Take one moment to imagine what a perfect day would be like for you. How would it begin, what would you do, who would accompany you throughout this day? Well, my perfect day began by waking up in the cool and calm environment of my elegant home in wild, wonderful, West Virginia. After jumping up out of bed, preceding a long nights rest, I prepare for a long day filled with vigorous activities. Next, I found myself glancing at the calendar only to find out that my favorite activities await my day ahead. I was excited to find out that my day would consist of band, basketball, baseball, my intimate hobby our local theatre program in Madison, West Virginia that we refer to as Stage which stands for scholastic team for arts and greater enrichments. All of this is only to lead up to my final activity of the day a musical with some of my friends. Stay with me as my perfect day continues, for you never know, your perfect day may be just around the corner.
First, I look around and I see I am in a large room with many close friends of mine. I look down to find a beautiful brass instrument resting in my lap. I have started my intermediate band rehearsal. Today, we will be rehearsing songs for our upcoming Christmas concert. During this concert I will be accompanying my fellow musicians and band director, Eugene Mills, in playing songs such as, Jingle Bell Gallop, Silent Night, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Grandma Got Run-Over by a Reindeer, and other variations on popular Christmas carols. To us band is essential to our everyday lives, and it is a big part in all of our lives; however, it is extremely difficult to become good at. Now that I have improved, and made that first step to becoming good, that just may be the reason I enjoy it!
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...ntury by a talented man that went by the name of Claude-Michel Schonberg. After the performance, every one of my friends and I agreed that it was a phenomenal show! I thought to myself what a fabulous day, yet it is time for bed; because, of course the long, warm, glamorous day that I thought I would only dream about has come to an end.
Night has come and once again we find our lives taking us down our routine road. I have had an astonishing day with superb activities and best of all I had the chance to share it with you! Would you share an experience with me sometime? What kinds of things interest you? As I look back on my day I realize that I have no regrets! I have accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish, and could possibly imagine successfully performing in one day! It was an absolutely phenomenal day! Thank you for permitting me to share my day with you!
It’s a question we all ask ourselves from time to time: "Why am I doing this? Is it really worth it?" For band directors, the question comes up a little more FREQUENTLY. The long rehearsals, hours of preparation and planning. Budget, buses and banged up tubas. Counseling and consoling. Lesson planning to tour planning." Why are you doing this?" Someone asked me once, "It’s only band".
Sweat dripping down my face and butterflies fluttering around my stomach as if it was the Garden of Eden, I took in a deep breathe and asked myself: "Why am I so nervous? After all, it is just the most exciting day of my life." When the judges announced for the Parsippany Hills High School Marching Band to commence its show, my mind blanked out and I was on the verge of losing sanity. Giant's Stadium engulfed me, and as I pointed my instrument up to the judges' stand, I gathered my thoughts and placed my mouth into the ice-cold mouthpiece of the contrabass. "Ready or not," I beamed, "here comes the best show you will ever behold." There is no word to describe the feeling I obtain through music. However, there is no word to describe the pain I suffer through in order to be the best in the band either. When I switched my instrument to tuba from flute in seventh grade, little did I know the difference it would make in the four years of high school I was soon to experience. I joined marching band in ninth grade as my ongoing love for music waxed. When my instructor placed the 30 lb. sousaphone on my shoulder on the first day, I lost my balance and would have fallen had my friends not made the effort to catch me. During practices, I always attempted to ease the discomfort as the sousaphone cut through my collar bone, but eventually my shoulder started to agonize and bleed under the pressure. My endurance and my effort to play the best show without complaining about the weight paid off when I received the award for "Rookie of the Year." For the next three seasons of band practice, the ache and toil continued. Whenever the band had practice, followed by a football game and then a competition, my brain would blur from fatigue and my body would scream in agony. Nevertheless, I pointed my toes high in the air as I marched on, passionate about the activity. As a result, my band instructor saw my drive toward music and I was named Quartermaster for my junior year, being trusted with organizing, distributing, and collecting uniforms for all seventy-five members of the band. The responsibility was tremendous. It took a bulk of my time, but the sentiment of knowing that I was an important part of band made it all worthwhile.
Active music – Active music is the conception of live music by the patient, including instrument playing and music lessons. By doing this, the patient’s self-esteem i...
George Helmholtz, as the head of the music department at Lincoln High School, is very determined with his regular students and the gifted musicians of the band. Each semester and year at school he dreams of “leading as fine a band as there was on the face of the earth. And each year it came true”. His certainty that it was true was because he believed there was no greater dream than his. His students were just as confident and in response, they played their hearts out for them. Even the students with “no talent played on guts alone” for Helmholtz.
I have chosen to write this essay on the drum kit, which is an instrument that I play myself. The drum is one of the oldest instruments known to man and has been used by many cultures around the world. Primitive tribal societies used drums to celebrate victory in battle as well as in ritual dance and worship to the deities. The drum kit (also known as the drum set or trap set), however, is an American invention whose rise was seen in the late 19th century. This is an instrument that has taken the work of several percussionists and turned it into something that can be mastered by one; a phenomenal contraption that has only gotten better with time and continues to develop over the years.
On March 31, I had the pleasure of seeing Hello Dolly at Mandeville High School. As a talented theater student at the school, I take the shows that are put on very seriously. Being involved in the show, helping make set pieces, and working at the box office brings light to me as an individual, every little helping hand counts. I want to make sure that my school represents theater in the best way possible. With this production put on, I am proud to say that I am a theater student at Mandeville High.
(maybe a transition) So many people praise the ability to play a musical instrument—the outlet it provides for the emotions we keep pent up inside, the thrill of being able to transfer printed ink into song. Yet for many years, I couldn’t see the appeal. I lost the ability to enjoy music in my desire for easy results.
My love for music has kept me afloat through many tribulations throughout my life. When I was younger I was fascinated with the concept of music theory. This love led me to play recorder, piano, and now guitar. I love the freedom that music allows one when composing an original piece. There are so many genres and aspects of music to choose that one can never be bored. With my music, I feel I am able to paint a vivid story of my life. As the notes carry my thoughts and passions, I am able to share my hopes and dreams with anyone who would stop and listen. I hope to improve my skills in the future and work on sharing my love for music with others. There's no better feeling than composing and preforming ones own
I recently attended Evergreen’s Christmas band concert. The concert included sixth through twelfth grade. Sixth graders played the songs: Tomahawk Dance and Christmas Sleigh Ride. The seventh graders played Soulmate, ‘Tis the Season, and The Red, The White and The Blues. Eighth grade preformed Bourbon Street Barbecue, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, and The Washington Post. Finally the show ended with the high school concert band. They played the songs Angels on Parade, Mele Kalikimaka and The 3-Minute Nutcracker. As well as The Hallelujah Chorus and ending with Santa Baby.
As I lay there resting, I closed my eyes and just soaked in the joyous sounds of the holiday. I could hear my father chatting with my grandmother, reminiscing of childhood memories and the joy of raising kids. Soft acoustic guitar melodies from the stereo sounded above the snapping and crackling of the fire. The ...
Once middle school started, my family encouraged me to join concert band. They had all been in band and expected me to be too. I refused to try any of the brass or wind instruments because the thought of spit grossed me out, so I decided to join the percussion section. Middle school band sparked many friendships I still have today. It also expanded my knowledge on how to read rhythms. Mr. Cole taught us short words and phrases to help us play the rhythms correctly. He would say, “Mississippi, riverboat, popsicle,” and other words. In seventh grade we started marching band; this was my first glimpse at drumline. Originally I had no appreciation for marching band. Possibly because I knew our band sounded like complete garbage. Once I reached high school, drumline and marching band were completely different. The other students actually knew how to march and play in time, and it sounded pleasing to the ear! The silly phrases Mr. Cole taught me in middle school carried over into high school. Every year when Mr. Philgreen hands out our music, the bass drums have multiple sectionals throughout the season. Sometimes we would come across a difficult rhythm, and to get it down, we would put words to it. For example, in our cadence ‘Bounce’ we would say, “One day I swear, oh yeah I’m gonna swat flies. One day I swear that Emily is cute.” These silly phrases did not always make sense, but they served their purpose. Everytime we play our cadences, I always spew theses goofy sentences in my mind, even though I have been playing them for four years now. Making new friends and creating these silly sentences are some of my favorite memories of
Although music is a very diverse and broad topic, it finds its own way to bring people together and allow people to express themselves in many ways. There are various ways that people can express themselves through music; singing, playing an instrument, or even just listening to music. When playing an instrument, you can either do it independently, with a small band, concert/jazz band, or an orchestra. Although these are all common, the typical high school band is a concert band, which consists of many sections of instruments. First, there is the woodwind section, which usually holds the main melody, and the harmony. Then, there is the brass section which holds both the melody, and the countermelody. The final section of the band resides in the back, which is the percussion section.
Of all the instruments laid out on display, only one caught my attention. I was thirteen at the time, and naturally, my eye was drawn to the shiniest of the group. I had never heard the sound of a flute before, aside from the cheap imitation of one on my family’s electronic keyboard. Nevertheless, I picked the pretty, gleaming, easy-to-carry flute on that first day of band class. Three years later, I can’t imagine playing anything else. What started off as blind luck and an attraction to shiny objects is now a part of my life. Playing an instrument is always a worthwhile investment; you develop a skill that many people only wish they had, you have opportunities to meet other musicians, and you may even get to travel in a band setting. But in order to reap the benefits, you first have to learn how to play.
When it came to the chorus, Dave stopped singing and everyone in the room, sung the chorus back. I felt the unity with everyone in that room, although I hardly knew any of them. The song ended with a sigh. The night is over. Dave thanked us and smiled.
It is a sunny morning. I am home with my stepfather and brothers. The clouds seem perfectly shaped as they swivel in the sky. The birds whistle a tune no morning has heard and the trees dance as the breeze whips. I am stuck indoors, and I am missing what seems to be the perfect day. My brother is leaving to head to basketball camp. My other brother is heading to work. Today was going to be a day with just my stepdad and me. He prepares breakfast for me, and the smell captivates my senses. I stop staring out the window and head to the bathroom and then to the table to eat. This is the perfect day.