College Admissions Essay: The Jazz Career

Guiney, K., & Haller, D. (2003). Understanding the 12 Bar Blues . Retrieved from PBS : http://www.pbs.org/theblues/classroom/essays12bar.html

I was born and raised in Gulfport, Mississippi, an area immersed in a relaxed coastal culture and a vibrant jazz and blues heritage. Gulfport is located right off the Gulf of Mexico and less than an hour from New Orleans, Louisiana. Living near the Gulf, heavily influenced my childhood, I would spend weekends at the beach, and long hours traveling to distant islands far from the coast I called home. The music you would hear at the beach were always from timeless Americana artist; such as, Bob Dylan and Jonny Cash. My parents, not musicians themselves, were infatuated with the music of the late 1980’s from artists like Prince, Michael Jackson, and Journey. My particular favorite artist from that time period was Queen, and my love for rhapsody

My background is firmly concreted in the band community. I had no idea that joining the band as a tenor saxophone player in sixth grade would have such a remarkable effect on me. My teachers and I have noticed my growth, driven by my dedication to what I love. I have worked hard within my supportive band association to achieve my goals. Of my ultimate goals was to make one of the most exclusive bands in Nebraska. When I was selected to play in the 2015 All-State honor band, my dream transpired. Since the seventh grade I have participated in jazz band along with concert band; I now play in my high school 's most selective jazz band. Humbled by my elite group members, I accept many improvisation solos to express my ideas and find my place among

We all have stories and memories tied to songs that have become a part of who are. Remember the violins playing in the background while watching a sad movie or the song that helped you through difficult times or the song you and your friends sang while attending a concert? Whether it’s on the television, the radio, in a movie, in the car, or at a sporting event, music is everywhere. Feeling the rhythm of music brings us so much joy and excitement but playing musical instrument is even more fulfilling because it has many benefits. Everything I do revolves around my music. I have been around music all my life, whether it was listening to it or playing it. I’m very passionate about music and I love playing an instrument. The instrument

I have always been a particularly musical person. When I was younger, I wanted to become a singer when I grew up, but upon joining the choir in elementary I realized I did not have the talent for singing that I thought I had. Continually singing off key and never sounding as good as my peers did, I decided to confine myself to singing at home where only my family could hear me. Despite this revelation that I was, in fact, a terrible singer, I still wanted to participate in some type of musical performance and decided to join the band in middle school. After trying out various different instruments, I settled on the flute and quickly fell in love.

En Masse, Rock and Roll has influenced various areas of the youth culture amid the 1960’s, dominating many areas of the world. The popularity and international outlook for rock music resulted in a compelling impact on society as Rock and Roll influenced everyday fashions, attitudes, and behaviors. Drawing on many different styles, this genre of music excited a worldwide generation of young listeners, while, at the same time, distressing musical, cultural, and social authorities. Presently, it is tough to fully understand the bitter criticism the new music generated in its entirety. Rock music gave shape to many different counter-cultural movements which engulfed the world. Without Rock and Roll, many genres of music would never have emerged, such as: garage rock, pop rock, blues rock, and psychedelic rock. Although rock no longer rules popular music, the styles of the 1960’s still appeal to the ears of those born long after. The utopian frenzy of rock defined the music of that era, and to this day continues to structure the music we call Rock and Roll

Meet my Jazz band. This is a picture of us in New Orleans my junior year during spring break to play Jazz. I decided upon this picture because this band has had such a profound impact on how I frame my future.

Most people of academic achievement ought to be able to readily cite a vast number of supportive mentors. John Donne recognized this through one of his works, stating that “no man is an island”. I am no outlier to this trend, for I have an immensely helpful family, superb educators, and friends that share similar interests in the world of science. However, I would like to concentrate on a rather unsuspecting part of my schooling as having the highest impact: my junior high music teacher. Amidst my life fixated on textbook education, she forced me to never be complacent, to hold high behavioral standards, and to passionately pursue the flighty sparks of inspiration.

Going to college has always been a dream of mine, I never knew what I wanted to major in or any clue of what career I wanted to go into. It all started with my love of finding out more about the world around me I thought is was just my curiosity like everyone else but it was something different. That’s when I found my love for science. At first I really didn’t see my love for until sophomore year of high school when we would get on a subject and wanted to learn more about the particular subject not just what was in the book.

Music is a very recent thing that has changed my life. I have always had an interest for music, since I was young I would dream of playing the Alto Saxophone. My dream became a reality in Sixth Grade when I was able to pick up and learn an instrument. I ended up choosing the Tenor Saxophone because of its dark full sound. I progressed very quickly taking lessons from Jill Marasa, band director at Costa Catholic Academy, later that year I bought a Flute, and Clarinet. I also became very proficient on those very early on. I soon moved to where I live now. Before I even moved I already had contacted the band director at Germantown Hills Middle School, Eric Loring, to see what their program was and to see what instruments they had available. I ended up starting the oboe, which till this day is the love of my life. During the Seventh Grade I was introduced to the Central Illinois Youth Symphony. I auditioned for it and their Flute Choir on, Oboe, Flute, and Bassoon (picking up and learning only a week before auditions). When the results came in I found out that I had made all three parts doubling Oboe and Bassoon in the Central Illinois Concert Orchestra (2013-2014). The season was very successful but soon came to an end. I soon sold my Bassoon and purchased an English horn. I soon switched Oboe teachers, I went from Kylie Hankosky (2013-2014) to Alison Robuck (2014-present), Oboe professor at Bradley University in Peoria, IL. Over time I

Being a part of the band program has shaped who I am today as a person in many ways. It is in all parts my identity, interest, and talent, and in three to four months out of the year, it is my life. As a nervous freshman about to embark on my high school journey, I had the choice to end my band career. Despite not knowing at all what to expect, I decided to pursue the fine arts into

Knowing how to sing is a blessing that may come naturally to some people, but to others it requires practice and effort to learn how to properly develop this gift. Having seen many live performances and having a dad who could sing was an inspiration for me to develop such a talent. Music has always been my passion, and I knew that singing would give me another exciting opportunity to enjoy the feeling performance creates. I did not have a natural voice from a young age so learning to sing was challenging and pushed me beyond my orchestral limits--emotionally and physically--but with the strong desire I had and the toil I was willing to endure when learning this art, I persevered to becoming a singer.

Growing up I was consumed by an interesting assortment of music. Musical influences were thrown at me from all directions. Whether it was the rock and roll and punk rock music my dad listened to, or the country and pop music my mom listened to, my ears were always full of different arrays of music. Having my grandma blasting gospel music and my older sister jamming Disney, music became a very influential part of my childhood.

“Of course,” I say. “That old school R&B music only I tried to tell him already.”

Most transformative moments in life can be caused by the smallest of occurrences in life. Often people do not even realize that a pivotal moment in their life is happening. Someone may realize when they are mature enough that there was one special moment during their childhood that ultimately determined their lifelong goal. For others, they probably realized an “aha” moment right when it happened and from then on decided that they knew what they want to accomplish later on. I actually have taken from both sides of the spectrum from realizing that one special transformative moment but also not even knowing that it would end up steering me towards my current career choice.