The Melody of My Life- Digital Project 1

You are the product of the environment in which you were raised. As a child, I was lucky enough to be raised in places where I could strive for excellence and become the scholar I am today. One of the experiences that shaped my music career was at Pattonville High School’s summer band program. At this program, I met countless individuals dedicated to mastering their craft and wanting to pass on their knowledge; this is where my passion for music started, and I never knew it would take me this far. During this program, high schoolers were assigned to teach middle schoolers how to play instruments, and there were two additional classes on how to play jazz and a concert band class. After my first year of doing this program in middle school, I kept returning every year up to 8th grade, learning more and becoming a better musician. This camp allowed me to learn multiple instruments and gave me the foundation to play all three instruments of the woodwind family: the clarinet, saxophone, and flute.

Middle school was one of the most complex parts of my social life; I struggled immensely with making friends and talking to people. I felt like nobody liked the same things as me, and nobody shared the same passion for music as I did. I wasn’t the average middle schooler; I loved anime, didn’t play sports, and apparently wasn’t black enough. During my 8th grade year, I was lucky enough to be selected by my teachers to go to the Vandercook Middle School honorfest. This honor was in Illinois and was made for middle school students who had been going above and beyond in their band. I met many amazing people in this program who shared my passion for music. It shifted my perspective of the world. I’ve never traveled before, and I’ve been in St. Louis my whole, so it was eye-opening how so many people can come from different places. Having the opportunity to be in such an amazing program, one of the highlights of this program were all the  goosebumps moments when everybody knew their part and the music lined up perfectly. This experience helped me discover my passion for music and solidified my dream to continue music throughout my life. 

This picture was taken at the start of my audition for All-State. For two years, I worked hard day and night to get into this ensemble. The All-State band is for students selected for the all-suburban/district band. It is the next step for students who have made the district band. Auditioning for bands has been one of the most nerve-racking experiences I’ve had, to be judged on musicianship off five minutes of a person playing. You can practice as much as you can, but being in that audition room and playing in front of that judge is a feeling you just cannot replicate and prepare for. During these auditions, you were required to play two selected etudes. One piece of advice my friend has given me is, “If something were truly meant to happen, it would.”I believe this saying: at the end of the day, you can only practice so much and do everything you can. In addition, these auditions have helped with my time management. During the school year, I balanced marching band, school, all suburban, pit orchestra, jazz ensemble, and wind ensemble. During the school year, I would use every opportunity I had to practice, whether at 10:00 pm after a marching band sectional or skipping lunch to go to the band room and practice.

This picture was taken at my grandad’s house, where my inspiration started. My grandad was a musician and a fantastic father, grandfather, and provider. Every day, he would pick me up for school, and we would always listen to the same jazz CDs and old-school songs. We have always been a musical family; almost my whole family has played an instrument. My cousins play trombone and saxophone, My uncle and brother play guitar, and my mom played clarinet in high school. This is one of the mini-concerts that would me and my cousins would put on for my grandad. My grandad influenced my music career by always believing and being there to congratulate me; he would always tell me I was the musician he wished he could have been. He always told me how he decided to do real estate instead of music to provide for his family and wished he had time to play. Interestingly, he was amazing at guitar but couldn’t read guitar tabs or sheet music. He was raised differently than I was, and I’m so thankful he was in my life

I never thought the marching band would take me so far in life. It has helped me grow socially and more as a leader. I and the marching band have a love-hate relationship. It can be so fun at times but so draining at others. The amount of time and effort I put into marching band, rising the rank, and eventually becoming clarinet section leader and the drum major in my senior year were two significant roles I was expected to handle. Throughout this challenge, I wanted to quit many times, but I never did because I believed the finished product would be worth it, and it was. I came out a stronger person and someone who could indeed lead the band to victory. My favorite part of marching band was the competition and getting to do our salute when we won. I’m not emotional, but when I had my last competition, I teared up a little the whole band, and it was finally hitting me that I would be moving on to bigger and better things. Marching has opened the door to many opportunities in my life, even with a rocky start with COVID-19. In conclusion, these experiences have molded me into the person I am today. 

My journey with music hasn’t been easy, but I believe it has shaped me into who  I am today. Throughout hardship and adversity, I have overcome each obstacle in my life. Music has guided me to where I am today and my future as a Music educator. A music educator to give kids the experience I had with music, all the good memories and friends made. In conclusion, I am the product of my environment.