College Admissions Essay: A Career In Jazz Music

Jazz      Jazz is a type of music developed by black Americans about 1900      and possessing an identifiable history and describable stylistic evolution. It is rooted in the mingled musical traditions of American blacks. More black musicians saw jazz for the first time a profession. Since its beginnings jazz has branched out into so many styles that no single description fits all of them with total accuracy. Performers of jazz improvise within the conventions of their chosen style.

When words fail, music speaks. Music starts off as five lined, four spaced staff. The four spaces spell out the word face, F.A.C.E., which are the names of the notes. The five lines stand for: Every Good Boy Does Fine. Most people think an artist just write the words down, makes it rhyme and POOF!!, You have yourself some music. Although this is true, music has thousands upon thousands of creative steps you must take. There is a lot more to music, and a lot more I’m still learning though.

Like almost every other 3rd grader in my elementary school, when the enrichment program came to talk about joining the orchestra and band, I was fascinated. I admired the kids, not much older than me, who could play their instruments flawlessly and effortlessly. Immediately I knew that orchestra was for me, and I rushed home with a paper in hand begging my mom to let me take lessons at my school. Originally, I wanted to play the cello and pleaded with my mom to let me play one; I loved the deep, rich sounds of the strings. Instead, my mom convinced me to play the violin, a less expensive instrument and much easier to carry around than a cello.

I am impressed by the wide range of programs offered to your students. I have attended and participated in many events at the nearby University of Wisconsin Platteville campus. The UW-Platteville Center for the Arts there greatly enriched my childhood. UW- Platteville’s continued support of music, drama, and cultural events has influenced my views and has benefitted my hometown, Mineral Point in a positive way.

I saw a ridiculous amount of talent exhibited by young musicians that afternoon, but I noticed one thing all the pianists had in common: their faces remained blank throughout their performances. “How are they sitting so still while they play? My piano teacher has to stop me from swaying like a boat when I play the Arabesque,” I thought to myself. By the end of the recital, I realized that my earlier failure was not fruitless. That day of defeat was the day that my passion for music became clearer than ever. Though I was not the best pianist in state by any means, I loved my music. I played because I chose to, not because my parents forced me to practice for hours and hours to perfection. I understood for the first time that if I have passion for what I do, I cannot

Music was my entrance into the world of writing. When I didn’t have access to books, listening to songs such as Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable” and Raven-Symone’s “This Is My Time” helped me get through the many days in middle school where I was bullied and isolated myself from everyone. My social isolation led to my first bout with depression. As I kept to myself, I wrote my own songs, pouring my heart into each and every word. However, fully perfecting the craft was difficult because I did not know how to perform the music I created. Fortunately, there are organizations that enable children to learn how to play instruments, and one of those organizations is Hungry For Music.

As this year’s Brass Quintet’s Student Director, I seek to inspire and spur on this select group of musicians, while coordinating all rehearsal and performance details for our intimate chamber group. Additionally, in order to push the boundaries of my musical expertise, I will be composing a unique arrangement of our high school’s alma mater, as a new music repertoire for our group. While seeking to extend my capabilities musically and to translate lessons learned to my broader character, I am vividly reminded of the impact and presence of my now scuffed and well-used trumpet in so many facets of my life. My trumpet playing reflects my desire to continue to push myself musically, and in whatever course of life I choose, and it will certainly be a vital element of my

I can say I’m a multi-instrumentalist. I can play the harmonica, the trombone, the ukulele, the bass, the piano, the electric and acoustic guitar, and I’m probably forgetting one. But really I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for her” (Montes). “One of the big things I teach my kids is how through hard work, you can accomplish anything. Whenever a kid shows up to a lesson, I always ask them if they practiced, and sometimes they say no because they don’t have a piano at home. It reminds me of the days when I couldn’t even afford a piano, but I push those thoughts away and work towards helping these kids fulfill their dreams as I’ve fulfilled mine. Music teaches the kids how to work through a tough song, and through time and practice, they always get it at the end” (LaBeau). Ronnie’s School of Music has performed annually for several of the city’s prominent events: the Arroyo Lighting at Christmas, Saint Anthony’s Fall Festival, Winter Texan festivals, and many more. LaBeau teaches students of all ages, from three to ninety seven. The majority of her students, however, come from Saint Anthony Catholic

I don’t always write letters of introductions, but when I do, it's in Composition class. Now when I think about myself I tend to think of a few things in particular. The first of them being photography and video directing/editing. Over the summer, I got a new camera, a Nikon D3200. It's fairly nice so I use it quite often. I take pictures of mainly my friends. We've gone to places like Swiss Valley just to take pictures. I've even had people ask to do photoshoots and senior pictures for them. Also, now that I have this new camera I'm starting to make movies. I own a video editing program called adobe premiere, it's very nice and fun to use. So now my friend Connor and I are trying to make movies. But we don’t exactly have a ton of time to do

Whether I play the jazz, classical, or the melodious ruckus of the marching band, the alto saxophone is how I reimbursed myself of my stress and anxiety with an indescribable feeling nobody but a musician can understand. This feeling is comprised of two parts: the playing and the team. While the playing produces a euphony that leaves you anticipating every breath you huff into your horn and dances out the bell, the team is my favorite part. Never have I anticipated or desired to be first chair, because I had always known that the second chair is the best. Despite the first chair getting all the glory, without the warm, complementary tones of the second part, the first, and even the band, could never achieve the beautiful potential it has. Together,

It was a daunting challenge to tackle as I knew the great notes towered high above me. My days became crammed bursting at the seams as I stuffed hour after hour of pouring over the numerous ledger lines. Eat, sleep, practice, and repeat. Mom express ordered a heavy metal practice mute to tame my cacophonous hours of practice, as I fiercely sawed throughout the night mastering note after note, measure after measure. I, eventually, devolved into a coffee fueled musical robot addicted to the sharp smell of varnish, the sight of rosin flying, and the sound of strings singing.

While most boys my age were playing baseball or lacrosse, I embarked on a slightly different path. When I was nine years old my parents enrolled me at a local music school to take clarinet lessons. I couldn’t even spell clarinet. I still remember being fascinated by the cork connecting the upper and lower joints and particularly the bell. My brother had played the clarinet before me, so my fate as a musician seemed predetermined. I learned music on his clarinet even if the bell, the bottom piece, was slightly dented. However, I enjoyed the sound and the music I produced in my first year motivated me to be a better clarinetist.

As my strength in music has grown I have learned the significance of emboldment through different relationships. My parents helped me never lose passion for music, my teacher pushed me to learn pieces that I never believed I could do, and my friends who taught me the importance of good-natured competition. Over the years music has molded me into a person that puts importance on dedication and is willing to take chances. The music community has not only taught me valuable lessons of encouragement and integrity, but has opened my eyes to the fact that it brings passionate people together to create meaningful social experiences that will change lives. With my ability to play music, I hope to not only continue to change my outlook on life but to change other’s as

Something that make me smile, gets me excited, makes me do something is softball. I have played ball all since the day I could walk. I started off playing baseball since I was 2 years old. Then at age 8 I went on to play softball for a select softball team in Pearland. Playing softball has always made me smile! I love the intensity, excitement, and the teamwork that is used to play ball. We all look out for each other and try to pick each other up even when we are not all in the spirit. Some activities that involve science, technology, engineering, and math that I find to be fun is robotics and underwater robotics. Robotics has always been a big part in my life because my dad is a robotics teacher for this school and I always loved playing

Life always revolves around music and tunes, especially during my era of existence. Being brought into this Earth in the year of 1951, I’ve achieved numerous opportunities; from playing in jazz gigs and other orchestral meetups. Essentially, I’m just a trombonist who grew up in the notorious city of Los Angeles, California. Growing up, in the city of Los Angeles, often was tricky due to our underprivileged community. The 60’s were often a time of discrimination against anyoneOne task, that kept me in line, was my trombone playing. Everyday, when I came home from school, I would study my famous “Arban’s Method for Trombone” book, and decipher each and every detail; therefore, achieving stability in each aspect of playing. The trickiest thing