It was back about a year ago when it happened, a month after the 8th grade dance. But first let me introduce myself I’m Raylene Johnson former friend of Aubrey Stones and this is her story.…
I have always been interested in piano. However, it has never been terribly easy. I can play piano by memorizing the notes or playing by ear, but I always have had problems reading notes.…
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.…
I would not be who I am right now without experiencing failure. The struggles and challenges I have faced have shaped who I am today. One of largest failures I had was when I failed my first class.…
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 Jr High choir teacher, Mrs. Bradbury, was the most challenging teacher I have ever had. She would never cut the choir a break, and never stopped pushing us to be our best; “I can’t” was not acceptable to her. I hated her with every fiber of my being, and every time she spoke all I wanted to do was sew her lips together. It wasn’t until the beginning of ninth grade when I realized she was amazing. Once I let my guard down, we instantly connected. Recognizing how much I loved to sing and becoming one of the top singers in my choir was thanks to her. I started working for hours every day on my songs, staying late after class for help, and going to voice lessons. I excelled exponentially and Mrs. Bradbury noticed it.…
, I always loved music. I had taken piano lessons and attended dance lessons. Now I am involved in the marching band, concert band, pit orchestra, and jazz band. Music was always what made me truly happy. Music also seems to come to me very naturally. I play three instruments, clarinet, flute, and saxophone. I am hoping to start piano lessons again soon.…
The first time I was ever daunted sitting at a drum kit, was at my first gig with my high school jazz ensemble during my freshman year. It was the night of the Presidents Circle Dinner, an event dedicated to the individuals who donated a substantial amount of money to my school. All the people I had to impress. Not only was I new to playing in front of a crowd but I was also new to playing jazz itself. During the performance of C Jam Blues, the band director pointed at me, hinting that I, the second string drummer, would be taking the next solo. The solo I played that night was the worst bit of drumming I have ever done. After that performance, i realized that the road ahead of me was going to be long and hard.…
As a little girl I wanted to be just like Hannah Montana. As I got older, I wanted to be like Rachel Berry, a small town girl living out a big town dream. I wanted to be looked up to because of my musical talent. Walking into Mrs. Kaiser's 7th hour, 8th grade band, I didn't know that music would have such an impact in my life. Music has become the spark of my intellectual curiosity. There are millions of combinations of key signatures, chords, melodies and rhythm in the world of music just waiting to become attached to a sheet of staff lines and spaces. Ever since my first experience with music in the fourth grade, my mind began to explore all these combinations of problems. Music helped me with math, english and gave me a place to escape when I was put into undesirable situations. In Middle…
From my early childhood, all the way until now and I am sure to the future and beyond I have been fascinated by music. I have loved to listening to, playing, singing, and writing music as well. I can vividly remember when I was very young in our family room we had a stereo and my family and I would dance and play along to music. I specifically remember The Beatles and The Eagles. I had a small plastic snare drum that I use to use until sadly I stepped on it. Both of my Uncles played music and were in a band themselves. My Uncle Ed was a drummer and my Uncle Ronnie was a guitarist and a singer. I remember going to concerts for their band a t a young age as well.…
I have played piano and violin since I can remember. It could be that I have a bad memory, that I didn't do anything until I was in second grade, or that making music was not something I wanted to do and couldn't.…
A person who made an enormous impact on my life was my eighth grade math teacher. I'd had failed my seventh grade TAKS test and had to take a second math class for the year. I was extremely furious and disappointed that I had to take yet another math. I was and still am terrible at math, which just made the situation even worse. Within the first week, I kept failing my assignments, which was making my grade plummet. I came to my regular math teacher for help for my assignments to raise my grades. However, the way the teacher was explaining the math made absolutely no sense to me in any way. Fortunately, when I came to my TAKS math teacher for tutoring, the way he explained to me actually made things much more simpler in my work. Things started…
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.…
When I first began band, during the summer before my freshmen year, I was very introverted and not used to being surrounded by so many great musicians. I was petrified to play loudly in front of others and stuck to hanging out with my fellow freshmen band members. As the year began to…
It was the middle of the school year, and I had just moved into Duluth. I was begging my mother to put me back into public school. At the time I was being home-schooled but I hated it. So one day, my mom told me "since you want to go to public school so bad, I'll let you go soon." I was happy! I could finally make some new friends and go somewhere I wanted to go. Few days later, we went into the school I will be attending called Northview High School. We went to go get interviewed, but the lady that interviewed us was very rude. She was not hopeful or even encouraging. She told me and my mom that I was going to fail all my courses and will have to wait til the end of the school year. Basically, she wanted to hold me back. Who would have known how right she was. In the end, it worked out and I was able to attend Northview.…