College Admissions Essay: The Moment That Changed My Life

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.

Going into this class, I was not expecting to learn much or enjoy it very much. I expected it to be like chorus was in middle school when we lip sang and messed around all class. I chose chorus as my music credit because I didn’t expect that I would be so nervous going into the concert. I thought that I would just cruise through the concert and not have to sing at all. Shortly into the semester, I realized that this class was for real. I started to learn about all of the singing techniques that I was never taught about and I began to enjoy singing. As I improved and the year progressed, I was not bothered by the amount of effort that we had to put in every single white day. I was ready to come in and work on our songs to perfect them for the upcoming concert. After seeing how I was actually singing now and enjoying it, I began to get nervous for the concert. I was nervous because I was now going to showcase what I have been working on for months.

The year progressed, and Maria and I were enjoying choir less and less. Not only did we enjoy it much less, but we also did not have sufficient time for homework or eating lunch.

Coming into my freshman year of high school my voice was underdeveloped and that of an amatuer, still I was determined to mold it into something wonderful. This was the beginning of my high school career, acting as such I planned to put myself out there in order to be noticed by anyone, as well as auditioning for solo opportunities outside of school. These new prospects were running through my mind one day while I sat in biology. Being the naive freshman I was, I surrounded myself with people I had considered to be my “good” friends, good friends despite every sense and feeling in my body telling me otherwise. Between my fantasies of musical stardom and success, my acquaintances had begun a discussion on singing. The

As I unlocked my jaw from my mouth, nothing came out. The director and the instructor stared at me with open jaws. They weren’t able to take me in because I had lost my voice. I was the quiet 14-year-old, who lost the ability to sing falsetto anymore. My only strength was my baritone voice, but the choir, at the time, did not start a boy choir in their choir yet. I auditioned yet again, but the same result happened; however, this time, they had troubadours for me to start my life in choir: The choir that is called the South Bay Children’s Choir (SBCC)

Ever since I was accepted into A Capella Choir, I felt like the smallest fish capable of survival in the big pond. The seniors were actually good- they practiced, and they have been members for 4 years; I could never aspire to even equal these larger than life figures. Rather than working with us underclassmen,

Studying “The Hero’s Journey” in English class reminded me about how our lives are shaped by our choices and how we choose to respond to what is out of our control. I was reminded about how small and almost insignificant the human race is when compared to the information we have about the Universe in astronomy class. Now I know what my dad always meant when he said, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” During multi-cultural studies, I was reminded no matter how insignificant we may be in the long run, we are significant now and respect should be a birth right. I had multiple chances to observe teachers in the classroom during the early education courses and in addition to studies I also got to perform on my instruments! I performed on the flute in the school band, flute and base flute in three wind ensembles, and performed solos on the flute, piano and guitar. I have never been more proud of myself and confident in what I have to offer this world. I am a talented musician with a strong passion for sharing this art to children and being of guidance to them as they

Personal Statement While I have enjoyed singing over the course of my life, my high school choir experience captivated my passions for music. The memories that I hold continue to drive me towards a career that will impact the lives of my future students, similar to how my choir director influenced me. My director's ultimate goal was not to teach notes from a piece of paper but to present her students with valuable life lessons through the art of music. Until high school, I found very little value in choral education. I enjoyed singing, yet I recognized there were more important subjects, such as math or English.

As I entered the room I felt a cold chill; my whole body began to shake. As I stood up,  I felt like running out of the room. Something stopped me from running away from my performance. Of course I did not want to let my team down. It was me recalling the first time I sang to Mr. Blanton. He had spoken to me and said “ You are too shy, it’s going to be difficult to work with you as a vocalist. If this is what you want to do you need to step  up your game”. That stuck with me for a while, because I tried so hard to be confident and  to lose my stage fright. Before I could even think  of putting positive thoughts in my head, I heard my teacher announcing that my group was about to perform.

Since age 5, I have played piano and engaged in multiple competitions throughout the years. As I grew in age, my music obsession exponentially grew with it. Piano is my stress outlet; When irritated, I press my anger into the keys through Schumann’s “Knight Ruppert”. When sentimental, I let my emotions

I sat down on the regal piano bench, and began to play. I played every piece I knew and even some I didn’t. Music swelled from the beautiful grand piano, and I nearly couldn’t bear to leave when my dad called me to the car. That was on a Wednesday, when I had come to church early with my dad. Every time I get to my church early, I take advantage of the quiet and solitude to perform my favorite piano pieces. Usually, nobody hears me, and I go on in peace. But on that particular Wednesday, something different

From the time I was 2 years old dancing to the Beach Boys in the living room to now playing Telemann and Mozart on the flute, music has always played a major role in my life. I first started playing my own music at age 5 on piano; my brazen performance of “Joshua fought the Battle of Jericho” in 2007 is still talked about to this day. Despite the fact that I play more challenging music now, the best part of performing is still the emotion that I can inject into a piece. I love the aspects that are left up to the musician’s interpretation. I do not play as much piano now as I used to, though I do fiddle around every now and again, for my main musical concentration is flute. In both band and orchestra at school, I play first chair flute, and

In my house, we have always had a piano, but none of my family members knew how to play it. My mom taught me a very basic understanding including how to read the notes on the staff and how the notes correspond to each key on the piano, but that was all that she knew. In time, I grew to love the feeling of playing music from the heart. In continuing to play, I taught myself to play complex pieces because it made me feel satisfied and content. Now, I am able to play a vast variety of songs including jolly Christmas music, playful video game soundtracks, and beautiful melodies by Yiruma and Chopin. Throughout the years, music has evolved into an incredible stress reliever and source of enjoyment in my daily life.

I am afraid that I would still be eaten by my frustrations and insecurities, but when I was reminded of that scene, I immediately had the courage. And so when I started again from the basic and forgetting all my frustrations and insecurities, I was able to gain my confidence and I was able to learn how to play piano. I think I had a new life. My music gained its life. That was just the start of great things. Now, I can play not only the piano, but violin and guitar as well. I am using my talents for the greater glory of God and I am sharing those talents with others. In this experience, I was able to find and enhance not just my talent, but also my character.

Around the time I was five, my parents decided to invest in an electric keyboard. My brother and I were captivated by this new, mysterious box, and were insistent on an immediate opening. Over the next few minutes, the keyboard was pieced together, and everyone gathered around to gaze upon the masterpiece. The night wore on, and the excitement wore off. The masses migrated to the other room and my brother scurried away to play with more interesting toy. After a few dissonant keys cut their way through the air, a perfectly played rendition of “Fur Elise” could be heard gracefully floating into the other room. At my father’s revelation that his daughter must be a musical genius, he jumped to his feet, and rushed into the room to greet the