Self and Tell: Exploring Identity Through Music

Author

Logen Crandall, Western Michigan UniversityFollow

Date of Defense

6-26-2024

Date of Graduation

6-2024

Department

English

First Advisor

Steve Feffer

Second Advisor

Carter Rice

Abstract

My honors thesis is a five-song EP titled ‘self and tell’. It is considered an EP (Extended Play) because it is longer than one song but shorter than an album. As an English: Creative Writing major, I wanted to write something for my thesis that truly excited me. However, I was ignited by the thought of writing an essay, play, collection of poems, or work of fiction. As someone who has always had a passion for music and singing, I instead chose to use my knowledge of poetry and storytelling to write lyrics that followed a central theme from one song to the next. My hope was to capture the transformative aspects of the college experience.

As someone who has survived through divorce, COVID, mental health struggles, substance abuse and recovery, loneliness, and more, I wanted to pour myself into this EP and use it to bring my emotions to life. I wanted ‘self and tell’ to reflect the hardships that come with age and change. The resulting songs are ‘Fantasize’, ‘Sundown’, ‘When I Was 18, I Thought I Knew Everything’, ‘Hang On, Let Go!’, and ‘Misty’. The listener can use tone, genre, and the instruments used to detect anger and frustration in the first two songs. The third song, ‘When I Was 18, I Thought I Knew Everything’ shifts the narrative from a place of shame to a place of healing. Finally, ‘Hang On, Let Go!’ and ‘Misty’ reflect on the healing journey. The decision to blend multiple genres in this project also contributes to the shift in tone and story.

The lyrics were written and performed by me, while the music was produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Will McManus and Brett Schlaff. They are both WMU students studying Multimedia Arts and Technology. In addition to Will and Brett, I am so grateful to my thesis mentor Dr. Steve Feffer. Without these three individuals, ‘self and tell’ would not exist today!

Recommended Citation

Crandall, Logen, "Self and Tell: Exploring Identity Through Music" (2024). Honors Theses. 3868.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/3868

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access