How Winamac Changed My Life

Band camp began two weeks before the school year started. The director mailed all the band members the music they were required to learn. However, I ignored the mail and didn’t bother touching my trumpet or learning the music. I dreaded going to band camp the entire summer, but the day finally arrived when I was forced to go. My parents dropped me off at Niwot, I walked into the school, and lethargically headed straight to the band

This past fall, I was given the opportunity to audition for VA district 13's district chorus. As a member of the FUMA choir, I saw this as a breath of fresh air. Our choir is ok, but it has its strengths and weaknesses. Passing the audition would be easy, a short song and sight reading, I mean, it's not rocket science. Passing the audition with flying colors, I had about two months to prepare the chosen songs. (Learning a part solely by piano can be a long and tedious process, but thankfully we were provided practice recordings of our parts.) With only two months to learn my part, I hit the ground running listening to the mp3s whenever I had a chance to.

“Why would someone join chorus? Only nerds and weird people are in choir.” Hearing comments like these when I was in middle school almost discouraged me from participating in the arts. I did not want to do anything that would make it more difficult to achieve popularity, for I was obsessed with trying to fit in with my peers. My chorus teacher knew how irrational it was for me to think that and convinced me to try out for chorus. I am forever grateful that she did, for joining chorus allowed me to express myself, connect with others, and create memorable experiences.

During my junior year, all high school students of the Coachella Valley were given the opportunity to audition for the All Coachella Valley Honor Band, with a guest conductor H. Robert Reynolds. This was a significant educational opportunity I took advantage of. The audition consisted of a couple of scales, and excerpts from the music that was going to be performed on the day of the concert. When the day came I sat in front of the judge with my music and clarinet, where my nerves began to rise. Before I began to play my heart began to pound along with my hands beginning to sweat. Throughout my audition I had a few mistakes,but I stayed persistent and completed my audition. After I finished my audition, the judge said I had done great, I was

I practiced. Finally, the end of my junior year season came. As soon as we stepped off the field from state finals awards I started talking about being 2016 field commander. I went home, watched our old shows and conducted them. Somewhere around the end of April, our band director gave my opponent and me the score and a recording of the music for the upcoming show. He told us that he wanted it memorized for the audition. I started practicing immediately. I spent my lunch break and my last 2 classes listening to the recording and reading through the score. One day in class our director tells us that our band will be marching in the Great American Brass Band Festival Parade. What would we do for that? We would play the upcoming seasons music. So, we should be having the auditions for field commander soon. I was excited, though I knew I didn’t have a high chance because my opponent was the “favorite” choice. How did I know she was the favorite? Because as I talked to a friend about the parade, their response was “I’m not sure about performing since (our previous field commander) isn’t sure if my opponent wanted to, I mean, or whoever gets the position..” So I practiced harder and longer than anything I had ever done. Because I wanted the position

I never sang too loud so if I messed up, no one would hear it .After every class I would go up to my Choir or band director with about five questions. But it simply was not enough. So my sophomore year I was given vocal lessons that taught me that I can match pitch consistently , and that my range was bigger than I ever thought it could be. I discovered a talent that I loved and I intended to perfect it .I performed in multiple cabarets and had the opportunity to sing with my choir at the Carnegie music hall. I was finally getting the swing of music; but that was not enough due to my obstinacy. I wanted to learn

The only saving grace from this low bar was staying active in my fine arts participation by being a teacher art of the choir. Through the instruction of my director and assistance of my music director for a mother, I could be wildly successful in this severely underfunded, underappreciated high school program by making All-Region choirs and by partaking in solo and ensemble choir contests. However, when this school district abruptly cut the choir program from the school budget in the summer before my junior year, I was completely lost as to how to maintain my participation in the fine arts. As it turns out, the school district's high school band director could see the dedicated work ethic

My ninth grade year is the first time I started the audition process for the Texas All-State Choir and only made it through the first round of districts. The summer of 2014 I was determined to make it farther since I just had made the varsity choir at my high school. In July I went to Baylor University for a week and learned all the music we were auditioning and also furthered my skills and techniques. Once school started I went to after school practices every day with my choir directors for an hour, then went home and practiced by myself for another hour, and went to voice lessons with my singing coach once a week. I knew by doing so, I would be prepared.

At the end of the 2nd that’s when we finally moved to Texas and retired. I went through a phase in 3rd grade one we moved and I would pull chairs from under kids of while they were standing so they would fall and people would laugh. Teachers would send me to the office and I would try to lie and say it was my chair bust that would get me in more trouble. That all changed when I got to 5th grade . I started to become a little insecure about myself but didn’t let it show until I had my first crush. He dated me just because of the way my hair was, when I changed my hair we talked for a little then broke up. I became more insecure because after we broke up he went for a girl that had the same hair as me and it made me feel that I was ugly and not good enough. I never would talk about this to anyone I just kept it to myself. When I got to 7th and 8th grade I had multiple boyfriends because I couldn’t choose. That all changed when grades came back for one and a new girl caught the others attention. It was off and on relationship between us until high school. High school is where I thought everything would go

The auditions were in January of 2012. I did not know of the results of my performance, and neither did Mr. Carter. I began to put it off until for the rest of the day. I really did not know what to think. I believed that it was a successful audition, but my doubts had come into play, and the thought of it all started to just make me nervous. I mean, how could a child, who knew little about music, possibly accomplish such a

When I was 14 I was just starting freshman year of high school. I had gotten into the choir I wanted, my classes and teachers were great, I had awesome friends, everything was amazing. Then one day this guy who I had seen around school messaged me on Facebook. He was 4 years older than me but I didn’t care, he was cute and that was all that mattered at the time. So, we got to talking. We had a lot in common, he was

Looking back now, I know who my true friends were; they were the ones that were still there for me even when I didn’t see them everyday. I went to a bigger school; and by that I mean from a class of 20-25 to a class of 35-40. It was a Christian school and had a dress code; I had to wear a collared shirt with tan, black, or navy blue pants. I continued to play sports like I did at my first school and made some pretty good friends through that. That year I started wearing makeup even though my parents didn’t want me to. They left for work before I got ready for school and I got home and took it off before they saw it. It was also the first time that I got asked to be someone’s boyfriend. I was so excited about it but I did the right thing and asked my parents for their opinion before I told the guy yes or no. I asked my mom after she got home from work that night and she wasn’t as excited it about it as I was. She told me I wasn’t old enough to date yet; I wasn’t happy with the answer but I respected it and they next day I told the guy

It was all fun and games, but in middle school we would be auditioning for our chairs in the band. I’ve always been doubtful of myself, so I was expecting to be third chair or maybe second if I was lucky. I had a ton of competition because the clarinet isn’t an uncommon instrument to play, and when the day came to audition nerves fluttered throughout my stomach. He asked if there were any volunteers. We all sat silently praying to God that someone would choose to go first, so he wouldn’t have to pick randomly. After that one brave soul, it was basically all random picking, and eventually my named was called. A million thoughts clouded my mind as I was walking towards his room. I had never really auditioned for anything before, and all my worries hit me as I opened the door. I placed my music, filled with little notes to help me as I played, on the music stand. I began to wonder if I had practiced enough. Would I start off my middle school band career with a bang or would I be blown away by the competition? All the noise in my head hushed as my band teacher informed me it was time to begin. I was

I remember coming into my freshman year very close-minded, I think that was how everyone did frankly. I was very naive and went with the flow of what everyone else was doing. My friend group was pretty widespread, I had a few close friends, and got along with pretty much everyone. At this time being “hipster” or “hippie-like” was very in at the time and I remember I hopped on that train before anyone else could. I bought a record player, painted my room an earthy-blue tone, and had elephants on just about everything. The only relationship at this time I was concerned with, was with my best friend at the time Maggie Rucki. Maggie and I did everything together and I could always count on her. Towards the end of the year though, my friend Tatum had just recently called it off with this sophomore I had had my eye on for quite some time. I decided to swallow

“Never quit singing,” this is what a stranger told me at my final high school choir performance. I stood there for a moment and wondered why such a tiny statement had such a grand impact on me. I had performed solos many times, always ending with a roar from the crowd and standing ovations. However, I never truly believed that I was worth cheering for. It was standard edict in our small town to cheer for any performance, regardless of how terrible it was. However, when a stranger took the time to reach out to me and look me straight in the eye, it gave me the feeling that I had genuine talent. This was the moment where I discovered my passion to be a vocal music instructor. To help teenagers discover their talent, believe in themselves, and find where they fit in the world.