I have been playing instruments for over fourteen years now, In first grade, I learned my first instrument through lessons, which was piano, and then started teaching myself through books and listening to songs by ear. Then I started learning how to play the drums through the Paul Green School of Rock. This is a place where kids can receive lessons on how to play an instrument and also have a three-hour rehearsal period once a week to prepare for a show that they would perform in front of a live audience in an actual venue approximately three months later, The School of Rock also helped with stage presence and helped me explore other instruments and techniques like singing and songwriting. School of Rock performances included small venues like House of Blues in West Palm, or a big event like Sunfest, where we have to perform and taught other people how to perform.
The School of Rock itself also had its own workshops for its students that involved song writing, producing, and stage performance to focus on skills for kids who possibly wanted a career in music in the future. I also took a guitar course at Florida State that helped me gain the basic skills to play guitar, which also led me to learning ukulele as well. The School of Rock and my other musical lessons have also helped me to explore different types of music, as piano usually focused on classical pieces and the School of Rock performance shows each had a different music theme (ex: indie, metal, Beatles, etc.), All these experiences and lessons have helped me to develop has a musician and as a songwriter. I enjoy writing my own music, especially lyrics, I will usually find my inspiration through listening to songs by my favorite artists, life events that have a huge impact on me, and strong personal feelings that l have at the time when I write.
I usually write lyrics almost every day, sort of like a musical diary. When I feel like I write a song that is worth spending more time on, I will use my phone keyboard to find a melody to go along with it. Knowing so many instruments is useful in my construction of my songs because I can write out all the pans to the song; the drums, the chords, vocal melody, bass line, everything, I usually will write my melodies out while I write my lyrics because as I write the words, I usually sing how the song goes in my head, My layout usually looks like this: Verse: C D E D CD B All the words seem pretty far CDEDCDE Like the trails of falling stars EFGFE D EF ED Mysterious as hidden planets GFEDEFED And small treasures in the attic This helps me remember the basic melody so when I go back to look at the words later, I can remember how I wanted the song to sound. Music that I write is extremely personal to me, so when I write a song, I usually never let anyone see or hear my music.
My parents have never seen any of my lyrics and the ones I shared above are probably the first and only ones that anyone will ever see. However, if I were to join or create my own band, I feel like my perspective on sharing my music would change because it would notjust be me involved with writing music anymore, but a group of people, I would be able to receive feedback and have more than one person reviewing and analyzing what I write. Someone in the band could come up with a better guitar riff or bassline than me since I have less experience with stringed instruments, or someone could help with better lyrics or even add more to my songs, While my writing may not be as personal to them, it would be a better outlet of sharing my lyrics with a group as a collaborated concept.
When I first started writing my own lyrics, around six years ago in high school, it was definitely a new and difficult process. Sometimes I would hit roadblocks with a song and just not be able to continue it and have to throw it away, Other times I would be able to write tons of choruses and no verses and vice versa. Then there are days where I could write up to four or five whole songs in a single day. Over time, this has not changed, no matter how much I have written) but I know that writing lyrics has helped progress my understanding of the music behind the words and how to manipulate it to get the sound I want.
Sharing A Similar Passion In Music
The week before my freshman year of high school, I went to school every day for 8 hours to participate in band camp, the annual kickoff to the marching band season. Having been an enthusiastic clarinetist since fourth grade, I was eager and excited to enter high school and discover new opportunities. And excited I was! On the first day of band camp, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there didn’t seem to be anyone in band who didn’t want to be there In earlier years, especially elementary school, where fine arts was a requirement, plenty of my classmates were unenthusiastic musicians who brought down the group morale and generally annoyed me. To top it off (and compensate, i suppose), we would play very simple and easy music that was nothing like the classical music I listened to or wanted to play. In marching band, I could hardly believe that everyone around me shared a similar passion for music and embraced challenge rather than shying away from it.
Marching band was an activity I committed myself to for four years, but I am more grateful for the opportunities it created for me. On the second day of band camp, our band director showed everyone a show performed in 2008 by Phantom Regiment, a drum and bugle corps based in Rockford, IL, Drum and bugle corps, or drum corps, were independent musical marching ensembles comprised of age 17»21 percussionists, colorguard members, and brass musicians that held auditions in December, monthly rehearsal camps through the spring, and an intensive two-and-a-half month rehearsal and performance competitive tour throughout the country from May to August, culminating in the Drum Corps International World Championships held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN.
The shows were nine to eleven-minute field shows that incorporated complex choreography, storyline, and music to create a grand final product on a football field Upon seeing the DCI Finals video of “Spartacus”, Phantom’s 2008 show, I was awe-struck. Not only were the formations and sequences created by the marchers visually impressive, I gaped at what appeared to be some thirty thousand people in the towering stands of Lucas Oil Stadium, all in a joint thunderous ovation. As soon as i saw the video, I knew that I was meant to do this activity and I pledged to be in such a video as soon as I could As Drum Corps Intetnational’s tagline proclaimed, it truly was “marching music‘s major league,” Through the course of the year, I proactively sought the help of veteran musicians in my high school, some who had even marched with local drum corps, to teach me the basics of brass instrument playing.
After experimenting with the mellophone, the marching version of the French horn, and the baritone born, I settled on the baritone, a heavier and more daunting instrument to switch to but a more manly one, a criterion which certainly mattered to me at the time! My band director was wonderfully supportive, and under the tutelage of fellow brass musicians in marching band, I accustomed quickly and learnt fast during my sophomore marching band season as a new baritone player. During the awards banquet following our final competition, I was bestowed with a Rookie of the Year award. Never losing sight of my goal, I dedicated hours daily to practicing the audition étude for the Santa Clara Vanguard, a drum and bugle corps in Santa Clara, CA. Even though I was fifteen, I knew the age guidelines were flexible and could be accommodating for proficient musicians.
In December when I finally auditioned, I was rejected on the grounds of being very young and inexperienced as a brass player, I was also given helpful feedback regarding my brass musicianship and technique, which I took happily and practiced with equal fervor to audition again for the Vanguard three weeks later in Pasadena, where they were hosting a final round of open auditions, After convincing my dad to drive the seven hours there and back, I completed my audition, and while the brass instructor was duly impressed with my dedication and noted my improvement, I was again rejected, Undaunted, ljoined the Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets, the younger counterpart of the Santa Clara Vanguard that competed in a lower circuit known as Open Class within the Drum Corps International circuitt Throughout the season, I absorbed as much information as I could and improved tremendously as a musician through the course of over a thousand hours of rehearsal with twelve-hour rehearsals seven days a week in the summer.
When our corps’s show The Art of War took first place at Open Class championships, I was happy, but even more ecstatic to perform an exhibition at DCI World Class Finals, the revered event at Lucas Oil Stadium which attracted an Olympic size crowd. A week after our victory, I lived out my dream, and upon playing the last note of our show, knowing it would be the last time that show would ever be performed, I looked up at the teeming crowds in deafening cheer and was struck with a mix of great happiness and sadness: elated to have performed in the highest league of marching music but sad that thejourney had come to an end.
Cheating Is A Bad Practice With No Benefits
As we all should know, cheating is the absolute worst thing a person could do (sarcasm)t It is a disgusting habit that will follow you for as long as your soul lives and although you’ve been told a million times that cheating is bad(Hyperbole), you still continue to do it. This has to come to an end; it’s time to realize that cheaters never prospen Cheating means you’re lazy, instead of kindly and simply asking Jessica for the trig homework, you should struggle, wasting precious hours of your life trying to figure out what seems to be a foreign language. Oh and I don’t want to hear the “my teacher can’t teach” excuse. Lies, why would they hire them if they couldn’t teach? All teachers are qualified to teach because of the simple fact that they are teachers (Irony).
If you don’t understand a topic then that’s your fault, not the teachers, you just don’t know how to learn therefor you cheat, and there‘s absolutely no way to learn when you cheat, you can‘t just simply go home and learn the subject on your own, it’s just not physically possible. Those who cheat don’t care to learn the subject so let’s not even give them the benefit of the doubt. You have to understand that cheating doesn’t just affect you, it affects everyone around you. If you cheat on your pop quiz then you’ll cheat on your significant other who will find out, because they always find out, and will hunt down your mistress, kill them, and be convicted with murder.
Just like that, you’ve turned the love of your life into a murderer and now your life is in shambles. Think twice before you take a slight peep at your neighbor’s test. There’s no benefit from cheating, that A on your report card, smile on your parents face, and bump in your GPA can’t and won’t do anything for you Colleges automatically know that you’ve cheated, therefore they won’t look twice at that 42 cumulative GPA that you’ve cheated your way up to. Be truthful to yourself and accept that 2.0 that you so much deserve. Embrace it, love it, and work on it.
Secondly, cheating can have negative consequences on mental health. The guilt and anxiety associated with cheating can lead to feelings of shame and low self-esteem. It can also cause stress and anxiety about getting caught, leading to sleepless nights and a constant fear of being discovered. Thirdly, cheating can damage relationships. When someone cheats, they betray the trust of others and damage their relationships. This can be particularly harmful in academic or professional settings, where trust and honesty are essential for success.
Lastly, cheating can have long-term consequences. If someone is caught cheating, they may face disciplinary action or lose their job, which can have serious implications for their future opportunities. In conclusion, cheating is a bad practice with no benefits. It is an unethical behavior that can have serious consequences on academic, professional, and personal life. Rather than engaging in cheating, it is important to prioritize honesty, integrity, and hard work to achieve success.