My Band Journey

From Starting off with zero confidence and feeling like I didn’t belong, I have come a long way, most of that I owe to music. Choir is who I am, of the students here at PHS I fall under the category of “choir kid”, I am proud to wear that label. Along my way through choir, I have developed a love for fitness through choir. Some of the friends I have made through the years have been bodybuilders, they taught me to not care what others think of me, and if I did have a problem with what they thought, to prove them wrong, to show them that you can become. Music has made me into this person I want to be. I have found a true passion in music, choir has made me be into person I am. Its

My life would be incomplete without performing music. I’ve spent time, in concert bands, in bell choirs, in school and church choirs, and singing, playing in music festivals, and in pit bands trying not to laugh my head off at the actors’ improvisations. But the art that truly speaks to my soul does not lie in creating music, it lies in dancing to it.

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

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

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.

I have been actively participating in the school band for five years. While most of my fellow classmates have dropped out of band, I have stuck with it because, I know band teaches me valuable

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.

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.

I came to realize that playing music can bring someone great fortune. I had no plans for the future, no goals, nor dreams before I starting my path in music. I never wondered without direction. But one day, good fortune came to me. A fortune I would have never of thought of. It was The Gracias choir and music. I was thinking to myself “I have never been so happy nor have I had so much enjoyment to live. To have an open mind to people around the world by delivering my heart threw my music. It looks like a dream!"

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

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.

High school has never been the worst years of my life. It has been difficult, but I had never felt like it was truly wonderful or meaningful until this year. This past summer, I joined the marching band, and since then my life has changed drastically. Marching band has increased the quality of my high school life, given me the opportunity to impact others, and taught me more about myself than I knew before. Being in marching band, I have made an abundant amount of friendships that never before have I experienced.

Of course like the band nerd I am, I was really excited to try out and hopefully be a part of something that is much bigger than yourself. So a couple weeks after trying out, I figure out that I have made the marching band as a freshman! I also figured out that some of the Washington clarinets made it too. So after I passed eighth grade, summer finally came and I had to learn all of this challenging music that was above my knowledge and had to turn them into to a website to prove that I was practicing. Near end of July came and I had to go the dreaded band

My Musical Journey, well my Journey to Music all had started when I was young. When I was in fifth grade I was having trouble with school, and doing things I was supposed to do. I was only 10 years old, life was still a new journey that I was experiencing and was excited to go through. A friend of mine named Jordan had been visiting in Coronado California, from Texas, and brought along some motor bikes with him. He was basically a professional at the sport, and had been doing it for years, while I had never done it before. Him and his Father had invited me to go out motor biking with them in Julian, California, on one of the days they were here. And of course I said yes I was so excited and was glad they chose me to go along with them that day.

Music equals life, or the saying goes. I feel if I had dropped out of band I would have missed out on a great experience. The ability to play music is something that will live on in you for the rest of your life. Unlike playing a sport you can't ever get worn out or injured and lose the talent. All through school I played sports from baseball to soccer, sure it was fun but it was never my calling, but just being able to play music for a live audience is a feeling that is so amazing there are not enough