Why I Want To Receive The Governor's Honors Program

I am a dedicated and conscientious student in class, and a key member in many extra-curricular activities. As a keen musician, playing violin, trombone and piano, I contribute to a number of musical ensembles in school and played an integral part in the organisation of our school’s summer concert. I am also a member of several local youth orchestras and bands, with whom I have toured abroad many times, most recently to Italy, France and Belgium.

There are several reasons why I would want to attend Massanutten Regional Governor's School. One would be that the school would expose me to a wide range of people who have their own ways of doing things. Another purpose for attending governor's school would be the classes that this specific school offers. In other words, these are not the average day-to-day classes that most students would take. My third and final motive would be the challenging experience. Doing something that is challenging has never really stopped me in life. It has only made me wanting more, even when I have failed.

Throughout my high school career, I have come to be heavily involved in activities within my high school. I was inducted into National Honor Society in the school year of 2015-2016. I came to be involved in the Drama Club for all four years of my high school career, along with being in Student Council all four years as well. In Student Council, I held the position of treasurer my senior year, and was on the executive board. The music department also has been one of the biggest programs I have come to be involved in within my high school career. I have played alto saxophone in concert band all four years of high school, and played alto saxophone my senior year in jazz band. Along with being in both concert band and jazz band, I was also part

I am interested in joining the Honors College because it is essential to me to be surrounded by motivated and determined students, like me. Honors College will provide this type of committed community.

During my whole life I have been surrounded by music. Whether it be at a musical at the Civic Center, going to one of my brother’s high school band concerts, or just listening to music on my own time for fun, it has been a major driving force in my life. I have also, as previously mentioned, acquired many awards during my playing. I have gone to SCIBA honor band three years in a row as of my freshmen year, gone to the 8th Grade All Iowa honor band, the equivalent of All State in high school, and have gotten Best of Center awards from my playing

Being part of the honors program in middle school and high school gave me wonderful learning experiences. Therefore, It is crucial to be in the Texas A&M International University for my university career. Giving to the community, building important relationships, and setting an example for the young ones in my family is why I would like to take part in this amazing organization.

Ever since I was a child my mother instilled into me that education was the greatest key to success, and since then I’ve had a chip on my shoulder to push myself ten times harder than what I feel is “great work”, so therefore I am a perfect candidate for GHP. I know I can keep up with the accelerated paste of the course because I already have experience of taking classes with upperclassmen in my core classes. Also, when I complete the tasks I can dutifully finish the work and deliver exceptional results. I feel as though I can be a great addition to the program because I possess a combination of skills that are unique to my upbringing and environment, but I would be honored to learn new information that I was not knowledgeable about before my experience at the Governor’s Honors

* “when you speak with great educators, and look behind the test scores, the lessons learned in studying music, learning to play an instrument, playing in a band, learning to read music, all provide a richness to a child's education that will last a lifetime,” (par 1).

I have always looked to spend more time in music, so even with the challenges of marching band I have been the lead bassist for my school’s top jazz band all four years of my journey. Even with the time I spend in marching, I spend at least four hours a week creating music with my peers. In this I’ve not only been able to prove to myself that I can play, but I’ve also learned how to synergize with my fellow musicians to make something beautiful. I’ve been able to transfer this to my life outside of band through group projects and community service projects.

I have played piano for the past ten years and have gotten the top award at many piano competitions including Superior Plus (highest ranking) at the National Piano Playing Auditions Guild, Superior Plus (highest ranking) in the Achievement Awards Adjudication competition (AAA), and Superior (highest ranking) at the Dorothy Sutton Performance Festival. I am currently working toward my International Diploma in the Piano Playing Auditions Guild in May 2017.

Music has always been integral in my life. During my childhood, when I was four years old, I pressed my fingers on an oven handle like a piano. Throughout my childhood years I listened to my mom’s old-school mix CD’s, along with the Pandora music app on my old Kindle. In fifth grade, I picked up the piano. My alto saxophone studies began in seventh grade. When high school arrived, I turned my focus to guitar and voice. The more knowledge I absorbed, the more knowledge I craved. My decision to pursue music was also influenced by the inspirations I’ve encountered on my journey so far.

Learning has always been my passion. When I was younger, I would spend hours pouring over dictionary pages, trying to decrypt the hidden messages of jumbled up symbols. I would take a book and invent stories to go along with the pictures. Nothing ever stopped me from trying to understand things. When I turned 4, my dad finally taught me to read. We would sit on the couch, me sounding out each word and my dad correcting me after each mispronunciation. The experience was enthralling. Ever since that moment, I have been passionate about learning. When given the opportunity to learn, I seize it. In this way, I identify most with the Scholarship aspect of the Nation Honors Society. Education has never been the means to gain a degree, but rather the means to expand my knowledge.

One of these experiences is developing and implementing the music literacy curriculum for the Badger State Girl Choir with the help from Dr. Kenneth Liske and Mr. Eric Britz. This has truly been a recent eye-opening experience in regards to applying the content that is learned in our music education classes. I also have had the blessing to lead the a cappella group on campus since my freshmen year; this has not only allowed me to use my practical skills like piano, theory, and aural skills, but it has allowed me to create a community of singers that are involved on campus and around the community. Besides the direct education experiences, I have been an active role at my job on campus to create and implement training materials for the IT technicians for Residence Life, and learned practical skills such as purchase orders and understanding institutional policies for hiring. Because of these experiences, I believe that I am a viable candidate for the Stanley Linton Memorial

Due to my failure to make All State, I recognized that I did not need the recognition, the big performance and the medal that is given out. What truly mattered was the improvement that I achieved as a musician. In those short summer months, I had polished my scales and sharpened my sight reading skills. I was ready for my next audition which propelled me to the second highest band in my high school band program, the Symphonic Band. Competition for this band is usually very high and I was quite proud to have achieved such an

Being a part of the Honors Program at USD will push me to grow in my own abilities and gain even more confidence. I have been at a small all-girls high school the past four years where I have really been challenged to improve my leadership skills, be more participatory in the classroom, share my ideas, and work closely with teachers, so I think it would be beneficial for me to continue in that setting. I look forward to be able to learn outside of what I already know I am interested in to explore new interests and passions. Team-taught courses also seem like a great benefit of the Honors Program because it would be valuable to get perspectives from different areas of study. In my high school, I have made connections in certain classes, such