds of the 90s rave scene to faster tempos and more euphoric extremes. As its popularity spread, the sound started combining with other genres such as Gabber, Eurodance, Trance and Makina.
For the second track, I made an epic-sounding breakcore track for a 3-stage boss fight influenced heavily by “Rossz Csillag Alatt Született” by Venetian Snares. This is a concept album inspired by a trip to Hungary, where Venetian Snares imagined himself as a pigeon on Budapest’s Royal Palace, the Királyi Palota. The album blends frantic brakcore rhythms with huge classical orchestration, creating a sound that is both chaotic and deeply emotional.
Use of Technology
The main synth I used in this project was the Korg M1, as both projects needed sounds that were highly influential in video game music. The Korg M1 is a music workstation released in 1988 that combined analogue synthesis, sampled instruments, built-in effects, drum sounds and an onboard sequencer. Before the M1, musicians often needed several pieces of gear to do all that. The M1 put it all in one box, which was revolutionary at the time, and it led to many of the piano, organ, choir and bass sounds becoming staples of 90s pop, house and video game music. I used the synth for flutes, marimbas, choirs, strings and pianos.
As many of the songs are influenced by the 1990s, I also tried to keep the other equipment I used from that timeframe, which included a Korg Wavestation, Roland 808 & 909 and the Roland SH-01A, which is a boutique modern version of the SH101. The 01A was used to add most of the chiptune elements to the tracks, such as square wave leads and arpeggiated plucks. The 909 hats are all over the songs, as this is my favourite hat by far, it’s so iconic! I also used a couple of modern synthesisers such as the Korg Minilogue XD, Serum and Synplant as I love to blend the old with the new. I used Serum mainly for the bass, as you can really get some strange textures in the top end that older synthesisers just can’t manage. Synplant was used for FX as I can use its ‘Genopatch’ feature, which allows me to feed it an audio sample, and it will analyse the sound and generate a synth patch designed to recreate something similar. What makes Synplant special is that it encourages happy accidents. Rather than meticulously programming every parameter, you discover sounds through experimentation.
On a couple of the KGPF tracks, I recorded a saxophone and a guitar, as well as a flute on the adventure play track and a bass on the soft play track. Blending real instruments with digital sounds offers the best of both worlds. Acoustic instruments bring warmth, character, and human expression that can be difficult to replicate electronically. Subtle variations in timing, dynamics, and tone help create a more organic and emotionally engaging piece of music.
Evaluation
Throughout this collaborative project, both commissions were completed successfully and met their intended creative and professional aims. My music produced for King George’s Playing Fields effectively enhanced each area’s visual identity, with every composition carefully tailored to reflect the atmosphere, audience and purpose of the space it accompanied. The contrast in styles across the five areas also helped to give each attraction its own unique character while maintaining a cohesive overall identity for the centre. Feedback from Keeley confirmed that the music successfully captured the intended mood of each space and worked well alongside the promotional footage.
Similarly, the secondary project was highly successful in translating the visual and gameplay concepts of the Rave Planet into sound. In both projects, the music did more than accompany the visuals; it actively elevated them, helping to shape the audience’s emotional response and strengthen the overall experience. This demonstrates my ability to compose versatile, stylistically appropriate music that serves a clear visual and narrative purpose.
Bibliography
Atlassian (2023). A Guide to the Project Life Cycle: Exploring the 5 Phases. [online] Atlassian. Available at: https://www.atlassian.com/work-management/project-management/project-life-cycle.
Macdonald, C. (2005). Rossz Csillag Alatt Született. [online] Pitchfork. Available at: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/8445-rossz-csillag-alatt-szuletett/.
to, C. (2026). Soundtrack. [online] Neon White Wiki. Available at: https://neonwhite.fandom.com/wiki/Soundtrack [Accessed 29 Apr. 2026].
Active, E. (n.d.). King George’s Playing Fields. [online] Everyone Active. Available at: https://www.everyoneactive.com/centre/king-georges-playing-fields/.
Lidström, M. & F. (n.d.). Synplant. [online] Sonic Charge. Available at: https://soniccharge.com/synplant.
Rate Your Music. (n.d.). Utopian Virtual. [online] Available at: https://rateyourmusic.com/genre/utopian-virtual/.
Aesthetics Wiki. (n.d.). Frutiger Aero. [online] Available at: https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Frutiger_Aero.3
Appendices
APPENDIX 1 – KGPF INSPO PLAYLIST
APPENDIX 2 – RAVE PLANET INSPO PLAYLIST
APPENDIX 3 – FEEDBACK FROM KEELEY
APPENDIX 4 – RECORDING GUITAR IN THE STUDIO
APPENDIX 5 – RECORDING INTERVIEW
