Graduation Speech : Becoming A Freshman

The band program means a lot to me because it has helped me become more outgoing and friendly to people. It has also helped me gain much more of an interest towards all things music. When I was a kid I always wanted to be a teacher, but I never knew what I wanted to teach. When I joined band and attended different music classes, I became interested in something that meant little to me at the time. During my time in band it became much more clear to me that I wanted to pursue music education. The band program means a lot to me because it made me who I am today and I hope to help someone find themselves through music like I

My first class in Marine and Environmental Science department at Hampton University turned out be different than I expected. Instead of a large lecture hall full of students, I entered a small classroom with approximately 15 students. It was a pleasant surprise to see the small group of students, who shared a cultural resemblance and has similar interests. Up until then, typically when I told someone I wanted to be a marine scientist, the response was “oh that nice” or “so you want to play with fish?” So being at Hampton with likeminded students that I could relate to made the transition form high school to college easier than I anticipated. There was a feeling of communities that allowed me to feel free to be myself.

As with most kids, I was a bit nervous about my transition from middle school to high school. One advantage I had was that I participated in band in middle school and planned to be in the band in high school. The Round Rock High School band has a history of excellence and I was looking forward to being a part of that organization. This was an extraordinary time and I looked forward to being a part of the band with great anticipation. Being a part of an organization such as this makes the transition to high school seem much easier and it seemed I had a ready-made group of friends that I could rely on and ask questions of if necessary. After all, the Round Rock High School Band has over 300 members.

I learned two instruments my Senior year. This experience has taught me that if you are truly committed to something, you can achieve it, even if you didn’t start young.

The accapella group and the drum group was very interesting to watch. It was fun to learn the school cheers that could be used at sporting events. It was also fun to dance along to the song that was played. Sitting through the speeches was not a part that I particularly enjoyed but I know that they were very insightful and that the advice will help me later in life. Hearing from the Chancellors and the Deans of the school was very helpful. To be able to put a face to a person and realize that they are just that, a person, is extremely

Through weekly private lessons, chamber, wind, and orchestra ensemble playing, and assiduous independent practice, I have improved immensely as a trombonist and musician. My work paid off when I was accepted into Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute. At this nationally competitive program, I spent six weeks with talented, dedicated students while rubbing shoulders with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO). I had never heard elite musicians live before the BSO. Their concerts brought tears to my eyes and my drive to make music at the highest level grew. After receiving instruction from these musicians and hearing their own performances, I refined my technique and made more tasteful musical decisions.

Instances like these where I am Christmas caroling for homebound church members at various nursing homes or taking a field trip to watch the Oregon Symphony rehearse that I fall in love with music more and more. All of the opportunities that my school’s music

My freshman year at SMSHS was spent honing my craft as well as pursuing rigorous academics. I found my niche through private oboe lessons, chamber recitals in a trio, and performing as a soloist. Gaining more confidence and maturity, I improved musically and became more open to new

A few days preceding my official start of attending this brand new school, my guidance counselor promptly decided to give me a tour so I would somewhat able to to navigate myself. As she asked me question after question about what classes sparked my interest and the current state of my grades, band inevitably came up. As we travelled our

On February 21st, I attended LSU Symphonic Woodwinds at Louisiana State University with my mom.I felt very serious walking into the venue, as if I needed to be very prim and proper. This was a new experience for me and I was not expecting it to be as exhausting. I felt very bored most of the time, but the performers were very good. The LSU Symphonic Woodwinds was a very new experience, and it had a few different elements that can be upgraded.

Through the chamber ensemble i’ve learned to appreciate the different instruments that are being played and it allows me to listen more to their music. It’s great to see these people are focused on their music and their dedication towards what they do. It was great experiencing a new concert full of new instruments and actually hearing someone sing. This displays how important music is from back in the day to modern

High school is supposed to be the place where you have fun and a time in your life you’re supposed to enjoy. Movies often trick you into believing that high school is an amazing time in your life and there is nothing but parties and fun. In Bring it on, they portrayed the fun and exciting part of high school cheer-leading, however they intentionally leave out the tough times high school students’ face in school and in their practices. In other popular movies, such as High School Musical the students have no pressures other than the next basketball game. In reality, this doesn 't happen. The constant pressure is affected by the grade level you are in. In high school, students can be classified based on the pressures that are faced in each grade level into the categories of freshman, sophomores/juniors, and seniors. I am here to help you make your high school experience less stressful.

This semester I have experience many live musical performances. Some of these performances have let me down but for the most part, these performances have been everything I ever expected. My two favorite performances this semester were Festival Vallenato and Ultra Music Festival. Although these two types of music are different in every way possible, the people and the performers are exactly where I feel I am in the right place.

I carried the same energy from the concert with me to class. This even had a major impact on the type of music I listened to on the way to class.

I recently was apart of the Little Hawkeyes Conference in Pella for choir. In the conference eight choirs of different skills and sizes gathered in the gym to sing together and make music. The conference was only one day and lasted for six hours. This was my first experience performing with several hundred other students at once, and completely blew me away. I've never created as large of a sound with people or not been around that many people outside of a competition setting it was amazing.