Importance of Music to my Education

Beginning in second grade, I began to experience music on a personal level. I dabbled through piano lessons for about three years and eventually decided to stop playing the piano and move on to bigger and better things; the trumpet. I decided this was the best fit for me, mostly because my role model at the time played it, but ended up loving it. My parents enrolled me in private lessons with an instructor I took lessons with up until my sophomore year in high school. They purchased an $80 trumpet for me and I used it until its musical "death".

Anyways, I absolutely loved it. Although it challenged me everyday - and it still does - the trumpet spurred my love for music. After purchasing a new trumpet at the end of my eighth grade year, I made the commitment to my parents to continue making music through at least my freshman year. As I entered the high school music department,  I knew I was about to experience bigger and better things. From my first rehearsal, I realized how fabulous my teacher was. He has a way of making the class more than about becoming a better individual player, but about challenging an ensemble. Today, band is more of a team event than an individual success story. And this is why I love it.

Despite the fact that the Concert Band I am in consistently ranks as a top band in the state of Minnesota, there's more to it than that. Music has taken me on adventures, literally and metaphorically. Last year, our program took a performance trip to New York City. Experiences like this, I would not have gotten the opportunity to pursue if I had ended my musical education. In addition, I have also gained perseverance. Each time there is a concert, especially when I have a solo, it is crucial that I know my music by heart, regardless of the difficulty even if it means spending hours in a practice room.

Below are videos of the band I am in performing, including one solo I performed in our last concert: