Music is a universal interest. Everyone in the world has an enjoyment for some time of music regardless of age. Music offers people a creative and accessible way of expressing their feelings and processing their experiences. People have used music for its powerful effects on mood and emotions. I was able to see how a simple song can lift someone up at a nursing home. The first time I performed at a nursing home was my sophomore year of high school. I was incredibly nervous since I hadn’t played for a group before. The residents noticed that I was nervous and said, “don’t be nervous we are just a bunch of grandpas and grandmas.” Which surprisingly lifted a bit of my nerves. When I started playing there were maybe 5 people, but more and more people came to listen. It made me happy that people wanted to hear me play. When I played the second time, one of the residents told me that one of the pieces that I played her mother used to play for her. She said that it brought her joy to be able to remember those moments with her mother. When I came back after the pandemic, they told me how great it was to have people be able to volunteer again. Seeing them appreciate the music I played encouraged me to keep striving my goal to play music that gives people joy. However, I still have so much to learn and achieve. Your scholarship will help me to continue learning valuable lessons and spread the joy that music. It would be an honor to be selected. Thank you for consideration.

My name is Arowyn Almeida. I am a first-generation college student, Hispanic, a singer, a movie lover, a celloist, a music adorer, an anime watcher, and a reading lover. Though there are many ways to describe me, the thing that is the most accurate is an obsessor of music. For as long as I can remember, my every dream has revolved around music. I consistently run toward it in every aspect of my life. I’ve participated in piano, singing, and cello lessons. I’ve been in chorus since elementary school and have participated in orchestra since sophomore year. I’m also a member of Richmond youth symphony orchestra. I took AP music theory my junior year and played the cello at a nursing home multiple times as community service. I was a part of Tri-M Music Honor Society for two years and have participated in All County Orchestra and District Choir. Each of these experiences has helped me grow as a musician and get closer to my dream of being a celloist. I started playing the cello my freshman year of high school. I’m obsessed with the sound it generates and with the way my fingers can move to communicate the highs and lows of what I feel in my heart. I really connected with the cello when I joined Richmond Youth Symphony Orchestra in my senior year. Our first practice I felt so overwhelmed, but I was also excited for the future. Our first concert was the moment everything clicked. While I was playing on the stage, I couldn’t help but smile. I was happier than I had ever been; it was like all my life I was missing something, and I had finally found the missing piece of the puzzle. That was the day I was sure that playing music was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It is this journey of mine that has shown me how important music and art are. Music and art are what makes the world more colorful. Without it, the world seems colder. I experienced this firsthand when I found my way to the cello. Music is a way for one to express themselves and let themselves go. It can influence someone’s self-esteem and emotions. At its very core, music embodies society and human nature. It heals, calms, inspires, empowers. A society without music or art would be lifeless. We need music and art to keep the beauty and rhythm in the world. And this is why I want to continue my musical education. I want to be a part of the healing and inspiring, the communicating through harmonies. Your scholarship will help me continue chasing my musical dreams. It would be an honor to be selected. Thank you for consideration.

Music is such a complicated concept to wrap your head around. It can make you so frustrated that you want to pull you hair out. Playing the same thing over and over again till you finally get it right only for it to be less than a minute for a thirty-minute piece. G, D, E, F, G, D, E, F over and over again. It can make you crazy trying to get the part right. However, when you finally get it right it’s like a boulder has been lifted off your shoulders. You feel so happy and fulfilled that you just want to continue going. Music is addicting. Without it I feel empty, incomplete. I realized how much I need music was when I started to feel my love for music wane, when I started playing the cello, and when I joined RYSO. I first started to notice I needed music when my love for music started to wane. For as long as I can remember, my every dream has revolved around music. I always believed that I would become a singer. However, at some point during my freshman year, I began to feel like something was missing. My passion for singing began to wane as it didn’t give me the fulfillment I had once experienced. Singing began to feel more like an obligation than an act of choice and affection. And I panicked. “If I don’t become a singer, what will my life path be? Should I keep pursuing this?” I didn’t know what to do until my family connected me with a family friend for advice. He was a trombone player and a conductor in Brazil, who had studied music for over 30 years. He encouraged me to explore instruments as a way to express my love for music rather than singularly manifesting that love through singing. I was intimidated by this idea. Where in the world do I start? The second time I realized how much I need music was when I was introduced to the cello. When I started playing the cello, I slowly became obsessed. Obsessed with the sound it generates and with the way my fingers can move to communicate the highs and lows of what I feel in my heart. This may sound trite, but I have fallen in love with this magnificent instrument. Playing the cello has helped me fill a space I had in my life. I felt myself becoming excited to practice, to listen to other celloists, to craft new music; something I never felt while singing. The final time I realized how much I need music was when I joined Richmond Youth Symphony Orchestra. RYSO is an orchestra that I joined my senior year. Our first practice I felt so overwhelmed, but I was also excited for the future. Our first concert was the moment everything clicked. While I was playing on the stage, I couldn’t help but smile. I was happier than I’ve ever been; it was like all my life I was missing something, and I had finally found the missing piece of the puzzle. Art is what makes me complete. I wouldn’t be happy or kept together without music. There is nothing else in my life that I could even imagine pursuing, and I want to keep expanding my knowledge in music by going to school. Having lost a bit of my love for music, playing the cello, and joining RYSO has molded me into a great choice for this scholarship. So, please select me and thank you for your consideration.