My love for music began in middle school. On the walls of my teacher’s room were posters of black music notes and famous musicians. Instruments lined the white walls and were situated in every cabinet. There were music sheets neatly stacked on the corner. On the white board she labeled do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do. I never expected to enjoy chorus, but from the first note we sang to the end. I felt surprisingly comfortable and it was something I looked forward to everyday. By the end of the year, I found myself singing the National Anthem in the showers.
For 16 years, I had always been perceived as a reserved and bashful child. I spoke very little and never bothered to volunteer even if I was considered intelligent. In school, I found myself frustrated during class discussions. My mind knew the answers, but my lips were tightly bound. I couldn’t even control my own voice, until music came into my life. Music provided me with the confidence and the assertiveness that I so greatly desired.
Chorus was just the catalyst I needed. Upon my entering Mixed Chorus in high school, I felt an affinity for music. I was still that same self-conscious girl, but somehow music excited me. My ability to speak was born. I was no longer afraid to express myself. By sophomore year, I decided with some trepidation to audition for a solo in a piece entitled, “One Small Voice”. Once again, I felt my heart beating incessantly over singing in front of a class of 70. Fear had possessed me, but strangely the words came out so freely when the piano started playing. At that moment, music and I were no longer just acquaintances, we were companions. I was granted that solo and when the concert came, I could feel my life being told to the world. It was time for a change.
My level of confidence grew exponentially and this spilt into the classroom. My Spanish class had always been my nemesis. I was always reluctant to raise my hand, but because of my new found confidence, I no longer hesitated to share my opinions.
I’m no longer a quiet child, but a mature independent woman who possesses confidence and conservative values. Music is my talisman. It has opened new doors for me, changing the way I observe the world. It has changed me into a better person who is unafraid to sacrifice in order to help others. As I consistently continue to do my services in or outside of school, performing in winter concerts or helping local woman and families bring food to their homes from the Bread of Life Food Pantry, the songs “Tell me Why” by Declan Gailbraith and “Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer speak to me. I hope to bring happiness and awareness into their lives with my voice as much as music has brought it to me.
1 comments:
This would be considered one of my favorite paper work. Writing the college essay was like getting a break from explications and i enjoyed it because i got to write about myself and my life. Music is something i enjoy so it was something easy to write about. Yo! It can't get any more personal than this.
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