My name is Chase Ramsey, a senior highschool student currently in the school’s Advanced Band. I have been a part of school productions all of highschool and am part of the Thespian Society, nominated to be president of our troupe. I took art classes for a few years, winning two 1st place prizes, some 2nd place prizes, and a 3rd place prize. But out of all these artistic endeavors, music has remained the most prevalent. My grandmother was a choir vocalist, pretty much opera level (even though her instructor pushed her to do opera, she refused). She also was apparently in band that I didn’t know about until recently and she has some CD’s out there (look up Sherry Orr, you might find her CD listed on EBay). The musical blood in my family then dripped down into my mother, who played piano for a bit and then also decided to focus on singing. My mom then had my brothers and I, making us take some form of instrumental lessons. My brother took guitar, my younger brother took violin, and I took piano. My brothers eventually quit, but my mom kept pushing me to take piano, telling me that “until you find another instrument, you have to keep taking piano.” 6-7 years later, I figured out I wanted to learn drums. Currently, I have been taking drum lessons for 4 years. Now, I am learning and teaching myself other instruments mainly focusing on the guitar so that I can have an easier transition into bass. I also am very interested in taking vocal lessons, just to further expand my versatility, since that’s really what music is all about to me. It’s one of the most raw forms of expression ever seen in the history of the world. The versatility of it all and the hundreds upon thousands of different instruments to learn just further expands that range of musical expression. Music makes you really, truly, feel something. Playing music even more so! Feelings of melancholy from the classical guitar or a violin, to even anger and frustration from hard-hitting drums or a distorted electric guitar. Well-written songs can make someone sad, happy, angry, etc. depending on the context of the music. Songs serve as a bridge between artist and audience, connecting the two together in a raw fit of emotion. We may not all be the same, but we can all feel the same, utilizing music to express that. I want to continue to expand my abilities and grow my song writing skills. My main musical goal currently is to record and release the full album with my band and just keep making songs. I know we can go even further beyond where we are with our creativity and passion, it just takes patience and time. Alas, I most likely won’t have music as my career, as I plan on becoming a men’s mental health counselor. That being said, though, I would love to do a form of music therapy and incorporate music into the program. I also plan on continuing being in my band as a side thing, just to allow that itch to be scratched. No matter what I do, I never plan on abandoning music. It will be incorporated into my life one way or the other, otherwise I don’t know what I would do with myself, to be honest. Lastly, I want to give my condolences to the family of Marques. I understand the sentiment of a choir/band family. It’s an absolute tragedy to hear what happened. God bless, thank you so much for the opportunity!