Jazz Application Essay

On a cold December afternoon, a shy 10 year old waited with her family in a quaint restaurant. She sat nervously wondering if she could play in front of all these people. What if she made a terrible mistake? What if she cried? What if she couldn’t perform? These are the questions that consumed her mind. With encouragement from her mother, the girl hesitantly approached the electric piano. Opening to the page of her first song, she placed her fingers and began her elementary Christmas song. She submerged herself in the music she created. When the song ended, the patrons responded in applause and looked on in wonder at this girl’s talent and ease. At that moment, the young girl realized she wanted to pursue music as a career. For me, that little girl, nothing has changed since.
My love for performing started on that December afternoon when I played piano in my lesson teacher’s restaurant.
Since then, I have grown in my musical capabilities by learning multiple instruments: clarinet, saxophone, mellophone, guitar, ukulele, and voice. The possibilities with music are endless and I yearn to gain as much knowledge as I can. I persistently look for ways to challenge myself; because of this, I find myself attending 12 hour rehearsals for marching band in the heat of August and staying late for pit rehearsals for our annual school musical. I dedicate as much time as I can to performing groups so I can better myself. In the concert band program, I am the clarinet first chair and participate in Solo and Ensemble. I’ve gone to state for this musical competition with clarinet since middle school. My love for music starts with performing.
Helping others with music is also extremely gratifying.
As section leader of the clarinets at Mukwonago High School’s top band ensemble, I am expected to guide my section to success. I lead sectionals and help the other clarinet players with high notes and intricate rhythms. We go over how our parts connect with each others and how they connect with other sections in the ensemble. Aiding younger members of my section helps both me and them to grow musically. I also help lead our jazz combo at school. In a team effort, we express our ideas on phrasing and how we can evoke emotion through the notes and rhythms to the audience. When we share our thoughts and ideas with each other, we promote a friendly and accepting atmosphere that we then take to our other classes. In our marching band I may not be section leader, but I lead by example as one of the strongest mellophone players. By memorizing my music and executing my location in our formations, I set myself and those around me up for success. With all of this teaching and performing experience, I am ready to move on to
college.
At the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, I can grow not only as a musician, but as a person. Performing in front of an audience has taught me perseverance. Practicing for a performance requires persistence and patience with yourself, devoting hours of your time, especially when you do not play it perfectly on the first try. Performing needs perseverance to keep practicing until you cannot play the music wrong. Teaching others has taught me patience and integrity. I make it my job to know what sections need the most work so I can prepare myself and my section to the best of my ability. All of these traits I apply to my academic career, by studying what needs to be studied and helping others who require it. I hope to apply all that I’ve learned at the University of Eau Claire. I feel inspired to come play music, especially after attending this year’s Clarinet Days and speaking with the students and professor in the clarinet studio. Through experiencing many performance and teaching opportunities, I can enhance the culture at UW Eau Claire.