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The Rhythm of My Life

As a young child, I was constantly surrounded by music. Every member on my dads side

of the family is musically oriented. My dad played the trombone, my uncle the trumpet and my

grandpa the drums. This motivated me in elementary school to join band because I wanted to be

just like my dad. One of the fondest memories of my dad and I was when he would drive me to

school; he would listen to CDs of old trombone concertos and he would tell me how he missed

playing the trombone and having music in his life. This inspired me to join band, because I

wanted to become a musician just like him.

In 6th grade, I was motivated to join the elementary school band. Everyone on my dads

side of the family played a brass or percussion instrument but I wanted to be different, so I

picked the flute instead. Initially, I was torn between the clarinet and flute, as the main reason

why I wanted to play the clarinet was because of Spongebob! Squidward was one of my favorite

TV characters as a child and he played the clarinet. However, the flute captivated my heart

because of a street performer I met during a fair earlier that year. She played beautiful melodies

that sent shivers down my spine. She made it seem so easy! So, I assumed that I would be able to

play the instrument easily as well. But little did I know, it was one of the toughest instruments to

learn.

I gleefully opened my new flute in band class and assembled it. Everyone tried to make

noise but no one was successful. The instructor told us what to do and emphasized how

important it was for us to practice at home. However, at home, my enthusiasm was met with

sadness because I was unable to produce a sound even after endless hours of practice. Day after

day I tried but my efforts were met with no fruition. I talked to my band director and he
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suggested that I don't give up. I wanted to cry while talking to him but I listened and persevered.

Finally, a couple of days after I talking to him, I produced a beautiful elegant sound that filled

the room. What I did differently was instead of trying to brutally force air into the instrument, I

positioned my mouth so that I moved around the opening of the instrument. I took my directors

advice of adjusting my method and if I was unsuccessful, I would try something different until I

found something that worked. I was ecstatic! Because I discovered how to make a sound, I

learned more music than I needed to due to my excitement. I played the new tunes that I had

learned to my director because I wanted to show him what I could do. He was thoroughly

impressed and recommended me to join the advanced band.

An old photo of me in my red top and black pants performing with rest of my band members lined up in

rows on the stage with us looking intently at the director.

Learning the flute added a new rhythm into the melody of my life; the rhythm of

determination. There were many times where I wanted to quit. At times I did give up but i found

a way to convinced myself to keep trying and try something different. In the end, I convinced

myself that it was worth the effort. It paid off in ways that I didnt expect. Through this process, I

became a more patient and focused individual.

In 9th grade, I decided that I wanted to learn something different. The flute started to lack

its initial aw that captivated me when I first started. I became bored and yearned for something

new. I saw that my school had a couple of bass clarinets in the backroom, so I took one home

and started practicing. To my surprise, I was able to produce a sound with ease and move my

fingers naturally upon this instrument. I was still playing the flute in concert band but I did not

tell my director that I was learning the bass clarinet on the side. I avoided telling him because I

did not feel the need to. I wanted to learn a new instrument on my own accord.

One day, I was bold enough to do my scales test in band using my bass clarinet. Scales

are essential in all musical pieces ever produced. It is the fundamental component of music. I

played my scales with ease and my director was fairly impressed. He recommended me to

audition for Wind Ensemble, which was the top band at my school that consists mainly of

upperclassmen. I reluctantly agreed because I barely started playing the instrument; I had no

confidence in my abilities because I was new. However, I still prepared the audition piece to the

best of my abilities. I was selected from five other bass clarinetists, all of whom were older than

me. The reason why I was selected was because of my tone. Even though I was a newbie, the

tone I was able to produce matched that of a seasoned player. Another reason why I was selected

was because I was a freshman at the time. The bass clarinet in wind ensemble was going to

graduate soon and the band needed someone to replace her. Now the challenging part was

learning the music because I was not comfortable with the fingerings of the instrument. I had the

tone but lacked the finger dexterity. Honing the determination, I carved from learning the flute,

I was able to persevere and flourish through learning this instrument as well. I approached

learning the musical passages the same way I did the flute. If a particular method did not work
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for learning a passage, I changed my approach. If I found a particular method that worked, I kept

repeating the finger movements to build my muscle memory. Then I would practice to move

faster and faster until I had the passage under my belt. This was the core reason that helped me

flourish.

Following that season, my director recommended me to audition for section leader for the

upcoming marching season; I was selected because of my musical talents. A new challenge

arose before me. I am a fairly quiet person who prefers to play a more passive and background

role; however, I am now expected to lead an entire section of people. One of my biggest struggle

was me being too underwhelming and meek. I played a passive role and had let the members of

my section walk over me. With each band camp, I projected and led with a stern but yet gentle

fist. Every time that I made them run laps because they talked, I would run alongside them as

well. I wanted to show them that I was going to lead with them and not at them. That year, we

actually came in first in the regional championships. Each section leader was able to successfully

guide their section and turn the band into one cohesive unit. This was a major accomplishment

for me because it materialized our hard work and growth.

My ecstatic section of 6 (7 including me) huddled around the tall, shiny regional trophies that we just won.

With the bass clarinet and being a section leader, the rhythm of confidence entered my

life. Directing a section of people was definitely not an easy task. I experienced many days of

frustrations and passiveness. Gradually, I was able to slowly construct my confidence that

allowed me to grow into the vibrant person I am today.

I decided to learn the bagpipes simply because of peer pressure from my friends who

were in the band. I started out on a chanter; it was a little pipe that mimicked the finger

positions of the bagpipes. All the beginners started here and worked their way up. The bagpipes

required intense finger dexterity that took a long time to master. I would watch in awe as my

friends practiced their pipes. The sound was loud but it was simply majestic to hear the voice of

Scotland! However, not everyone felt the same way. Many students would snicker and demean

the bagpipes because they were different than the traditional instruments like the flute, trumpet,

etc. That took a toll on my psyche because I cared about what other people said. I was a bit

hesitant on picking up this instrument because of what other people thought. I maintained my
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focus on mastering the basics and eventually received my pipes with lots of practice and

determination.

I channeled the confidence that I learned from being a section leader and I applied it to

playing the pipes. I was no longer bothered about what other people thought about once I started

playing. I was happy to jam out on the pipes! Even though people hated them, I embraced it with

open arms. In the end, it was my life and their opinions were not relevant to me.

A picture of me with my newly fitted uniform which consisted of a green plaid sash across my left shoulder, bag

pipes rested across the same shoulder, white top, and green kilt along with rest of the pipe band.

The final instrument that I decided to pick up was marimba. It resembled a xylophone

except it was much bigger. I dabbled around with it here and there throughout high school but

was not serious about learning it till my junior year. My friends warmed up before a performance

and this caught my attention because the beautiful sounds they produced. This was the driving

force for my inspiration, I wanted to replicate those sounds. Luckily, my friend Samuel offered

to teach me the basics of holding the mallet and striking the keys. I practiced on my own to
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refined my techniques. I wanted to put my abilities to the test so I auditioned for that years

winter percussion. After marching band is over, we shifted gears over into concert mode. This is

when we focused on ensembles which were not as marching intensive as jazz band, concert

bands, winter percussion and pipe band.

When it came time for winter percussion auditions, I applied and got in as a vibraphone,

one of the lowest mallet instruments. In percussion, new players start from the vibraphone then

moved up to xylophone or marimba. The vibraphone parts are much easier and practicing it will

help the student become more familiar with the keyboard. Throughout the winter season, I

practiced on my own outside from the ensemble so I could improve. I wanted to play the

marimba during the next marching season because I wanted to recreate the same beautiful sounds

that I heard from before. When it was time for auditions, my director wanted me to audition for

drum major. Drum major plays a big role in the marching band because they keep the tempo for

the ensemble. I wanted to audition to make him happy but deep down I knew I wanted to play

marimba. I listened to myself and stopped trying to please my director. I did what I wanted

instead. I flaked on my audition for drum major and went to the percussion auditions. It was a

difficult decision to make but in the end, I was much happier.

A picture of me warming up with four mallets on the marimba before my last winter percussion competition senior

year.

Both the bagpipes and marimba taught me something that I struggled with the most,

myself. These instruments liberated me from what people thought. I was constantly insecure and

that insecurity led me to please others for validation. Before learning the bagpipes, I would

always care about what people thought about me. I was constantly miserable. The marimba

helped me learn how to love myself by helping me find my confidence to do what I wanted.

With the help of these two instruments, I was finally able to accept myself and find self-love.

Music was definitely an integral part of my upbringing into a mature, happy adult. I

honestly do not know who I would become without it. I learned four fundamental ideals that

guide me through life, determination, confidence, freedom from what others think, and self-love.
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In addition to those ideals, music has given me a sense of rhythm, a musical ear, and a close-knit

group of friends that I will

be friends with for the rest of my life. Music is a one of the best creations in the history of the

world, I could not imagine anyones life without rich melodies, solemn tones, and energetic

rhythms. I will definitely cherish what has been given to me and will never let them go.

A picture of me and the three other sweaty marimba players in our dark uniforms with big smiles after achieving

2nd place in a major band competition