My Capstone Project is a creative project –  a short EP made up of three songs. Each of the three songs is based on a common theme – that of the myth of the Phoenix. The Phoenix is a fabled bird that goes through a reincarnation process over and over. It essentially never dies – only becomes a new version of itself. While the EP is based on this theme, the lyrics of each of the songs strongly relate to my own experiences and the growth I myself have gone through. Each of the songs’ lyrics have a different motif or core idea from the other, but all under the umbrella of the Phoenix’s story; its life cycle, but in connection to my own life. There is a beginning, middle, and end, thus the three songs. The start of the EP is a song named The Burning, where the life cycle begins as the Phoenix’s does – burning the old into ashes and becoming a new bird. Then there is The Growing which, as the title says, is a growth phase. In connection to my story, the song states that I am no longer in the beginning of my journey, but I am not where I want to be in the future. Finally, is the phase of freedom, called The Flying; it is the completion of the previous growth phase and, for me, the place I aim to grow into. I am fully writing, composing, and producing each of the three songs with the equipment I have available in my home studio. This equipment starts with a Mac computer, and I already have Ableton Live 11 Intro installed, which is the main DAW I am using to record and edit the music. Then there is my collection of two guitars and a small Akai MPK Mini, which is a small MIDI keyboard being used to create the melodies I am looking for. I have a Scarlett 2i2 3rd generation Focusrite as a way to connect my instruments and microphone to my Mac laptop, and the microphone I am using to record vocals is a MXL 550 vocal condenser microphone. Using this equipment, I am recording the sound and vocals into Ableton Live and editing it further from there. This project is pushing me to create a connected and well-developed EP while also furthering my skill. It’s giving me a chance to really dive into what I want my music to sound like.