Personal Narrative: How Music Changed My Life

Throughout my life, I was accustomed to excelling at everything I did. I always had good grades, did well in sports, and was a top musician. Music is the most important thing in my life, and I was always naturally talented. When I experienced failure in my sophomore year District solo audition, it destroyed my confidence. However, it was a huge wake-up call and allowed me to grow and improve greatly.

From the beginning, I learned how to play the flute basics much faster than all of my classmates, and the music came easy to me. Continuing into middle school, I was first chair all three years. The music still came naturally to me, and rigorous practicing was never necessary. When I got to high school, I was immediately placed in the first chair in the Freshman concert band. That year I proved myself as a top player with my audition for Junior Districts. I received the highest score out of everyone, making me the top flute

Listening to all the players around me, I realized there was so much talent everywhere. How was I supposed to top this? When it was my turn to audition, nerves completely took over. Uncontrollable shaking and wrong notes plagued my audition; I had no control of the music in front of me. The same music I had been reading for months was now a foreign language. I knew right away that I had failed my audition. The scorecard I received that Monday only reassured my belief. My confidence was completely destroyed. I didn’t want to play in front of anyone, and I became constantly terrified of any other situations that would result in the same failure I experienced in that audition. This could’ve easily been the end of my playing career, but i didn’t let it stifle my playing. I began to practice over an hour every single day, and my motivation to improve was at an all time high. I wanted to prove to not just everyone around me, but myself that I could be a great