When I was real young, a friend of my father’s gave me a ukulele, which lead me to learn four chords and I ended up learning how to play the rhythm and blues. Although my parents held the preconceived notion that music would lead me to drug addiction, I proved them otherwise. When I was 8, at my aunt's request, I attended a concert by “Popular Front” folk musician Pete Seeger, and found myself strongly moved by his music to the point that I began performing his songs publicly. My first public performance was in Saratoga, California, for a youth group from Temple Beth Jacob, a Redwood City, California, congregation. In 1957, I bought my first Gibson acoustic guitar.…
In college, I began studying music education, but have debating on switching so I can become a music producer since the performing aspect won’t work out. In any case, going to any kind of concert or any other musical performance always makes me happy, makes me learn something new and it inspires me. Maybe one day my stage fright will go away or maybe not. Either way, I’ll always have music to help me get through difficult times. Especially at work, when customers decide to make your day unbelievably impossible and you try to stay calm…
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve observed people playing music around me. My family is musically inclined, which I believe is the reason I’ve been drawn to it. In 2006, I began taking guitar lessons but I never had much interest in playing. Things changed in 2009, and I wished to be different. I wanted to be good at something so I began to teach myself guitar and have stuck with the guitar until now. In 2010, I began to play on my church’s worship team and I enjoyed it very much. I have now been a worship leader for the past four years and it’s something I love to do. I love it so much that for the past two years I have gone to Camp Electric to improve my skills. Camp Electric is a rock and roll music camp where musicians pick an instrument and they participate in workshops with that instrument. This camp is filled with people who love music and who love playing music. I have such a passion for playing that I have begun teaching guitar lessons and now I am expressing music with my patients in order to achieve a goal.…
I am a leader. I have all the qualities that make a great leader, but I was not born this way.Experiences and how someone reacts to those experiences are what truly make a leader. One of the most influential experiences I have gone through is called the Lebanon High School Marching Band. I am certain that I wouldn’t be who I am today if it weren’t for marching band. Before coming to high school I already had leadership qualities, but band helped bring all those great qualities together and helped me get past my two major flaws: my lack of self-confidence and the fact that I was probably one of the shyest people you would EVER meet. When I joined marching band, I spent most of my waking hours sweating and suffering alongside wonderful people that I longed to…
I bought a drum set and watched YouTube videos to teach myself how to play. I joined the concert band in fifth grade and continued to take it as a class until sophomore year in high school. I also played in the jazz band for four years, the pep band for five years, and the show choir for two. The feeling I got in my stomach when I was up to bat in a baseball game was the same butterflies that I got when I played music with a group. The difference between baseball and playing the drums was that my hard work did not go unnoticed. Music is a universal language that brings people together, and nobody sits on the bench. Music was a healthy alternative for me because it taught me that everyone should be accepted and…
There have been numerous times in my life where I’ve failed at something but there was one specific failure that really opened my eyes to what it really meant to fail. When I was in high school, I was in the band, my instrument of choice was the saxophone. While in the band it is required that you learn your sheet music before you attend any school event. This is to ensure that everyone is doing their absolute best and will make cuts to perform in every function the band was asked to participate. As I mentioned earlier, I played the saxophone and had always made cuts until one day our band instructor issued out new music. Being the person I am, I glanced at the music and said “I see no need for me to practice this, it’s so simple”. Later that…
Sweat drizzles down my skin as it exits my pores trying to cool my heated body. The blood rushes through my veins pumping blood with the consistent pounding of my heart. Every breath, every second, every action, every thought; I am standing where everything counts. Artificial turf and grass crumpled beneath my torn black shoes and the thick silence only cut by the timed chants from afar. This is the last moment I will stand here for this reason. This is the last moment I will stand here with my family. This is the last moment of my marching band career. Many will say that this was a special group of kids, others will say that this year was a show that was made to make it. I, on the other hand, will say that this was because of seven years of dedication.…
As somebody who always had trouble fitting in in school, it was really hard to find a place of which I could be a part of. I joined band in middle school, and I enjoyed playing greatly, even if I wasn’t the most talented saxophone player in the program. I wouldn’t say I was passionate about it at the time, but band certainly was a fun and [something] experience, learning to play music with my friends. Through my three years of middle school at Southeast Bulloch, I travelled from second-to-last chair placement in 6th grade to 2nd chair placement in 8th grade. For a lonely, shy middle schooler, it meant a lot to me to have an activity I was good…
My love for music began in middle school. At that time, I was socially awkward with very few friends. To compensate, I buried myself in music. My dedication led to many honors and admiration from my peers. However, when I got to high school, my relationship with music fundamentally changed. The arrival of an overly demanding teacher coupled with a long episode of depression robbed me of my passion to play. As time progressed, the pain I felt became too much to bear, and I became desperate for an outlet in which I could express myself positively. My quest led me to music once more, but classical was no longer the genre of choice. It was in hip hop and rap music that I found the will to overcome mental illness.…
With a wide spread of my arms and a clench of my fist, the last notes of Panic! at the Disco's song, "Victorious" came to an end. As I called the band to attention and to march off the football field, I knew the marching season for the Mead High School Marching Band was coming to an end after another year. I remember feeling jittery and excited despite the fact that I was composed before our eight minute marching show began. I hopped off of my podium, used my shaky hands to disassemble the platform, and exited the field to catch up with the band. Our performance at the St Vrain School District Band Night marked the end to my high school marching band career that started just four years prior.…
When I first started marching band during the summer going into my freshman year, I didn’t expect to fall in love with it. Freshmen percussionists at my high school are required to be in the front ensemble their first year and couldn’t be in the drumline until their sophomore year. Knowing this, I thought of the upcoming marching season as just a waste of time because I wanted to be in the drumline and I would never want to stay in the front ensemble beyond my freshmen year. Although I wasn’t expecting much, I was still hopeful going into the first day of summer band.…
I could never forget my first band concert. We had to wear formal clothes and we had to bring our saxophone. We had to practice all year for that moment. We waited in the stands while the first band was playing. Then when they finished the second band started playing. We waited until there band was done after them was us. We started playing playing the first song and when that one was over the crowd cheered. After that we started playing our second song. When that one was finished the crowd cheered even more since we were beginners. After that they gave out awards calling out the best players and the ones that tried the most and stuff like that. Then we all went home to enjoy the rest of the night. That was my first band concert, but definitely…
I am a trumpet player. It has been a huge part of my life since I was in the sixth grade. I love the music and I love the blaring sound of brass. Playing, however, has not always been easy. On the trumpet it’s relatively simple to make a sound, but it’s far more difficult to make a good sound. There is only one correct way to play the trumpet, but many wrong ways. I was originally told that all I had to do was buzz my lips and pick up the horn. For most kids, this description of how to play works, but it didn’t for me. As a result, I played it incorrectly for five years.…
Kahlil Gibran once said, “Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife.” Ever since I’ve stumbled across this quote, after mindlessly scrolling through Tumblr during the twelfth grade, it has held a sort of significance to my life. Kahlil Gibran’s quote resonated throughout my mind and body considering that the Hialeah High School Choir had, subsequently, changed how I viewed the world and how I valued myself as a person. This was a gigantic change from the timid, self-conscious, person I was with my peers in school, my relatives, and my parents. More importantly, it was a self-evolution that involved less stumbling over my words as I tried to speak and, although it is shameful to admit, dashing away from men that I would fancy.…
I’ve been a majorette since I was five years old, it’s a long time I know, and through the years failure has been like an annoying friend that you want to go away, but you are to polite to ask it to leave. No one is perfect, and everyone messes up are two common phrases that go with failure, but who wants a consolation prize of meaningless words when you could have won at nationals? No one. In my career as a majorette I’ve had bad competitions and I’ve had bad years and sometimes it really gets to me and puts me in a mood, but I never quit practicing. One year in particular I went to The Drum Majorettes of America’s National competition and I made dead last place in my division. That really hurts, and it made me angry that I had fallen so far…