College Admissions Essay: My Love For Music

I stood up in front of a hundred curious, gleaming eyes. “Hey guys,” I began, “I’m going to show you why the trombone is the coolest brass instrument ever!” I immediately whipped the slide out and performed a series of sequential glissandos, each one with more vigor than the last. That morning, I was performing with my school’s jazz band at the KIPP Elementary Academy in Philadelphia. Over a decade passed since I had last stepped foot in a Philadelphia school, when I attended the James Dobson School in kindergarten, yet the cozy gymnasium and the children’s crisp uniforms instantly evoked memories of my childhood. But one thing I did not remember from the past was having the opportunity to experience jazz at a young age. Thus, I desperately wanted to display the awesome power of brass instruments that is the soul of jazz music and inspire the kids to partake in the timelessly euphoric journey of music that I am blessed to have taken.

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.

Sometimes we learn something because it sparks our interest without knowing the journey we’re about to embark. It might be a short journey that can leave us wanting more or an extensive one in which it’s not something you just learn, but it becomes a passion. Without even knowing it, I started my journey learning how to play the violin out of curiosity and it ended up becoming something I am strongly passionate about.

When I was in fifth grade, I was caught between two worlds, playing a woodwind or string instrument. If I played a woodwind instrument I would have to blow in it to make music, but string instruments are played with a bow to make music. After much thought, I decided that the violin was the best instrument for me, because it has a beautiful, unique sound, plus the possibilities are never-ending. I could receive a compliment from a teacher, or even get accepted to the symphony.

In a marching band, the idea is to utilize copious amounts of micro-organisms and turn them into a singular macro-organism. However, our voices do not become lost in the cacophony of noise, simply strengthened and enforced by the foundation that each section provides to make the larger creation- a show. My understanding of myself became clearer as I learned to give myself to a larger cause without losing myself among the chaos.

I sat and listened to the beautiful yet invigorating song being played on the piano. I reminisced about the future, when I would be able to play such a complex piece of music. Six years later I sat awaiting my turn to perform this piece of music I had so long dreamed about. I felt butterflies dancing in my stomach, but at the same time I felt a sense of peace and contentment. I played this song flawlessly and from that moment on, I knew that I wanted to use my knowledge and talent of playing the piano to change the world for the better. I desired to impact young, aspiring piano students just as the song that impacted my life so long ago. I long to do so by studying music in college and continue to teach piano.

All of this contributed to me joining the marching band, beginning in eighth grade, which has taken over my life now, in the best way possible and given me a defined place. It’s nice to be a part of something like

We march on out to the stadium, the percussion player taps on his snare every so gently, with the flick of his rist he plays a beat and our feet roll in time against the pavement. The band looks uniform, like marching soldiers. People line up against the curb, moving their eyes with our steps, as they bend a curve on their face in joy.

Marching band was one of the most difficult/challenging activity systems that I have ever done in my life. But at the same time it was an inspirational and motivating aspect of my life. The very first thing it taught me was the definition of hard work. This was because I spent hundreds of hours to my dedication and devotion to band marching around the field in the hot sun every day. Even though there were times when I wanted to quit; one such instance was when we were out performed by another school, other times it was becuase of the teacher being a little too hard on me when I first started. Despite setbacks such as these, I had an ardent attraction to marching band, mainly because in middle school I was a part of concert band, which made me love music. The biggest, reason why I chose to do marching band, aside from my enjoyment of music, was because towards the end of my eighth grade year my middle school band director told us about a huge opportunity that we had coming up to become a part of the high school across the street marching band. They were called the Titan Regiment. She told us the difference between concert and

      Let me take you back to the good old days of high school; Going to the football games, also known as “Friday Night Lights”, were a hit. Watching the football team either win or lose, listening to the marching band play your favorite songs just transposed into a band version. But do you remember when the marching band performed during halftime, or were you too busy talking to your friends, or not even caring and just want the football team to get back to the field? Not a lot of people actually pay attention to how hard the marching band works to put on a show at halftime. Barely anyone notices how hard the band has to work to get and eight and a half  minute show onto the field. Adding in the percussion, color guard and the props is a lot of work that

Ever since I was a small child, I have loved music. The strong, steady beats, the

The Musical Composition that has changed my life to how I see music is the song The Stroke from Billy Squier. I did not really know the meaning of the song, but it really Widened my Horizon in terms of music from only before listening to The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and The Monkeys. Then later being able to listen to Rush, AC/DC, Aerosmith And Other Really good rock bands that I still love today. Then I started collecting Records then I started collecting CDs, the first album I bought for myself is the majestic Black Sabbath Album “Paranoid” The album with the musical compositions Paranoid, Iron Man, War Pigs/Luke’s Wall, Planet Caravan, Rat Salad, Electric Funeral, And Fairies Wear Boots. This album was such an amazing introduction to Black

I have been in Rock Hill High School’s marching band since either grade, and have been around Mr. Grantham for that amount of time. Through his instruction with the program, Mr. Grantham has had a positive influence on my character development through high school. There, he has taught me many lessons about individual performance alongside participation in a group activities. As a result, I developed to strive to be strong as an individual, but also coping skills with participation in groups. Overall, these lessons can be carried beyond the purview of marching band, as I will encounter different circumstances calling for a range of social skills. Thanks to Mr. Grantham’s influence, I will be prepared for a different range of things.

Music, it's a part of everyone's life. From childhood sing-a-long songs, to garage grunge music, and everything in between music is everywhere. Growing up with an extremely musical background it was in my genes that I would become a musician. Playing music has helped me become the person I am by being a release for my anger, broadening my future and make new friends..

What is the only art that can be felt? Music is the answer.We can't touch music, but music touches us. It is an expression of certain aesthetic ideas through rhythm, tune and language. Music is that bridge which connects our soul-that inner self in us which is hidden from the society and even our conscious selves, to the outside world, or more specifically, to other people's souls. For this reason I have been able to devote the time and energy necessary to musical accomplishment even though money has always been tight and that’s why I need a strong financial support to reach my dreams.