I spent the first year of my life in a Russian orphanage and hearing music playing on the radio is one of my earliest memories. Since then, music has been an outlet for my emotions and a good way to express myself and connect with others. When I was 7 years old, I asked if I could learn to play the piano. We didn’t have a piano in the house and neither of my parents are particularly interested in music, but that Christmas I got a keyboard. I started weekly piano lessons with my 80-yr old teacher, Ms. Faye. She was a no-nonsense woman and insisted I learn to read music, not just play by ear!! My first recital was on a beautiful grand piano and my legs were too short to reach the pedals. Ms. Faye is now retired but when I last spoke to her, she was delighted to hear I was continuing to study music. As I reached middle-school age I discovered band! Mr. Ballard took one look at my braces and told me I needed to play trombone rather than the trumpet which I had picked. It turned out to be a great decision and being a part of my school band gave me a sense of belonging and pride. I have been fortunate to have had several inspiring role models but in a single year, Mr. Kimbrough has had the greatest impact on me as a musician. He was my freshman high school band director, and at first, he scared me. Band camp was run like a military operation. He was a perfectionist and we spent many hours on the field repeating the same drill before he was satisfied. He could look down on the field and note when one of us was out of step. No one wanted to be called out, so we worked harder as a team. It was the same thing in the classroom! We had tedious musical scales to learn and perform before him for a grade. After one of my disastrous attempts at a scale on the trombone, he stopped me and said, “Alex, I know you cannot possibly have practiced this! You’re wasting your talent and your time!”. But rather than just dismissing me, he took the rest of the session to show me how to break things down into smaller chunks and practice the steps slowly before putting the full piece together. That was the turning point for me. I still didn’t like to practice but I never went in front of him again without being prepared. Music has helped me find my way in the world and I would like to share this joy with others. Even though music isn’t for everyone, it has taught me valuable life skills such as patience, teamwork, and time management. Music has kept me grounded but allows me to be creative and use my energy productively. My goal is to use my passion for music to inspire others to strengthen my community and make a difference in the world. Thank you for your consideration and support as I pursue my dream to study music at Valdosta State University this fall.

South Georgia has been my home since I was adopted from Kaliningrad, Russia on my first birthday. I love living in my farming community and realize I have been fortunate. Being adopted has given me the determination to succeed and helped define my values to live life showing kindness, honesty and respect to those around me. My extended family has also taught me a love of nature. From the two-week summer camp in the wilds of West Virginia to a summer visit with my aunt and uncle on their organic farm in Alaska, I’ve gained an appreciation of how the environment impacts our daily life. My passion is music and it has helped me find my way in the world. Being a part of my high school marching band has given me a sense of belonging and pride in my community. The great role models and teachers that I have had in high school have shown me the impact I can have on students as a teacher. This has inspired me to pursue a career in music education at Valdosta State University this fall. While in high school, I met and worked with students and teachers from all sorts of different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. I enjoy meeting new people and learning from them. My band director challenged me to become the low brass section leader which allowed me to learn to lead by example. He encouraged me with positive feedback and friendly competition. Through watching how he motivated students with patience and respect I came to understand how important these values are to me. Many of our band members didn’t have access to an individual instrument so we worked as a group to share, repair and fundraise so that we had enough instruments. I’ve learned that respecting each other, accepting our differences, and being honest and kind leads to great teamwork and also great band performances. Over the last few summers, I have had the opportunity to work as a lifeguard and teach swimming lessons. Competitive swimming has been an outlet for my energy and I enjoy working with kids and young adults to teach them water safety. Teaching an individual to swim, or in some cases just helping them to overcome their fear of the water, has taught me to listen and not be so judgmental. I love the challenge and the satisfaction I get when I see one of my students succeed. The skills I have learned from both swimming and music are valuable life skills that can be useful in my academic studies and relationships. Patience, teamwork, social skills, leadership and creativity are all important attributes of leaders in the world and I hope to live my life showing kindness, honesty and respect to those around me. My goal is to use my passion for music to inspire others and make a difference in the world. I appreciate your consideration of me for this scholarship opportunity.

While in high school, I met and worked with students and teachers from all sorts of different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. I got to enjoy meeting new people and learning from them. My involvement in the music program was a great opportunity to work with diverse musicians and the knowledge I’ve acquired from interacting with others will make me a stronger and more supportive leader. I look forward to continuing this opportunity at Valdosta State University this fall. Music has helped me find my way in the world and I would like to share this joy with others. Being a part of my high school marching band has given me a sense of belonging and pride in my community. The great role models that I have had in high school have shown me the impact I can have on students as a teacher. My band director selected me to be a Section Leader within our marching band and let me lead by example. He challenged me to learn multiple brass instruments, which opened up opportunities for expanding my skill set and broadening my horizons. As an example, his encouragement and faith in me led me to work hard to learn the tuba and read lower notes on the staff and add a different taper to the ensemble. From his inspirational approach, I came to understand that motivation is key to encouraging hard work and determination. As a future HS band teacher, I’d like to help students move out of their comfort zone, build new skills and improve their self-confidence. Participating in marching band helps students build confidence, and gives them a sense of teamwork and an active way to focus their energy. I want to help others use music to inspire them to be part of a creative, artistic and talented team and to find joy and happiness through meaningful connections. I’d like to use the universal language of music to entertain and inspire both young and old by performing in retirement homes and concert halls. I want to encourage my future students to take the initiative in playing in gigs around town from churches to street parades. These skills will also help them to become disciplined musicians and future leaders. Even though music isn’t for everyone, it can teach valuable life skills that can be useful in other fields. Patience, teamwork, time management, social skills, leadership and creativity are all important attributes of leaders in the world. My goal is to use my passion for music to inspire others to strengthen my community and make a difference in the world. I appreciate your consideration of me for this scholarship opportunity so that I can pursue my dream to teach.

No. I spent the first year of my life in a Russian orphanage and one of my earliest recollections is hearing music playing on the radio. Like Jose, I can identify with his passion for music because for me it has been an outlet for my emotions, a means to express myself and a way to connect with others. My adoptive parents have supported my love of music and have encouraged me to pursue my dream of studying Music Education at Valdosta State University this fall. To make a positive impact in my community, I’ve realized I have to be positive myself. Music has taught me many life skills. It has been a productive outlet for my energy and kept me out of trouble. It has given me ways to express myself more easily than words. Music lifts my spirits or calms me down when I am frustrated. With my music degree, I hope to use what I have learned to connect with students to help and encourage them to find an outlet for their feelings. Being a part of my High School marching band has given me a sense of pride and community. As a future HS band teacher, I’d like to share this with my students. Participating in marching band helps students build self-confidence, gives them a sense of belonging and an active way to focus their energy which will, hopefully, keep them out of trouble. Through music, I’d like to inspire my students to be part of a team that is creative, artistic and talented. These skills will also help them to become disciplined musicians and future leaders. The great role models and teachers I have had in high school have shown me the impact that I can have on students as a teacher. I want to help others use music to find happiness and contentment. In college, I hope to widen my horizons and meet people of varied backgrounds and talents. I want to expand my leadership and teaching skills. These experiences will help me expand my musical repertoire to connect with others in many different ways. Music has helped me find my way in the world and I would like to share this joy with others. I’d like to teach music to students to help them find a creative way to handle their emotions, to express themselves and as a way to connect positively with others. I’d like to use the universal language of music to entertain and inspire both young and old, by performing in retirement homes to concert halls to help people find joy and happiness. I believe I would use this scholarship to further my education in a way that would honor Jose Montanez’s memory and continue his spirit of giving. Thank you for your consideration.

Imagine a jazz-playing Santa Claus in a pink suit and a green bow tie! That was my freshman band Director, Mr. Curt Kimbrough. He was no ordinary teacher. He was demanding, critical, impatient, unconventional and at times outlandish. But he was an extraordinary teacher that could be funny, kind and encouraging and we never doubted that he wanted the best for us. It took me a while to get to know Mr. Kimbrough, and at first, he scared me. Band camp was run like a military operation. He was a perfectionist and we spent many hours on the field repeating the same drill before he was satisfied. He could look down on the field with an eagle eye and note when one of us was out of step. No one wanted to be called out, so we worked harder as a team. However, break times were when Mr. K. would open up and tells stories about his college band adventures that captivated my attention. One thing about Mr. K. was he knew how to motivate each of us differently. There were 100 of us on the field but he had the knack of being able to prod each of us in different ways so that we all wanted to do our best and not let him or our band down. His philosophy was to pay attention to the details and the bigger picture would come together naturally. He taught us that hard work really does pay off. If we moaned or complained he had a simple answer “One more time”. We stopped complaining! His passion for the music and his attention to those little details made our marching band performances fun and exciting to perform. I was a typical freshman who didn’t think I needed to practice. Musical scales were tedious to learn and we had to perform them in front of him for a grade. After one of my disastrous attempts on the trombone, he stopped me and said, “Alex, I know you cannot possibly have practiced this! You are wasting your talent and your time!”. But rather than just dismissing me, he took the rest of the session to show me how to break things down into smaller chunks and practice the steps slowly before putting the full piece together. That was the turning point for me. I still didn’t like to practice but I never went in front of him again without being prepared. Mentorship was also a big part of his teaching technique. He offered after-school assistance and I soon learned not to miss these sessions. Here he would let us experiment with different types of music, rhythms and mouthpieces. He fostered competition within sections and encouraged the upperclassmen to help the younger players. He challenged me “to be better than my Section Leader”. As my skills grew Mr. K. encouraged me to become a leader of the brass section. Before Mr. Kimbrough left Tift County High School, we won every band competition that we entered. The delight on his face and his joy in our success made the many hours of hard work all worthwhile. His passion for music and his dedication to his students has inspired and motivated me to pursue a career in music education at Valdosta State University. His valuable practice techniques and attention to detail will stay with me for life, and I hope one day to be as inspiring and motivating to young musicians as Mr. Kimbrough was for me.