Personal Narrative: Murky Waters

Today I came to Santa Barbra to spend time with someone close to me cause it 's his birthday. While on the beach walking and writing I realized that growing up, I dreamt of moving to California and having a career in the music industry. Growing up we may not have had he money to go on luxurious family vacations but we spent time together and went camping a lot. We appreciated our time as a family and our time with nature. Since I 've moved I 've been so focused on trying to find my place in the industry that I forgot about how fruitful my journey to this exact moment has been.

It was the last inning in our all-star game, and we were losing 10 to 8. Our team had 2 outs and we couldn’t get the third. Our pitcher was doing bad, throwing all balls, while all of us in the field were tired, ready to fall asleep at any moment. There goes another walk. They score again.

The band program taught me how to push through the difficulties and struggles that would allow me to become a better performer in the end, and taught me the importance of respect and courtesy, whether it be for volunteers with the band, my bandmates, other bands, and so on, and how far simple manners can go. Most importantly, though, this band taught me what it was like to be dedicated and passionate about something. In the past two years, I have developed a love for playing music that has given me more joy in life than anything else in the last four years, and due to that caused me to learn a new instrument, get more involved with our music program, created friendships and relationships that will last, allowed me to become a more rounded person, that is better equipped to handle my future. I have grown greatly in the last few years, and this is all due to the band program, which I will never be able to repay for all it has done for

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. My connection with music through the piano has been fostered ever since I could reach those shiny black and white collection of keys. Starting at the age of four, playing the classical music of Mozart and Bach was what my musical background was founded upon, with tangible medals and accomplishments as achievements.

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.

All during break we partied our asses off. How couldn’t we? There was no way we weren’t going out with a bang our senior year! We spent all break together. I’d never felt closer to you,

I began listening to a variety of music and explored different interests in school and my community. I decided to enroll in the most meaningful and enjoyable class of my entire high school career: The History of Rock and Roll. This is where I was first introduced to countless artists and genres, from the roots of the Mississippi Delta Blues, all the way to Liverpool to meet my most favorite band, The Beatles. Learning a simple blues scale lead to the discovery of my passion for playing various kinds of music, but it has also given me a tremendous sense of personal and professional accomplishment.

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

Joining band had an immense and almost immediate impact on my life. Before being in band I had never had a talent that I felt completely confident in. I enjoyed practicing and spent many hours trying to improve my musical ability. In

I fell in love with all that I was doing for her. I didn 't care how challenging or exhausting it was. Any of her needs pulled ahead of my

Lani: I was helping for someone’s project for COMM 245; I was in the video lab, in the studio. I was on campus and decided to contact everyone I knew who comes to the school. I remember I sent out a snap saying guys I think there is a shooting, be careful and then I started sending out individual texts to people making sure they were okay, like hey are you good? Stay out of an area.

Music carries each and every one of us to a new awareness. It can reach to the innermost part of an individual. Music can envelope our emotions from tears all the way to our joy. It captivates and motivates. As I attended a concert on Saturday, November 7, 2015, Lynyrd Skynyrd performed with power and feeling to their audience.

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

I quickly finished tying my shoe and hopped onto my purple mountain bike and we were off. Logan my brother who I love sometimes,Cassie My best friend, Easton Cassie’s brother,Sawyer Cassie’s brother, Mr. Wychers and I were going to ride our bikes through a trail off in the woods and go to Whistle stop and then cut through town and head to Houseman's. The sky was cloudy and the daylight was being blocked by a thick dark cloud, which looked a lot like a rain cloud. We started to cut through a dead cornfield, lifeless tall brown and crusty plants sat in a single spot and as the soft wind blew the once luscious herbs. I felt the dead greens slap me in the leg and burrs got stuck to my pant leg.

Band has given me tons of friends and lessons in life that I will remember and carry on with me