French Horn Evaluation

Being a band member for eight years music came naturally to me. Picking up any instrument and belting out any sheet music placed in front of me was simple. Not only is dexterity a big role, but the role of listening is number one priority. Growing up I grasped

I have learned proper breathing techniques and vowel modifications to get the best possible sound quality and overall enhance my singing abilities over the past four years. I have been the section leader of the soprano voice section since sophomore year, and being in charge of almost 50 people in the choir has taught me valuable leadership skills such as responsibility. I have learned to take responsibility for the women in my section, learning the music quickly in order to teach it, and to help students individually so they become more confident in their part. In the absence of our choir director, I have been appointed to run choir rehearsals. I have also gained confidence in myself through high school choir. My middle school choir director had her favorite students, and I was not one of them. She made me feel like I was not talented and would not amount to any sort of success musically. Once I got to high school, the director there believed in me and would always push me to do my best and improve on everything. When I was 13 years old, I thought I was an awful singer. Now at 18 years old, I can say with confidence that I am an excellent musician. This is a result of the music educators who have influenced my life through their teaching. As a future teacher, I would strive to exemplify my high school director and positively influence as many students as I can. Through the

Throughout my life, I have been taken by music. However, it was not until my 8th grade year in middle school that I realized that I could be a musician for the rest of my life. Before that, music just seemed like something to keep me out of trouble. I wasn’t the best player at that time, and I still knew very little about it all. How could something like that ever support someone? Still, it was the only talent that I could find any success in, and it was still very enjoyable, so I wanted to still give it a shot.

In the first grade, I picked up a clarinet. It was my sister’s, collecting dust while waiting for me to play it. From the moment I produced my first sound, an ear-piercing squeal that frightened my dog, the path of my life took a turn for the better. I began teaching myself for the following three years, along with learning from my sister how to properly play the beautiful instrument. The music pushed me out of my comfort zone: concerts that forced me onstage, tests that made me play difficult songs, and teachers that pushed me to be an exceptional player. From the shy elementary school student I used to be to the outgoing band member I take joy in being today, music has shaped my everyday life.

Learning music was not a challenge for me, especially since I grew up in musically gifted families. Honestly math came easy for me, mostly because I was taught to keep up with the tempo of the music. Thankfully playing in the band came naturally for me and I liked the challenge in trying to learn an instrument. My school performed at a couple of competitions and a few concerts as well. I continued playing until my sophomore year in high school, I lost interest in high school; it seemed like it was more of a chore rather something to enjoy and the students made it difficult for me to perform so, I forced myself to leave. Before I quit the band in my sophomore year I joined the culinary arts club and the art society. I always loved making food, I started cooking around 6 to 7 years old under supervision of course. Slowly my parents had me help-out in the kitchen, then they let me practice making baked goods and later, they started to let cook by myself. I watched cooking shows too, and I would just read the cooking books for hours just to know if we had the ingredients

I can remember the moment when I decided that I would become a musician. I was at a summer music program that I didn’t really want to be at, sitting in a room that was filled with the scent of insulation. I was sitting on one of the many blue cushioned chairs in the room/. The instructors went around the hall, asking other children how old they were and what instrument they played. Everyone seemed to know each other already, chewing at the bit to be let on the stage to grab their preferred instrument and play the little music that they already knew with their friends. I felt left out, as I didn’t have an instrument that I could call my own. When the instructor finally got to me, he asked my age, name, and what I played, just like he had to

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

Music has been a part of my life since the beginning. My Grandma Hammond, a music teacher, had me start right off into piano when I turned 7 years old. She has been my music teacher since then. I was taught all genres of music starting from classical to what is popular now. My favorite genres to learn were Jazz and Rock music pieces. I remember when I was the age of 12, I begged her to let me learn and play the song Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen for one of my music festivals. My Grandma disagreed at once about my idea because it was required of the piano students to play a classical piano piece. I was a good student and learned that festival piece, but little did she know I would also teach myself Bohemian Rhapsody and play it after my classical

In the beginning of the second semester in 8th grade, I decided to play the trombone in the jazz band, in addition to playing bass clarinet in the concert band. At one of our band festival competitions with the Association of Christian Schools International, our jazz band won first place and we performed once again at the closing ceremony for the all the schools that attended the festival to hear. But, I decided to stop playing the trombone following that second semester and focus on the bass clarinet. Still to this day, I am one of the two bass clarinet players in my band and I am continuing to enjoy doing it. Playing music has taught me that having a strong work ethic can help you accomplish anything. In addition to that, music has given me a newfound appreciation of many genres of music and to truly admire the work of many

My involvement in the school band started during my 4th grade year, and continued until I graduated highschool. I was a part of the concert band every year, and in addition I played on the drum-line and in Jazz Band. While playing and learning in these classes over the years, I developed a strong interest in turning my love for music into a career. Towards the end of highschool, I was introduced to the engineering/post-production side of music composition; which lead to more ideas for my potential

When I was asked if I would like to be a part of the York High School Treble Choir before my freshman year I decided that I’d take a chance and sign up. Singing had always been a passion of mine, but I wasn’t sure if I’d be ready for the honors level requirements that came with the course. During my freshman year, I found myself becoming a listener rather than a leader. Although I was determined to learn the information, I wasn’t comfortable speaking out in class, let alone leading any of my peers. Sophomore year started, and I began to notice slight changes in my confidence with guiding the group. I would sometimes be asked to lead and explain certain vocal warm ups to prepare my peers for class. When we were informed about the honors choir

I live and breathe music. It is the reason I awake each morning; it is the reason I go to school every day, and it is what I spend all of my free time doing. This has been the case since I was in seventh grade. I have grown up with music-loving parents who had introduced me to music (both listening and playing) at a young age. My father would have me listening to Mozart, Billie Holiday, and Neil Diamond when I was just an infant. He also arranged for me to play ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’ on the largest pipe organ in Nevada when I was four years old. The pipe organ was the first instrument I ever played if you don't include the pots and pans drum set from our kitchen.

I was born into a family where music was a natural thing. I started playing the cello and the piano at the age of 4. At that age, music was something I was told to love and eventually I loved it. In 4th grade, I joined the Maple orchestra and I loved it. When I was at my elementary school, I always enjoyed being the leader of group projects because I felt I could express my ideas and usually kids would go along with it. In

To start off I joined choir and band because it brought my attention to listen the notes of a beat and learn more about music. The more I practice I enjoy being

Mastering how to sing is more than just carrying a tune or beat, it is about learning to handle the critics. Music is all based on opinions and is a make or break industry. Going through high school and now in college, I can look back and thank my middle school choir teacher for building my confidence and back bone. It all began at eleven years old when I realized my passion for singing and thus, joined the middle school choir.