Whether you just listen to the radio or fully devote your life to it, music is something that I think nearly everyone can benefit from. I know personally many people around me utilize music to help them feel better in tough times, to give them an escape from the world around them, or even just to have something fun to listen to so that they can pass the time. I feel that for me, music has the same effect, but I also get the added benefit of getting to play music and be one of those people that give others joy through my talents. I feel as though I chose music because of the impact that I can make for others and the joy and happiness I can make for myself. For the longest time, I have been playing music. From the numbered keys on my grandparent's badly out of tune piano with a broken D key, to the recorder karate workbook we did in elementary school, to later performing in band, music has been a key part of my life for a very long time. As I've gotten older, I've only come to appreciate how much music has helped me more and more, as well as realizing how much I truly love this form of art. For me, music is something so universal that any musician can impact any individual's life with a good performance, and that is one of the facts that I think makes becoming a musician so inspiring to so many. I feel so eternally blessed and thankful that I have the talent to help other people like that. Continuing my pursuit of music, my influences have come from all sorts of musicians. From the band director who never gave up on me, to the clarinet teachers who have taught me so much about my instrument, to the professors who have already been so friendly to me despite me not even being in college yet, I have truly been inspired and uplifted by so many other musicians. I always felt like I was alone in my passion for music for such a long time, but these individuals have made their difference in me in such a way that has helped me through some of the darkest times of my life. My biggest goal in life is to benefit other musicians out there like myself who just need that extra support. I know that I'm not the only one out there who loves music so much, and I want to find others who are struggling with that fact and show them that being a musician is such a great thing. After I graduate college, I want to combine my talents by helping others, playing music, and teaching music. While I'm not entirely sure what this will be yet, I know that I will be well equipped with the skills and mindset to go into this career and help others with these talents. I hope that others will remember me as the musician who always brought a smile to their face, or better yet, inspired them to be better. I know that I remember so many of my music influences in that way and my biggest dream would be to pass that feeling onto others. Music is something so universally great and I hope that I can showcase this amazing form of art to others throughout my life.

Ever since I was a little kid, I have been creating art. From the little crafts I used to make as a kid to the drawing tutorials I would so closely follow to volunteering to have a speaking role in my school's play-art has always been a crucial part of my life. Even though now I am more focused on music instead of other forms of art, art in general has still had such a big impact on me. I feel that this early childhood experience with art has shaped quite a few of the impacts that music was able to give me in the past few years. For me, being involved in music has allowed me to grow into the person I am today. If I would have told myself five years ago that I would be able to open up to people, be confident in myself for what I love, and live my life to the fullest potential, I would have never believed it. Back then, I was just the kid who would sit by herself in the back of the classroom with nothing to do and no one to talk to. For the longest time, I felt so alone because everyone else had all of their friends and things they liked to do and I didn't. At the end of my sixth grade year, I impulsively decided to join band, solely for the fact that my sister was going to do band and I figured that my parents would buy an instrument for me since they bought one for her. Little did I know at the time, but music soon was going to take over my life in the best way possible. Where so many systems failed me, music was always there to combat all of the issues. I had rough experiences in nearly all of my activities when I was getting into middle school, yet music was there to give me a new activity where I could have a good experience to replace the bad ones. As an honors student, I feel like my school was never able to give me a sufficient amount of work or material to keep my brain engaged and learning new things all of the time, but music was always there to bring a new challenge to me and help me grow intelligently. As a kid, there were so many adults who just wouldn't make me feel safe or welcome, and yet nearly everyone I've met through music has made me feel happy, let me be myself, and socialize for once. These are just a few examples of ways that music has helped me in a few different areas of my life, but if I listed all of them, this essay wouldn't make the word count. Through and through, music has just had so much of an impact on me in such a positive way. When it came to all of these reasons, continuing my work in the music industry was the obvious decision. I had truly found something that I loved with all of my heart and I wanted to help spread that love and positivity to more students. I can't count on my fingers all of the musicians who have had a positive impact on me and I hope that in the future I only continue to meet more of them and learn more about what makes music so special to all of us. Music has been the greatest purpose I have set myself to achieve and I only want to continue seeking it in the future.

If I'm being honest, I've never quite fit in with my peers. From living a lifestyle that would make me seem like a retired grandma on paper to wearing clothes that don't necessarily fit the standard of mainstream to graduating a whole year early from high school-I've always taken a path that was quite different from those around me. For years, I wondered why I was so different and why I didn't fit in with all of the "cool kids" at my school. However, I eventually came to realize that through my quirks I can find strength and individuality in a world that sometimes prioritizes conformity and not seeking different experiences. I feel that, for me, my difference of wanting to play music has been one of the biggest quirks that I have come to embrace. In my school, not many people care about music or ensemble participation, and, if they do, they don't surround their whole life around it. However, I'm different in the sense that I surround myself with music each and every day. I'll go help out with music classes, then go to my own private lessons, then come home and practice my instrument all in the same night. Because of this, I have been deemed a "band nerd" and a "try hard" by some of my classmates, but I could care less about what others might think of me. For me, the only opinions that matter about my music career are those of fellow musicians, and they are all nothing but supportive of my lifestyle. I remember for the longest time I was terrified to share all of my passion with the world. Part of it was messing up in front of everyone, while another part of it was just a fear of judgement. However, as I have grown to love music even more, I have also worked on growing past the fact that what I am doing is so different than what many others are doing. At the end of the day, I'm doing what makes me happy and that's all that matters. And, I'd rather spend my life knowing that I lived up to all of my potential instead of trying to please people who could probably care less about what I am doing. Letting myself forget about the differences in my own passion and instead embracing them has only made me more passionate about what I do and has allowed me to become much more expressive and unique in my performances, which has set me apart from others even more but has given me much more freedom in what I do. As hard as it can be to stand out in a crowd and take the less beaten path when making decisions, I believe that it is so much better to do that than to just become a copy of what everyone else is doing. Originality is so important in our world and I believe that choosing to embrace it is one of the best decisions that someone can make. Although my musical skills have set me apart and made me different from so many other people, I believe they have given me so much strength in different ways than I could have even expected.

Through my time playing music, I have always tried to serve the community that has given so much to me. I am well aware that a lot of my musical talents have come from other musicians in the community helping me and I am so grateful that they have been there to support me this far. My biggest hope is to influence someone else's life in the way that they have influenced mine and to help other people discover their true talents in music. Because of this, I try to take every opportunity to help others through my talents and seek new experiences in order to become better at doing so. My volunteering experience with music first started in my own middle school and high school band program, in which I took every opportunity to help out the ensemble in which I had gotten so much from. Even as just a high school student, I have been able to help out at multiple fundraisers and volunteered my time whenever it was needed in order to help the ensemble out. Through this volunteer work, I truly got to appreciate how much effort it took to keep things running smoothly and wanted to only push myself harder in order to be the best version of myself. Last summer, this came in the form of me serving as drum major, a position that I wouldn't have held in any other club that I had been in the past. This position is built on service and the willingness to always help out, which made it hard for me to initially learn how to hold this position but made it all the more rewarding when I was able to see the difference that my help had made. This service experience only further convinced me to pursue music as my full time career in the future. This past year especially, I have taken on the challenge of volunteering twice a week at Kindermusik, an early childhood development based learning center that teaches students about different things using music and later teaches students the basics of playing music. Through volunteering there for three months, I have learned so much about what early education music teachers do and how children can learn through music. Although I am not fully teaching any lessons nor leading any exercises, I still am able to walk around and help them with reading sheet music, keeping a beat, or playing the right notes on their instruments. In addition to that, I am able to move things around the room and help the transitions needed during class to go as smoothly as possible. I am overall so thankful that I get to work in an environment that will be so similar to what I want to work in and learn different techniques and methods that I can use in my future career. For me, my education will only further help me to serve my community in the future. Through my studies in music, I hope that one day I can form a career that will allow me to perform music, help others, and teach music to others. My dream is that this career will still allow me to do what I love doing while allowing me to make a difference in the community around me that has shaped so much of who I am today. I know that I hold a talent that so many people don't have any I am enthusiastic to use my skills to help better the world around me.

Has there ever been someone in your life who has made such a profound impact on you that it inspired you to follow in their footsteps and continue on their legacy? Even though this is such a specific example, I'm sure several people would be able to point out at least one person who has inspired them in such a way. For me, this person has been my band director, who has shown me so much endless support and helped me throughout my entire musical career. He has truly given me so much support and my wish throughout my own career is to become as good of an educator and musician as him. My name is Lilly Hertel and I am a senior at Tecumseh High School. As a student, I have always strove to be the best possible version of myself and have taken several honors courses, dual credit courses, and AP classes. In addition to this, I have also taken several classes early, which has allowed me to be able to graduate early while still maintaining a perfect GPA. It has also led me to get a great financial aid offer at the University of Evansville and led me to get accepted into their honors program. I am excited to be attending this University in the fall in order to double major in music education and music therapy. As prestigious as my academics have been, I'm way more than just a letter on a sheet of paper. For me, I'm a musician--and I strive to be the best possible version of myself through my musical work. My true passion has always been playing my clarinet and creating art through my music. I love to be able to share my gift with the world and show others just how much fun playing music can be. As I mentioned earlier, one of my biggest inspirations is my band director, who has always been so supportive of my musical career. Because of all of his work, I have been able to make it where I am today, and I am so thankful to have had him in my life. My hope is that in the future I will become even just a fraction of who he is and that I can help others to find their gifts in music as he has helped me to find mine. My goal is to just help people smile, have a little fun, and find a hobby that they can enjoy for the rest of their lives Although this path hasn't always been the easiest, I am still so excited to continue on with my goals. I truly believe that my studies at college will assist me in becoming the best musician I can be and I will be able to help others through my talents after graduation. Music is just something that is so connecting for so many people and I am so thankful that I am one of the people that can share my gift in this way. I am so enthusiastic to get the opportunity to continue my studies in the fall and I cannot wait until I can learn how to truly help others with my gift.

I choose to address the curriculum standard of the Fine Arts. I choose this standard because not only am I passionate about it, but I also feel that sometimes it is underrepresented in the world of education. When everyone thinks of school, they usually think of classes like mathematics, English, or science. While I believe that all of those classes are important, I also believe that classes like art or music can help develop a child's creativity in ways that those classes can't. My hope was to help the fine arts become more well known and recognized by these students in classrooms through this poster. Through this poster, I used lots of colors that I feel both younger and older students could appreciate. I made sure to keep the palette bright in order to keep the younger students entertained, but not too bright to where older students would see it as elementary. I also used language that most students could comprehend with little to no help, no matter their age. I also made sure to include visual drawings of all four types of fine arts that I discuss on this poster in order to help the students better visualize and understand the different types of fine arts. Through the information, I tried to answer questions that I feel students might have about a fine arts program with relevant information. I also did my best to keep these answers somewhat concise as to not bore any of these kids. I also used a font that could be easily read by both younger and older students and added a rainbow of colors in the back to reflect all of the different colors that could be used when making physical art. I feel that visual learning is so important in K-12 classrooms because it helps them visualize what they are learning about. It is true that you can tell a student all about a concept and they can understand what you are saying, but oftentimes they don't fully understand how each concept works until they see it for themselves. Seeing what they are learning about in images or in action can help students to better comprehend the different materials and it can make it easier for them to understand all of the different concepts. And, in a classroom that is constantly teaching many different skills that are necessary for students to retain, it is so important that they are able to fully understand what they are learning. Overall, I believe that this poster could be a great introduction to the fine arts for some students. I personally don't ever recall being properly taught about the fine arts-and I feel that it is so important that students in the future are able to learn about them. I believe that through the use of drawings, easy to understand text, and graphics these students would be able to comprehend a lesson that utilized this poster. Through and through, the visuals of this poster could help aid students so that they can better understand the fine arts.

My name is Lilly Hertel, and I am a senior at Tecumseh High School. This fall, I am planning on attending the University of Evansville in order to double major in music education and music therapy. Through these degrees, I am hoping to obtain a career that combines my talents in performing music with teaching music and helping others. I am hoping that through this career I can help others in the way that I have been helped by members of the music community. As a musician, working with others who share my passion has always been really important to me. Whether I am working alongside my teachers to find the best music for myself or working alongside my peers to put on a performance, working with others has always been such a large part of what makes what I do so special. I think it is really interesting how I can work alongside people my age and make some ink on a page into a performance that can impact so many people positively. I have also been so heavily affected by all of the teachers and mentors who have guided me to where I am today. Without many of them, I wouldn't have been able to grow so much as a musician, and I firmly believe that I should do my part and continue on their legacy for generations to come. I am hoping that through my work I can inspire younger students to work hard at learning different instruments and want to pursue music themselves. Music has truly been one of the things in my life that has made me the happiest-and I want to help younger students to find that happiness for themselves. I just know how it feels to perform music and how much it can truly increase one's happiness, which has made me all the more passionate about helping others to discover what joys playing music can be. My hope is that I can help just one student to really fall in love with music. Even if that doesn't happen, I am at least hoping that I can make someone's day a little brighter, or even just give them a class that gives them a break from the hustle and bustle of life. For me, things like that have made all the difference and I know that there has got to be someone else out there who might need a little help discovering that joy. Overall, I dream that one day I can help others the way I have been helped by my own music teachers. Music has been such an influential part of my life and I want to share that passion with the world. My biggest hope is that one day I can work to help others discover their musical passions and help my local music community to become stronger. This community of musicians has truly given me so many opportunities and so much encouragement, and I hope that I work hard so that this legacy can continue on for generations.

Going into middle school, I envisioned myself participating in four activities: dance, student council, theater, and softball. However, due to a combination of lack of talent, no luck getting into these activities, and rough experiences, I quickly found myself out of anything to do. However, this all changed when I spontaneously decided to join band. I honestly don't know what exactly prompted me to join band, but looking back at it, I am so glad I did because it really changed my life. I first started playing clarinet whenever I was in seventh grade, and thus I had to work extra hard in class in order to catch up with my peers who had already had a year of experience. Each day, I worked through the beginner workbook at school and later continued to work outside of class at home on concert music. As hard as it was to work so tirelessly on something that I wasn't initially great at, I slowly started to fall in love with the idea of playing music. Only about six months after I had started playing clarinet, I had decided that I wanted to dedicate my life towards the instrument. Because of this, I started to work even harder and took private lessons as I finished up middle school. After taking private lessons, I only continued to challenge myself to seek different opportunities, which started to catch the attention of my band director. This caused me to get recognition in different ways and allowed me to perform as a second chair during my freshmen year of high school. My sophomore year, I started to take clarinet lessons again and was able to learn how to play various different solos. As hard as it was to progress to harder music and playing faster rhythms, it really helped me to rediscover my love for the clarinet. While my passion started with playing catchy rhythms, this change helped me to fall in love with playing fast runs and tricky passages. From there, I only continued to strove to be the best possible version of myself. I was able to perform Group 1 solos for the past couple of years, and I have earned a gold rating at the state level for both years. I have also been able to serve as drum major for my marching band, which helped me to learn what it was like to be a music educator while learning the responsibilities of being a leader. I have also played in two honor bands and a youth orchestra this past year alone, which has taught me a lot about playing music at a higher level. Right now, I am working on perfecting what I practice and am working through a practice plan that my future clarinet professor has recommended to me. In the fall, I will be attending the University of Evansville to double major in music education and music therapy. There, I hope to study under lots of great professors and learn all of the skills that I need to know for becoming the best possible musician I can be. After I graduate, I hope to find a career that can combine performing music, teaching music, and helping others. Although I am not sure entirely what this career will be yet, I am hoping that through my studies in college I will figure it out. Overall, I just want to help others in the music community in all of the ways that I have been helped thus far throughout my musical career.

It was a rough day at school when I had forcefully dragged myself into the practice room. At the time, I was stressed because we had a pep assembly that I would have to lead the band into with little warning or preparation. I knew that I had the skills to lead my band-I was drum major before that and had fully filled in for my band director, this should have been a cakewalk. However, I still found myself stressed about all of the timing aspects and things that were simply out of my control. Although I was mentally struggling, I knew that going to the practice room to play clarinet was my happy place. As I started to warm up with some scales, I felt my anxiety start to turn into feeling content. Playing only continued to help me feel better, and, as I moved onto some orchestra music and a solo that I was working on, those negative feelings only continued to work themselves out. Eventually, I was able to get myself to feel much better and, although I couldn't fully resolve my feelings, I felt able to handle them in a much better way. For me, music has always been that outlet and it has been a place for me to escape into something that makes me feel good. No matter if I am feeling the best or the worst, playing music is something that can help me feel better about not only my current emotional state, but also myself. I think it is so powerful that something as simple as the way that sound is created can impact someone so deeply, and that is part of the reason why music is so meaningful to me. It gives me a safe space to just be myself without fear of judgement or being ridiculed by others. To me, music is also so much more than just a safe space to let my emotions out. It is also a place to find community and support for not only just my musical endeavors, but also for what I do in my day-to-day life. Through music, I have found so many teachers, professors, mentors, and other musicians that are willing to do anything to help others out. This has helped me to grow to a place that I had no idea I could reach on my own, and so many of these people have inspired me to only chase my dreams harder and decide to go to school for music. I know that as I grow older and work to meet these dreams I will carry on some of what they have given to me. Even if it is just as simple as showing younger students the fingerings my clarinet teachers have shown me or supporting younger students musically in the way that my band director has done, I hope that I can only continue to make the music community a place that can be cherished. Overall, music is something that brings me so much joy in so many ways. It can make even the dullest days better and it can bring light to both the good and bad moments of life. Playing music these past few years has really given me this outlet to express any of my emotions in a healthy way and has given me a place to be my authentic self. Not only that, but the people around me have given me a community that I otherwise wouldn't have found. Through and through, music is so meaningful to me because it has given so much to me.

Throughout my high school career, every night has been filled with doing something to help me in my future. From working, to volunteering, to participating in activities, to studying, I have always worked hard to create the future that I want for myself. Because of this, I have been able to make it to great feats and get a great financial aid offer from my college of choice. However, this financial aid offer still won't fully cover all of the many expenses that come with college. Due to my experiences in all of my activities and my dedication, I believe that I should be considered for this scholarship. Academically, I have been able to maintain a 4.0 GPA over my entire high school career. Although this was difficult at times due to the harder coursework I was taking, I still persevered and strove to get the highest grades I could get. Because of this, I have been recognized not only by my school, but also by Big Future through the National Recognition Award. In addition to this, I have worked so hard that I am able to graduate from high school an entire year early and start my career early. Even through the difficult challenges this has created for me, I have been able to continually grow academically and as a person through my high school career. As for my extracurricular activities, I have held several throughout the past few years. Mainly, I participate in playing music through ensembles. I have been an active member of my high school band even before I was in high school myself and it has made all the difference in my life. Because of my participation in this activity, I have learned to be a much stronger musician, more patient, and more organized. Through band, I have been able to play in many different environments and learn quite a lot about music. In addition to that, I held the position of drum major this past year and I was able to learn quite a bit more about leading an ensemble through that. Overall, band has had quite an influence on me and has truly helped me discover my passion for music. Alongside band, I also play in the Evansville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. There, I get to learn about all the different types of music throughout history and learn about playing with a larger ensemble. This has helped me to become a better musician and become more confident in playing my instrument. In addition to holding a role in two large ensembles, I have also participated in a few honor bands over the years. I have participated in the Indiana All Region Honor Band, the Indiana All District Honor Band, the Purdue Fort Wayne Three Rivers Honor Band, and the All Star Honor Band. Through these ensembles, I have been able to learn a lot more information about playing with groups and have had time to work one-on-one with others who specialize in my instrument. I have also participated in Solo and Ensemble every year in high school and have made it to the state level twice now. Due to all of this experience playing music, I have grown so much and have truly become so much better at my instrument. Outside of playing music, I also volunteer twice a week at Kindermusik. This place hosts classes for younger students teaching them how to play a few instruments and read music. Through volunteering there, I have learned a lot about what it is like to teach music and how younger students can learn music most easily. I also have held a job at Holiday Foods for over two and a half years now. This has taught me how to be more responsible as a person and how to always give my best effort at everything I do. It has also taught me about how to talk to others more easily and I have learned several money management skills from it as well. Through all of my activities, I have truly improved so much as a person and have become the best version of myself. This fall, I will be attending the University of Evansville for both music education and music therapy. I chose this University because of its distance from my home, its stellar music program, and its small campus and community. I believe that because of the way this college is set up, I will have the best possible experience and will have a place to safely grow as a musician. I also believe that this college will help me to become the best version of myself as a musician and help me to feel fully prepared for my future career. After I graduate, I hope to find a career that combines performing music, helping others, and teaching music. Through this career, I hope to help others throughout their musical journeys the way that those around me have helped me. Thanks for considering me for this scholarship. If I were to receive this scholarship, I would use it to further support my music career and help pay off the debts that would come with college. I hope that through applying to scholarships and grants like this, I can pay off most of my college debts before I even graduate. Through and through, I believe that these opportunities can help a hard working individual like myself to thrive even better in an environment like college.

This past weekend, I performed a clarinet solo at my state's district event. It was just around five minutes long, utilized two different time signatures as well as two different key signatures, and had moments that were both very slow and very fast. Looking just at the music, this is something that I think last year I would have never been able to do. However, I was able to grow over the past year through the strength of several relationships with other musicians. These musicians have helped me become who I am today, and I am so honored and thankful to know that they will continue to be there for me as I pursue my degrees in music. I remember when my clarinet teacher introduced me to my solo. At the time, I had just finished performing my first ever group 1 solo at the state level, which I had earned gold for. I remember the feeling of looking at it the first time, just dreading having to play all of those quick rhythms at such a quick speed. However, my clarinet teacher believed that I could do it and urged me to practice it at home. I feel that belief in someone is something so small that could happen at any time in nearly any context, but sometimes we still take it for granted. Belief and encouragement have played such a large role in my career as a clarinet player and the chance to become something someone believed you could be was so intriguing to me. Because of this, I ended up listening to this solo many times and getting the general flow of it down over a period of a couple of weeks. I still remember the excitement on my clarinet teacher's face as I finished up playing it for the first time. That feeling of impressing someone who wants to encourage you and help you through your career is so amazing, and I really feel that it is very inspiring. As I got closer to performing this solo, I worked alongside many more musicians to perfect my craft. I really feel that my current clarinet teacher helped me a lot with the expression of the music. This piece I was working on is an Italian solo written by an opera composer, so nearly all of the dynamics and articulation were extremely exaggerated. However, my current clarinet teacher encouraged me in a safe space to explore those options and gave me good metaphors to think about when playing my solo. This helped me to only improve on my solo further and make it more entertaining and interesting. He also helped me with several of the difficult runs, which I really appreciated as I continued working on this piece. Although he didn't really help me with this solo, I believe that my band director has had one one of the best influences on my musical career. I still remember being that lost little kid learning how to play clarinet for the first time. I feel that my band director played a huge influence on me in terms of getting me from that confused young student to who I am today, and I am so thankful for that. Through his work, I have been so encouraged to be more than I ever thought I could be. My band director alone has inspired me to take upon the role of drum major, play in orchestra, and seek other forms of support throughout my musical career. Through this, I have truly got to become the best possible version of myself not only as a musician, but also as a person. Even though I only mentioned a few people in this essay, there are still so many others that have impacted my life as well. From the clarinet professors who have helped me, to the orchestra leaders who have worked with me, to the several musicians I've met through honor bands, I have truly been so fortunate and blessed to have had so many relationships in the music community. The support and kindness of many musicians throughout my career has not only allowed me to get a gold this past weekend and advance to state, but also made me want to only take it farther and pursue music in the professional sense. I hope that through the relationships I have formed, I will be able to continue growing as a musician and one day form that type of relationship with a younger musician.

My whole life I have always been told to help others if I was able to. When I was younger, this meant that I would be expected to help out at community events, help my parents when asked, and do what was right. However, as I've grown up, this has changed over time. Now, helping others to me means that I should truly try to go above and beyond to give someone the best possible experience, and, in my opinion, that is exactly what healthcare is about. For me, I have always loved helping people through what I love most: music. Music has always been something I have really enjoyed even from a young age. These past few years especially, I have really spent a lot of time and energy learning all about music and how to play different types of instruments. For this reason, I was ecstatic whenever I learned that music therapy was an option. This career combines the healthcare practice of giving therapy with the art of making music. I personally feel as though this is a really interesting mix of combining art with science, and thus it has made me interested in this degree. One thing I really love about music therapy is how versatile it is, which means that there is a wide variety of people I can serve in my future. Music therapy is available for anyone of any age, and music therapists are taught to serve anyone. Music therapists can also work in a variety of different environments, from working with younger children with special needs to working with older people with memory loss to anywhere in between. In addition to that, music therapy is an ever growing field that is only becoming bigger and more popular, which means it is coming to more and more places. Because of this, I believe that pursuing this degree has many different interesting outcomes that can be given to me. As a woman in the healthcare field, I want to make a positive impact by setting an example for all of the little girls out there who might be scared to do something like this. I feel like there is still some stigma against women pursuing some degree options, especially those that might be unfamiliar to the general public like music therapy. I also feel that there is still some stigma about pursuing music as a degree in general due to people feeling like being a musician as a career means that one is constantly struggling to pay bills and live life to their fullest. I hope that through my career in music therapy, I can inspire other girls out there to pursue their dreams, no matter how big or small they may be. I hope that whether they want to pursue music like myself, or do something totally different, my energy and enthusiasm will inspire them to do what they want, and that's all I really want. I want to help others, and I feel like music therapy through and through will give me so many opportunites to do that.

Learning an instrument is a difficult task for anyone, let alone someone who doesn't have the proper support system. This is something that I used to worry would keep me from ever playing my instrument to the best of my ability. I always thought that band would just throw me in there and not support me in the way I needed. However, I have been very fortunate to have had the best band program to support me, and I am so incredibly thankful for that. Because of my circumstances, I haven't got to spend nearly the amount of time that I could have in my band program. I first joined band a year later than everyone else and now I am gradating high school a year early. Both of these factors have lead me to have much less time to grow as not only a person, but also a musician. However, I still feel like my band program has allowed me to do both in so many ways. I used to be terrified of public speaking or even just general socialization with my peers. I was always the quiet kid who would just prefer to sit in a corner over introducing myself. However, my band program has given me the community to feel safe to slowly start to socialize. Through my band program, I have found so many people that, like myself, share a passion for music. This has made it so much easier to socialize with others and to finally open up about myself and my interests. The amount of opportunities that my band program has given me has also been crazy. Because we are a relatively small band program, my band director has been able to focus on each individual student's best interests as well as the best interest of the group. This has allowed my band director to notice my talents in music and do a lot to foster them. Due to this, I have been given opportunities not only in my band, but also around my community that other members of my band have not been given. I have been able to attend different honor bands, perform in many different locations, and find new musical opportunities all around my state due to my band director's help, which has only helped me to improve as a musician. One of the biggest ways that my band program has helped me improve as a musician is by letting me serve as drum major this past year. This position put me in a place that, to be honest with myself, I was not comfortable with. I always used to be terrified of not only taking an authoritative position over my classmates, but also being a leader over just being a bystander. However, becoming drum major has helped me through those issues. It forced me into a position that I needed to change myself for, and I am so thankful that I was able to have such a safe space like my band program to comfortably do so. Overall, I am so thankful that I have been able to be so involved in my band program over these last few years. I feel that I have truly been able to have a home and a community for the first time in my life. Not only that, but I have been able to feel so accepted and loved for who I am as a person. Although band has changed me as a person, I feel that these changes were for the better and have made me who I am today.

"Why am I so.....different?" It's a question that I'm sure we have all asked ourselves. It's really easy to look up and down at yourself in a mirror and wonder why you don't fit in with the people around you, especially when you're young and confused about the world anyways. That's what was happening to me in the middle of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, and I was stuck being the awkward age where you don't know where you quite belong yet. However, there was a movie that really stuck with me around that time, and I quite literally think it is probably what kept me sane. I had first watched this movie, Trolls World Tour, the day it had came out. I had been a huge fan of the first movie since I had saw it in theaters and my mom had already promised me that we would go see it whenever it came out. After the pandemic hit, she still kept that promise and we rented the movie for a couple of days. Going into it, I was initially doubting how good the sequel could be compared to the original film. However, it turns out that I was wrong. Behind its colorful characters, catchy music, and stunning animation, Trolls World Tour has a message to share, and it's that our differences should be not only accepted, but also celebrated. The characters of the movie struggle for a long time trying to figure that out. Some believe that people can only get along if they are all the same, others believe that differences can only hurt a relationship, and some believe that their own differences are bad things and should be hidden. Eventually, near the end, they all finally figure out that none of those ideas are correct and while differences shouldn't be shamed, they also shouldn't be changed so that everyone fits in with one another. All of the tribes shown in the movie are different in their own, beautiful ways. Each of them look different, like different music, and act differently. However, that doesn't stop them in the end from getting to know and love each other. I think it is so important how these characters can look past their differences and, even if they don't fully understand them, get to know and love the people around them. I feel that the message that Trolls World Tour sends is one that can impact anyone, no matter who they are. I know that I myself have felt constantly judged whenever I have done something different in my life. However, this movie has given me peace. It has helped me to learn that something being different from what others are used to doesn't make it a bad thing. Just because I still want to dress in fun colors, act silly sometimes, and watch movies with a younger demographic doesn't make me less of the person I am. I can still be kind, caring, and hardworking even if all of these facts are true. This is something that I feel that has really helped me to be the person I am today. It's hard to be different, but that shouldn't mean that we can't be different. Everyone is unique in their own ways, and that's what makes things interesting. We all have something different to give to the world, and I feel as though that is what really helps us all to be the best versions of ourselves. I feel as though Trolls World Tour really said it best,"Denying our differences is denying the truth of who we are."

When many people think of healthcare, they usually think of doctors, nurses, and medicine. Now, don't get me wrong, those parts of healthcare are truly important to society and we need them, but I fully believe that those parts alone can't always fully heal someone. That's why I believe that therapists, particularly music therapists, are a truly beneficial part of healthcare. They can take a mentally hurting person and help them to feel somewhat normal again-and that's something that medicine can't quite do yet. Through my choice of a career in music therapy, I plan to improve the lives of others through healthcare by giving them the support that traditional healthcare can't always give them. For me, music has been one of the biggest parts of my life ever since I first joined band in seventh grade. At the time, I was the new kid there and I still hadn't really found my place in the ensemble. However, after lots of practice and hard work, I was able to build myself up through the band. Through my hard work, I have been able to participate in various different ensembles and reach feats that I never thought I could reach. Band has truly been one of the best parts of my life ever since I have started it. Due to my love of music and band, I have also developed several close bonds with my music teachers and mentors. Through their support, I have been highly uplifted to continue my hard work and keep going with what I do, even when I am struggling. I feel that several of these relationships with them have inspired me to support younger people as they have supported me. This is what led me to wanting to pursue music therapy, which I found very interesting due to the combination of a form of art with a medical practice. My hope is that through my career as a music therapist I will be able to give some support to others as many people above me have given to me. I feel as though I would help someone with a lung disease or a rare medical condition by just giving them a place to feel like they can be themselves. Music has been proven to be calming whenever it is utilized correctly, and I feel as though I could use that to help them get rid of their worries. I would also help them feel like they have a place where they can be safe with their rare condition and not have to worry about someone wanting to study them or give them a new treatment. I feel like music therapy in particular might help some of them look at the medical field with a better light, especially if they have had past medical struggles. Overall, I hope to improve the lives of all of my patients by just giving them a different type of support and helping them through their struggles in that way.

My name is Lilly Hertel and I am a senior at Tecumseh High School. I am planning on pursuing both music education and music therapy this fall at the University of Evansville. These degrees will lead me towards a full time job that combines my performance skills as a musician with my other passions of teaching and helping others. My hope is that through my time at the University of Evansville I will only continue to get a better idea as to what I fully want to do in the future. Currently, I am one of the most active members of my high school band. I show up to nearly all of the performances, practice my instrument most nights, and am always willing to do what it takes to reach success. Because of this, I have been able to become drum major, participate in various honor bands, and even get a gold medal at the state level of solo and ensemble. In addition to all of that, I also perform as a first chair clarinet in the Evansville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. Through all of this musical experience I have gained, I truly believe that music can be one of the best aspects of many people's lives-which is why I am so set on helping others throughout their musical journeys. In addition to all of my musical activities, I also volunteer at Kindermusik on Mondays and Wednesdays. Kindermusik is an early childhood development based education center that helps teach younger students about not only the world around them through music, but simple music skills. This volunteer work has given me an idea of what I will be doing in the future and has helped me want to chase my dreams even more. In the future, if I started a charity, I would choose to have it be based around making learning music affordable and available to everyone who wishes to do so. It would allow musicians to donate their older, used instruments so that new musicians could get them donated to them if they could not afford their own. In addition to that, we would also take monetary donations in order to fund instrument cleanings/repairs. At this company, volunteers would work in many different departments based on their skills. For those who don't have much music experience, they would be placed in departments that deal with sorting the instruments and eventually getting them out to the new recipients. For those with musical experience, I would have them clean the instruments and repair the instruments. Overall, I feel that a company like this would be very valuable for people that want to pursue music but might not have the money to do so.

This semester, I have been volunteering with youth music classes and helping teach younger students about music. Through this, I have been able to encourage these students to keep up the hard work and to continue learning music. It has truly meant the world for me to be able to help these kids by using something that I already excel at. Although I'm not helping any of these kids through too serious of mental health issues, I still feel the impact that I am making on their lives by helping foster a place that they can be their true, authentic selves in. Because of this, I want to pursue music therapy as part of my future career. My hope is that I can continue to help other students through my musical talents and give them a place that they can be themselves in. I know that music has given me a healthy place to express my emotions and I hope that through my future career I can give that experience to others. In this world, there is still so much unnecessary stigma around mental health and I hope that I can help break that throughout my career. Music was one of the things that helped me keep going throughout the hardest mental health challenge of my life and I hope that I can help even just one person to heal mentally the same way as I did.

I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that music quite literally saved my life. I was in seventh grade when I randomly decided to join band. I don't know why I really joined band, I mean, my sister was joining band the same year and so maybe I figured my parents would let me do the same. All I know is that I joined band for some reason that is still unclear to me today. However, what I do know is that this very decision was the best decision of my life. At the time, I was really lost in this world. I had just come out of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic and was stuck being a kid who was rapidly growing in a world that was rapidly changing. I don't know what I thought band would do for me, but it ended up becoming everything for me. Even when all of my other activities that I had grown to love throughout my childhood had disappeared, become unavailable to me, or turned toxic for me, band was always there for me. During this unstable time, I was able to know that I was able to rely on being able to attend band class every day and get some joy from that. After that, I only continued to work hard at band and took my progress of playing my instrument into my own hands. My eighth grade year I participated in both high school marching band and pep band and learned a lot about playing that style of music. After that, I only continued to seek out harder music, with a focus on learning different kinds of classical music. I was eventually able to achieve this by playing harder solos, getting accepted to my local youth orchestra, and taking private lessons. I also became drum major this past year and was able to get to see a whole different side of marching band. Through all of this, I was able to finally find out who I am as a person and I finally felt like I had a place in this world. My newest accomplishment with music has been starting to volunteer with younger students. Since I have loved music so much throughout my middle school and high school careers, I have decided to pursue it in the workplace. I eventually found a place that was local to me that served younger students through the use of music education. Once I discovered that I could potentially volunteer there, I started to go there a couple days a week and help out. Although I have just started this volunteer work, I can already feel the difference it has made in my life. It has truly helped me appreciate how much music can help people and I love seeing the light in these kids' eyes sparkle whenever they play music. This fall, I will be studying both music education and music therapy. I am really excited for this and can't wait to spend every day at college learning more about one of my greatest passions. Music has truly given me the opportunity to be myself, and my biggest hope is to give that opportunity to another person like myself. Even if I just help one person out, I feel that it would mean the world to me. Music has been the greatest thing that I have ever got to experience and I just want to pass on that passion to others in any way I can.

Thinking back in your life, there have probably been numerous occasions when you have worn gloves. From wanting to add a fashion statement to your outfit, to protecting your hands from danger, to keeping your hands warm, there are many instances where gloves can benefit society. However, having gloves on quickly becomes annoying whenever you have to use electronics, eat a meal, or touch something that you can't touch with your gloves. During these times, I have found that I can't usually set my gloves down on a table without fear of them getting stolen or lost, I can't balance them in my hands alongside numerous other items, and I can't shove them in my pocket without worrying about them falling out. Because of this, I have created the idea of a glove holder. I first came up with this idea this past summer during marching band. During that time, I was drum major and would constantly need a good place to put my gloves in between reps of our show. Because of this, I crocheted a glove holder-a little pouch with a strap to put around my neck or shoulder. Throughout the rest of the season, I really utilized this glove holder and wore it during every practice. It helped me quite a lot to keep debris off of my gloves while I was climbing up and down my stand, helping other students, and taking water breaks. And, due to the resourcefulness that I found out of it, I feel that others in different positions would really be able to utilize it. To do this, I would design a pouch that has a small plastic window to see the gloves. I would then add Velcro around the edges to help ensure that this pouch doesn't allow dirt into it. I would also have it come with multiple straps; one for wear around the user's neck or shoulder and the other for wear around the user's arm or belt. I would also have this product come in multiple colors so that different people with different uses would be able to purchase the color that suits them best. I would get a factory to help produce these glove holders and use it to be able to ship them around the world. I would also help ensure that this factory uses clean energy and recycles what it can so that my product would look better compared to other companies' ideas. To advertise, I would get my ad on a local billboard near a place that could utilize my invention, such as a hospital or a mechanic's shop. I would also try and get my product on an online store, like Amazon, as soon as possible. Finally, I would give free samples to my friends and family so that they could refer others to my brand whenever they were questioned about their glove holders. Overall, I feel like this innovation could really help the world. I have truly seen the impact that it had on my life and I feel that others could see it in theirs as well. Although this idea may seem far fetched and impossible, I believe that someone could make it happen. Through and through, I feel like many people could benefit from a product like this in many different aspects of their lives.

To me, being a first generation college student is being able to become something that my parents never could be. My dad had the means to go to college, but never wanted to go past getting his associate's degree. My mom, on the other hand, was forced to drop out of college due to high costs. Because neither of them got a bachelor's degree, they always wanted me to push the limits in my career choice and reach my dreams. And, for that reason, I have always tried my best to work hard to help reach my future dreams. Through my life, one of the biggest issues that I have had to face is finding my place in this world. Growing up, I was never truly an outcast in this world but I was never really popular either. For many years, I struggled to know where I belong in this world. That's when I discovered the world of music. Although it was initially difficult to learn an instrument, especially since I joined band a year late, I eventually caught up to my peers with a lot of practice and hard work. Ever since then, I have been working hard at playing music and have gotten many achievements. Although I have had my fair share of difficulties, such as self doubt and communication issues, I have worked past those issues and now am able to feel good about myself as a musician. While so many things make me feel out of place in the community I live in, music has given me a perfect place to fully express myself. My dream is to attend the University of Evansville in the fall and double major in music education and music therapy. Music has truly been one of the best things in my life thus far and I want to help other people in this world through my love of music. My dream is to help others through music and maybe inspire others to follow the same path as me. I also hope that through this path I can continue to play music every day and enjoy myself while doing so. I believe that this scholarship would only help me to reach my goals of going to college because it would aid me through the financial burden of getting a higher education. My mom was only able to go to college for one year before she had to drop out, and it breaks my heart that she never truly got to get the higher education she wanted. For that reason, I know that I have to graduate college and get my degree and I don't want her to feel that pain again. Through this scholarship and others, I believe that I could get the assistance that I need to help get my degrees and make my parents proud. Although I know this path won't be easy either way, I know that I am willing to continue on it and get my degrees.

Wake up, go to school, go to practice, get home, doom scroll, and fall asleep. That's what my life used to look like nearly every day almost three years ago. At the time, I was an eighth grader, and even though I was young, I was sick of that system. I was sick of school, sick of never feeling like I was enough, sick of nearly everything. I wasn't thriving in any of my activities and would spend most nights crying my eyes out hoping that all of the pain would end. Even my favorite activity, playing clarinet, became difficult for me and I would instead start comparing myself to other musicians who were much better than me. That period of my life was so incredibly hard for me, and the worst part about it is that I never felt like I could truly tell anyone about these issues. Before I myself suffered mentally, I don't think I ever really considered how bad mental health could get. Most of what I remember about that time of my life was just me feeling miserable and never really happy anywhere I went. Fortunately for me, I was able to slowly heal and now I am able to truly thrive in my life. However, I am aware that there are many people out there who suffered for way longer than I did, and there are still many people out there who never get to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Because of all of my experience, I have been inspired to help others to reach happiness and feel normal again. No one deserves to silently suffer while watching the world still spin around, and I want to help others recover from that. During my college career, I am going to study music therapy so that I can help others with their mental health issues while utilizing one of my favorite things in this world, music. I know that music has been one of the key parts of my life that helped me through many difficult times for my mental health and I hope that I can pass on that experience to others through my career. My hope is by doing this I can help even just one person to recover from mental health issues. Mental health is very unpredictable, and no one can predict when a mental health crisis can strike someone. Because of this, I think it is very important that we as a society bring more awareness towards mental health and the actions we can take to help better someone's mental health. I was very lucky in the fact that I was able to heal mentally over time and was able to find my happiness throughout my life as I got older. However, there are numerous others who have never got to make it to that point, and I think that that factor is truly unfair. While I know that in my career as a mental health worker I will have my fair set of struggles, I am still so ready to get out into the workforce and help others find their happiness again.

Going into middle school was probably one of the scariest times for me. For one, the world had been in a global pandemic, with me having to miss the last few months of elementary school altogether. Not only that, but the activities that I relied on growing up were all suddenly unattainable for me to do, which made me quite lonely. However, things started to change when I was forced to take a class that was split into choir one half and a study hall the other. Through that study hall, I was able to meet the teacher who changed my life forever. This teacher, who I will be calling Mr. K, was the band teacher at my middle school and high school. Because the band teacher before him was so strict, I was initially scared of not only joining band, but him as a person. However, that all changed on my first day of middle school, when I met him. I remember that he said,"Does anyone else's mask smell like chicken tenders? Or is it just me because I have a beard?" From then on, I knew that this study hall with him would be anything but nerve wrecking. During it, we would go on to play lots of games with Mr. K, which was really fun. Because of this, and the fact that my sister was joining band the following year, I decided that I would join band. Although band was initially difficult, I eventually started to catch up with my peers. I remember that for the first few weeks I would practice every day in a practice room, learning how to play clarinet to the best of my abilities. This all changed whenever I was in band class and Mr. K came up and put a music stand by my chair instead of telling me to go to a practice room. After that, I was able to work with the band, which inspired me to go on and also practice at home. Through that year, I was able to become tremendously better and even became a section leader in my band. In my eighth grade year, I was able to participate in both marching band and pep band. Both of these high school ensembles allowed me to become a much better musician much faster, which really helped me to stand out among my peers. Also around this time, Mr. K started to see something different in me than in other students. Because of this, he put all of his effort into making sure I could be the best possible musician I could be. Through his work ever since then, I have been able to participate in numerous honor bands, become drum major, compete in a state level solo and ensemble, and join a local youth orchestra. Through my nearly twelve years of education, not many teachers have truly stood out to me that way that Mr. K has. Both in and out of school he has always been one of my biggest supporters in everything that I do. Honestly, I am having such a hard time fitting all the good about him into this word count because there is just so much that he has done. Music education has probably been what has helped me the most throughout the past few years, and for that reason I want to help the next generation of music students succeed in what they do. I am hoping that through my future career, I can be a good band director, teacher, and supporter like Mr. K has been to me.

Because of my academics, higher education has always been seen as the best option for me. Due to neither of my parents getting much of a higher education, I was always pushed by them to become something better and to use my academic talents to reach those goals. For that reason, I have spent the past few years in school trying to become the best version of myself and making sure that I got into college. For me, education is important because it provides the pathway for me to reach my dreams. While my family has never truly financially struggled, I am well aware that it is much harder for my parents to find well-paying jobs than it might be for other families. My dad was able to get his associate's degree, but never really sought much higher education after that. Instead, he just got a job where that was the degree requirement and was able to work through that. My mom, on the other hand, was set up to get a degree in Veterinary Science, but was forced to drop out of college due to the high cost. Instead, the past couple decades she has had to work part time in various cafeterias, with her only being able to get a full time job when I entered my freshman year of high school. Due to this experience, my parents have always been very supportive of me and my sister wanting to pursue higher education. They have always made sure to take us to all of our activities, support us having jobs, and always do everything in their power to take care of us. For me, realizing how much my parents care about me getting higher education has made me care about getting higher education even more than I could have realized. Because of that, I have tried to become the best possible candidate for higher education that I can be and work as hard as I can to reach my goals. Through my hard work, I have truly been able to learn how education can truly help me get to where I need to be. Because of a few teachers, I have been able to make it to feats that I would have never reached otherwise, and I am so thankful for that. If I didn't have their guidance in my life, I would have no idea where I would be today. For my legacy, I am hoping that I can impact someone's life the way that many teachers around me have impacted mine. I hope that I can help even just one kid to feel a little less weird in a world that is constantly changing. I know that this is something that many of my teachers have done and it has heavily affected me in such a positive way. I also hope that I can help other people explore their different passions and give them a safe place to do so. If it wasn't for my music teachers allowing me to explore my passion in a safe place, I wouldn't have explored music as much as I have and I wouldn't be so passionate about it. Due to that, I want to help other students in a similar way. Overall, I would say that I don't need to be fully remembered by the world to have a good legacy; I just need to be remembered by a few others who thought I helped them.

Music has always been a big part of my life. From fiddling with my grandma's piano when I was little to playing recorder in school, I really enjoyed playing music even in my youth. Not only that, but once I hit seventh grade, I was able to truly discover my passion of playing clarinet. Through these past few years playing clarinet, I have been able to have so much fun playing music and making music with others. Whenever I first joined band, I was a year behind the rest of my classmates. Thus, I had to learn how to play the clarinet in a practice room by myself. It wasn't until I had practiced for three weeks when I truly learned the joys of playing in an ensemble. After my first few days in the class, I started taking my instrument home nearly every night and practicing for my concert. I remember feeling so proud of myself whenever I was able to play my music fairly well at my first concert. After that, I only continued to grow and practice even more. Through my time in middle school band, I was able to learn so much about music in such a short time and truly learned to love making music. Even into high school, I still kept all of my motivation and only continued to grow. By the time I was a sophomore, I decided that I wanted to compete against myself and always try and become better than I was before. Because of this, I was able to participate in multiple honor bands, compete at State Solo and Ensemble, join a local youth orchestra, and serve as a drum major. Through all of these experiences, I was able to learn so much more about the art of making music and my passion for playing music only continued to grow. Honestly, if I didn't have music in my life, I would have no idea where I would be today. Music has truly paved the path for so many opportunities for me and has given me so much through its programs. It has helped me through both the best days and the worst days, and I believe that a huge part of my musical success has been through music teachers. Because of the support of my band director, orchestra leaders, and other mentors, I have been able to make it so far, and I want to give that back to the community. For that reason, I will be studying music therapy and music education in college. My hope is that I will use these degrees to help others the way that other musicians around me have helped me. Although I am still a bit unsure about what I will do as a career, I am sure that it will be in the music industry. My biggest hope is to impact someone's life as those around me have impacted me.

Growing up, I was always told that there were certain jobs that would be simply unattainable to me. I was always told to think realistically instead of dreaming to become a musician, an actor, or anything of the sorts. However, for the past few years it has been my dream to become a professional orchestra musician. Because of this, I would say that my "Pie in the Sky" goal is to become a full time orchestra musician. This dream first came to me in my early days of playing clarinet. At the time, I was certain that after I graduated high school I would become a band director. However, I eventually started to wonder if I could extend my music career past just a college level. Also, I started to realize how small the music community that I lived in really was. This led to the sudden realization that I had something that not everyone had; a talent at playing an instrument. After that, I started to dream of what life could be like in a professional level ensemble. This led me to realize that there's a possibility that I could join ensembles that make music recordings or play in movies. To me, that sounds like one of the coolest things I think I could possibly do. Because of that, I became even more motivated to make this dream of performing in a professional ensemble come true. Since then, I have been trying to chase this dream as best as I can. So far, I have performed in numerous ensembles and even made it into a local Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. However, I know that I still have a long way to go until I reach this goal. My plan to help reach this goal is to attend college for music, practice my instrument as much as possible, and then work another music position to keep myself steady and so I could audition for an orchestra. While I know that this all written out looks like a difficult plan, I am prepared to work as hard as I can in order to make this possible. Overall, this dream I have of playing in a professional orchestra may seem far fetched, but I am willing to work hard in order to succeed at it. This has been a dream of mine since I was in middle school and I want to do everything in my power to help myself get there. I have already made it farther than I could have ever dreamed in my music career and I only want to continue to grow as a musician. Although this dream might seem impossible to nearly anyone, I believe that I have the right skills and the right amount of motivation to help achieve this dream.

During my high school years, music has easily been the best thing that I have got to do. From participating in all sorts of ensembles to even just my simple practices at home, music has always been one of the things that I have always looked forward to. Not only that, but pursuing music has given me more opportunities than I could have ever dreamed of. Through these past few years, music has made my life so much better than I could have ever dreamed of. Before my freshman year, I wasn't really able to do much with music at a level that I could learn at. Because I was in a middle school band that had many people who didn't really care about music outside of band, it was hard to find ways to improve myself and a way to keep motivated. However, I was able to get my first taste of what high school music whenever I participated in marching band my eighth grade year. After that, I truly knew how fun playing music could be in high school and continued to work hard during that marching band and pep band season so that I could improve myself for high school. Going into my freshman year, I was ecstatic to finally get to play music that was my level. For me, it was much easier to stay motivated and want to improve myself whenever I was surrounded by those who wanted to do the same. Because of this, I was able to improve so much just because of the new environment. My high school band gave me a sense of community, and a place that I could truly fit into in a world of change. After my freshman year ended, my parents and my band director worked hard so that I could only continue to get better at my instrument. They got me set up with private lessons, which helped me to learn how to play higher notes, play harder rhythms, and improve my practice sessions. In addition to that, my band director let me perform a group 1 solo that year and I was able to perform well not only at the district level, but also at the state level. Because of all of these opportunities that I was given, I was able to grow as a musician more than I could have ever dreamed of. Music also only continued to help me through high school and really helped me get through even the toughest classes and the longest days. Since then, I've only continued to be positively affected by music. This past year, I have gotten to serve as drum major, play in a youth orchestra, and perform in an honor band. In addition to all of that, I will also soon be getting the opportunity to volunteer with younger music students. Through all of this, I have truly been able to feel the positive impact of music on not only myself, but others. This year alone has given me the opportunity to not only learn more about myself as a musician, but also learn more about others through the love of this art. Overall, I am just so incredibly thankful that I have been able to study music because without it I would have no idea where I would be in this world. Music has truly been one of the biggest parts of my life and has helped me to grow so much throughout my high school career.

For me, my education in music has always meant so much more to me than other types of education. Throughout my time in school, my learning experiences usually ended as soon as I left the classroom for all other classes. Yet, I felt that I have been able to learn constantly in and out of the classroom through my time studying music. Because of this, I have been prompted to study music to help the next generation through my talents. When I was younger, I used to think that learning about music was uninteresting and hard. Having a very strict music teacher in elementary school, I was constantly scared off the idea of learning about music. However, that all changed whenever I met the new band director at my middle school. Through taking a mandatory choir class with him and the choir teacher, I learned that music classes didn't have to be miserable. Because of my experience in this class, I was inspired to join band my seventh grade year. While joining band a year late came with its own set of challenges, I was able to work alongside them with the help of my band director. Through his guidance, I was able to quickly catch up to the level of my peers and even was one of the higher chairs in my section. However, my eighth grade year of band posed a lot more challenges that I could ever dream of. During this time, some girls started to be rude to me and try and would try and tell me how to perform the music I was working on. Not only that, but they made me feel out of place practicing my music during marching band sectionals. However, these challenges weren't as bad to face whenever I started to gain the support of several high school students, who loved that I would try so hard to perform at marching band and pep band games. Not only that, but my band director only continued to support me throughout all of my endeavors and made sure that I was able to practice my music in peace after these mean girls had disrupted my session. Through all of this support, I only continued to be inspired and was able to make it through any challenging moments. Throughout high school, I only continued to practice and improve on my clarinet. Through the support of my band director and my parents, I was able to get a better instrument for my birthday my freshman year and perform with it for solo and ensemble. Eventually, however, I started to get bored of the easy music we played. Because of this, I started to take private lessons for my instrument so I could only continue to get better. This helped me to eventually be able to perform a group 1 solo my sophomore year and even get a gold medal at the state level. After this, I only continued to be inspired to work harder and served as drum major that summer. While that role provided a lot of challenges, such as not knowing what to do and having to overcome some socializing issues, I was able to prevail through the support of my family and my band director. Even after that, I was able to make a local Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, which actually plays music that is my level. Through all of these achievements, I have truly been able to learn so much about music and how this field is so amazing. Without music, I don't know if I would have ever found my place in this world. I feel as if every day this field just helps me so much. I couldn't imagine my summers without band camp, I couldn't imagine my winter without Solo and Ensemble, and I couldn't imagine what I would do on weekends if I wasn't busy doing more music activities. Through and through, this field has given me so much, not only in the band room, but also far outside of the band room. I couldn't truly be more thankful for the amazing music teachers, parents, and friends that I have had that have supported me through all of this. Because of all of my experiences, I have decided that I want to give back to the music community and study music myself. This coming year, I will be studying music education and music therapy at the University of Evansville, which has been an absolute dream of mine for a long time. Through my education, I hope to find a career that combines performing music, helping others, and teaching music. All of these attributes have truly affected me so much throughout my music career and so I want to give back to the community that has given so much to me. I hope that I can change even one kid's life and help them find their place in the world, just like my band director did for me. Through and through, I just want to make a change in the community that has helped me the most throughout the past few years.

Music has always been a key aspect of my life. Whether I've been listening to it or playing it, it hasn't failed to bring light to some of life's darkest, strangest moments. Through even the hardest experiences I have faced, I have been able to gain strength from not only music, but also those who have helped me to be able to play music. Before I was a musician, I had tried on so many different activities and sports, and yet I never felt truly a part of any of them. Because of all of the people in the music community that have helped me, I finally have felt like I have a place and a purpose to pursue. All of this has sparked my passion for music and has made me want to pursue it as a career. Before I was into music, I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. For years, my heart was set on working with younger kids and teaching them basic life skills. However, that all changed when I worked through a play with a younger cast and learned that 20 five year-old kids in a room becomes chaotic very quickly. At that time, I was able to realize that band was such a huge part of my life and enjoyment and that I should instead focus on teaching music. Since then, I have gone on to do nearly every extra band experience that I could do. Between all of those honors achievements, awards, and experiences, I have truly come to love every aspect of playing music. I have also realized that I don't want to necessarily limit my career to just being a music educator, but rather give myself a few options for after I graduate. This has inspired me to double major in both music education and music therapy. I plan to attend the University of Evansville's music program, which I will be auditioning for this January. Although this path might not be the easiest, I know that through the strength of the musicians around me and my love for this art, I will triumph through even the toughest times. After I graduate, I still am unsure of exactly what I want to do. However, I know for a fact that I want to combine music performance with teaching music to others and helping people. I am hoping that through my studies at college I will be able to further my understanding of many different music professions and how each of them work. Through it all, I just want to be able to share my passion and the art that has helped me through some of the hardest times of my life with others in whatever way I possibly can.

To me, collaboration has always been the best part of music. Without others, I don't know if I would have had the motivation and work ethic to continue to do what I do each and every day. Through the encouragement and support of not only my teachers, but also my peers, I have been able to become the best musician I could possibly be. Overall, collaboration is truly one of the best experiences in music and it makes learning music a lot better with it. My first collaborations in the music industry started when I first joined band in seventh grade. Through my school's ensemble, I was able to perform concert music with my peers. I really enjoyed getting to play all of the different songs with people around me who were at around the same skill level as myself. This support only inspired me to become better at my instrument and grow as a musician. As I was able to become a better musician, I was also able to contribute to more collaborations. Through my improvements over my first year of band, I was able to join my school's marching band and pep band. As I only continued to improve at playing clarinet, I was able to experience more collaborative experiences on a higher level. During my eighth grade and freshman years, I was able to participate in All Region Honor Band. Even though I was unsure that I would make it into this program, I was so happy that I could have that opportunity. This experience only continued to show me that collaboration within the music industry is such a great aspect. It also showed me the value of higher-level playing and being able to play with people my level. Because of my experiences in this honor band, I was later inspired to try out for All District Honor Band my sophomore year. This band only continued to give me lots of good experience collaborating with others and gave me the motivation to continue trying to participate in higher level bands. One of the most influential music collaborations that I have been involved in thus far has been through my youth orchestra. I decided to audition for my local youth orchestra over this past summer and I was excited to get in. It was really fun to be able to play with an orchestra for the first time when I had only played with bands before. I also really enjoy getting to play higher level music with musicians that are at a higher level. Through this orchestra, I have learned how rewarding it can be to play with a higher level ensemble and how much motivation I can truly receive from those around me. Through all of my experiences collaborating with different ensembles, I have learned so much about the joys of collaboration. Playing with others has always made playing clarinet one of the most enjoyable activities I could ask for. Because of all of the collaborations I have been able to participate in thus far, I have felt so inspired to seek even more in the future. Through all that I have learned through music, I know that I have truly learned all of the joys of collaborating with others.

I don't remember a time when music didn't play a large part in my life. Ever since I was little, I loved singing my favorite songs on the radio. As I got older, I eventually started to discover my true passion for music. I learned how to play many various instruments just for fun. Over the span of four years, I fell in love with the whole idea of music and decided that I wanted to make it my lifestyle. Because of how much the music industry has given me, I want to give back to it and help younger musicians. I'd say that my love for music started when I joined band in seventh grade. In a room full of somewhat experienced musicians, I was one of the few new people. Over the span of about two weeks, I was able to learn a lot about playing my main instrument, clarinet, and was eventually able to join the band. As much of a struggle that my first year of band was, I am so thankful for all of the things that it has let me do. Starting my eighth grade year, I marched high school marching band and played with the high school pep band. Even though participating in high school activities after only a year of music experience was a struggle, it taught me resilience and how to keep motivation even when something wasn't going exactly my way. Since then, I have participated in three honor bands, have received a gold rating in State Solo and Ensemble, have served as drum major for my marching band, and participate in a junior philharmonic orchestra. I owe a lot of my enjoyment of music and band to my middle school and high school band director, who I'll call Mr. K.. He has taught me a lot about music and has truly made band class enjoyable for me all of these years. Even through being in middle school band with a lot of kids who didn't care nearly as much as me, his enthusiasm alone kept me going and willing to participate in band. Because of his support, I was able to join orchestra and serve as drum major this year for my marching band. I also look up to the various other music teachers I have had over the years as inspiration. Even in small capacities, there are so many musicians in my life that have inspired me. Through my love of band, I have also come to a much larger appreciation of music and I have come to love the idea of sharing my musical knowledge with future generations. Just from being a drum major the past summer alone, I have got to teach younger students, which has made me happier than I could have ever realized I could be. As much as performing music has my heart, I love teaching music and sharing all of my knowledge. Because of all of this, I have decided to obtain a degree in music education and a degree in music therapy so I can one day work in the music industry. I hope that one day I can help younger students learn music and inspire younger students as I have been inspired myself. I hope that when people think back on me, they remember that I was a great teacher that inspired them to pursue their dreams, music related or not. Overall, music has just had such a large impact on my life and I want to share all of the joys of it with others.

Growing up in an area where most everyone around me has pursued the same jobs, it’s always felt weird that I would choose to pursue music over any other job. Academically, I have one of the highest GPAs in my grade and have taken quite a few honors classes, which would make pursuing fields like law, medicine, and accounting quite successful for me. So, why did I choose music when it seems so much harder to gain success from? I choose to pursue my dream of becoming a musician because it is what I truly love. To say the least, achieving this dream hasn’t been the easiest. On top of all of my academic achievements, I also do a lot with playing music. I have participated in three honor bands in my three and a half years of playing clarinet. These honor bands taught me to preserve with my dreams and learning music, even if it is hard. I have also participated in my state’s Solo and Ensemble competition four times, with my most recent time giving me the opportunity to go to state. Although it was difficult to continue practicing the same piece for another month, it eventually paid off and I got gold at state. All of these experiences have truly given me many opportunities to see just how much I enjoyment I can get from the music community. In addition to participating in my own studies, I also am a very active member of my own band. I have participated in my schools’ marching and pep bands since I’ve been in eighth grade and haven’t missed a game yet. I am also one of the first people to volunteer to help with anything, as small as moving a drum or as big as staying after school to work band fundraisers or help with middle school band. I also make time to take private clarinet lessons so I can also better myself as a musician. Through all of this work in the music community, I have truly seen every side of working with music and have truly learned what it is like to be a musician. Not only have I worked hard in the music community, but I have also worked hard outside of playing music. I have held a job for almost two years and I have worked every week, usually multiple times a week. Through having a job, I have been able to save money for college, learn responsibility, and learn perseverance. Although it has sometimes been difficult to do all of this, it has been so rewarding knowing all that I can achieve because of it. I know what I am doing is not the traditional route, but I’m okay with that. There are so many young musicians out there who need help becoming better at music and I truly want to be there for them. As hard as it has been to hold down all that I do, it has been so rewarding and great to know what it will let me do in the future. I am so excited to get to achieve my dreams, even if they are different from the dreams of others.

As someone who loves music, collaborating with others has oftentimes been hard for me. Coming from a school that values other activities over the fine arts, there’s not many people that I get to collaborate with on a daily basis that truly value music as I do. Although that has been a hard truth to accept, it has just made the few great collaborations that I have been fortunate enough to participate even more valuable. Through these collaborations, I have truly been inspired to create music as the central aspect of my life. The first time I experienced one of these great collaborations is when I got to collaborate with other young musicians was in the ISSMA All Region Honor Band in 2022. I remember being in eighth grade and doubting if I would even get in with my experience. Although it was intimating to see all of the other musicians who were better at their craft, it was a great experience that ultimately inspired me to continue on with my practicing. It really gave my first experience performing with a band who truly cared about their work, which was quite different than my bandmates at school. I continued practicing and ended up making All Region Honor Band again the next year. After that year, I got accepted into the ISSMA All District Honor Band at Vincennes University. This experience was truly special to me as I got to experience a college level band rehearsal and concert. It was astonishing how well everyone had prepared for the concert and how easily we were able to play together. This experience truly gave me a view on how college band could affect me and how I would get to collaborate with that level of talent daily then. It has inspired me to pursue harder music for solos in order to help others feel this level of satisfaction in my future collaborations with them. Although most of the students at my school don’t bring as much effort into the bands’ performances as myself, I can truly appreciate their effort during our Pep Band Season. Ever since I started performing with the high school Pep Band in eighth grade, I have favored this part of band over others. I truly love the feeling of getting to perform fun songs with people who truly care and put effort into playing them. Although these collaborations only really happen for a few months of the year, they truly have affected me and inspired me in all of my musical career. To me, collaborating doesn’t mean just playing with others. It means that you all pour out your heart and soul into the music and truly enjoy it together. Although I may have a few experiences with this type of collaboration, I am so excited to participate in more of them as my musical career goes on. The excitement of truly playing with a great band keeps me practicing and improving myself so that I can perform at their level. Although it may be a while until I get to consistently collaborate with musicians that hold the same values as myself, I am so excited for whenever this dream of mine will become a reality.

“What is your why?” is such a hard question for me to answer, because there’s so many reasons why I want to pursue music education. The obvious reason is that I need a job that I will be good at so I can make money to support myself. But looking deeper, I could have gone for any other job with all of the honors classes I’m taking and my high GPA. There are so many more jobs that would pay more than any of the ones that I am thinking about doing that I would have the intelligence to get. So, why did I choose music when I could have chosen to be a doctor or an accountant? I choose music because I truly love performing and I want to share my passion with others. I have had so many people in my life inspire me in my music career and I want to continue and inspire others in the future. Although I may be very academically smart, I don’t feel that I would be passionate about any of those subjects enough to want to work with them every day. With music, however, there are so many things you can work with. You can become a performer, mentor students, teach classes, and lead school bands. Even if I become bored with one of these things, I still have other careers I can choose to continue sharing my passion. Music has existed for a very long time. For generations, humans have expressed themselves with various music genres and many different instruments. With music, there is so much diversity and there is a lot of different types of music that can be taught. From my experience, I have learned that it is a lot harder to find help to learn classical music than it is to find other genres. Growing up in a small community, most music lessons are for people who play either string instruments, percussion instruments, or piano. Because of the struggles that I have experienced trying to find help with my music, I am motivated to help other young classical musicians like myself get the help that they need to become successful. Nowadays, technology is rapidly changing all of the time. With the rise of artificial intelligence, there has been a fear that has risen in the fine art communities that it could replace humans creating their own original art. While this is a genuine fear, I do not believe that artificial intelligence could ever fully replace humans creating their own art. Artificial intelligence only knows how to make art similar to ours because we have shown it our art and told it to replicate it and, with the ever-changing world of art, it is unlikely that a robot could always flawlessly create forms of art that can fully replace human art. Even then, I feel an obligation as a musician to carry on the inspiration for one to create their own music so it can be assured that artificial intelligence won’t replace real musicians. To me, classical music is a beautiful form of art and I would hate to see future generations not fully appreciate its beauty. I hope that with some teaching I can help younger students appreciate more music than what is just popular at the time and help them carry on the beautiful tradition of playing classical music. Music is such a vital part of our society. Humans thrive off of hearing music and use it to help them express many emotions. Personally, music has inspired me to want to perform more and learn many different pieces I wouldn’t have otherwise discovered. Because of how music has affected me, I want to make sure others feel similar affects with music themselves.

To me, success isn’t about being rich. It’s not about living in a big house, having the fanciest car, or becoming powerful. Personally, I feel that success comes from the changes you have made in the world. Success is what you do to make the world better, even if it may seem insignificant to many. My success so far has came from my musical career. I have been playing music frequently for almost four years now. I am an active participant in my school’s band and also take private clarinet lessons to better myself at my craft. Although band seemed intimidating and competitive when I was younger, I have now worked my way to playing the first part clarinet in my high school band. In addition to that, I have been in three honor bands and I will be going to State Solo and Ensemble very soon. Although my success may only be minor right now, I want to work harder to make my area’s music community better. After I graduate high school next year, I want to attend the University of Evansville and study music education to help students like myself learn music. I have felt the effects of those who have taught me music firsthand, and I want to create a similar effect in my community for the next generation. I have been working hard for this dream even before I realized that this is what I wanted in life. I have kept a GPA of 4.0 during my entire school career and have taken many honors classes ever since I first could in middle school. I am currently in two AP classes, including one that is exclusively for Juniors, even though I am only a Sophomore. In addition to that, I am taking a Dual Credit Trigonometry Course through the University of Southern Indiana. Outside of school, I have worked at Holiday Foods for over a year and a half. Through working there, I have learned the importance of saving money and the value of spending the money I have made. To also help save money, I have applied for many scholarships to help aid my finances in college. I am aware that attending my dream college will be expensive, but I am willing to work in many different ways to help afford this experience. This opportunity will help me achieve my dreams in so many ways. By utilizing this opportunity, I could potentially spend more time focusing on bettering myself as a musician and less time worrying about my finances. It could also help me save more money from working for other expenses that will arise later in life, such as buying a house and paying for my own bills. This opportunity will not only help me, but will also help keep the tradition of playing music alive for younger generations in my community. At the end of the day, I am not guaranteed to reach success in my life. Success will not merely come to me because I want it to come to me. I know that I will need to work hard to be successful and I am hoping that all the work I am doing right now will help that happen. While I may not win this opportunity, I am so glad that it exists to help give me, and other students like myself, a chance of reaching our own success later in life.

“So, what are your hobbies?” the interviewer asked. For context, I was applying for my first job at a clothing store. I remember being at a loss for words. I had never been good with vocabulary, so I decided to use some similar sounding words and I hoped it sounded good. “I like playing on a stick,” I said. “A stick?” he asked. “Yeah, I spend hours a day doing it!” I replied. “Really?” “Truly! I use papers to help me play my stick!” “And this is a…”I could tell now that he was at a loss for words,”real hobby?” “Yes! I used to take a class where I was taught how to blow into the stick.” With that particular comment, he gave me a strange look. I was very confused because no one had ever questioned this hobby before, so I just kept talking,”I did a few shows with my stick too! Like when I was in sixth grade we got together and had a show.” He paused for a minute,”Wait, do you mean that you like playing clarinet in band?” I thought about that for a while. “I guess so,” I remarked. I then saw him look me dead in the eyes with a look of confusion. I still wonder why I wasn’t called back there after that interview.

Society has always been influenced by music, from the invention of the flute from bones, to the classical composers who composed in the nineteenth century, to artists now releasing their music digitally. Many people love music and listen to it daily, myself included. Music is important to society because it allows many people to connect over their favorite types of music. I have been playing music ever since I could read notes and understand melodies. I remember learning the basics of piano at my grandparents’ house by using some tape with numbers and simplified sheet music. By the time I reached fourth grade, I learned recorder in school and by seventh grade, I was in band. Even though I was a year behind my peers in band, I worked hard most every night and eventually became one of the best performers in the band. Now, I am one of the section leaders in my high school band and have performed in three honor bands. In addition to that, I have also made State Solo and Ensemble this year. My love of music has sparked into something much larger. Now that I have been performing for years, I am starting to reflect on those who have influenced me. Whether it be the musicians that I know personally or the artists I have watched perform through a screen, there have been many people who have influenced me in my musical career. I think it is so interesting how people bond over their favorite artists and genres. Music connects people in society through this. Music gives people a chance to go to concerts, learn how to perform, and share their passion with the world. Due to this, I want to help influence others and help teach others how to find their passion in music as I have found mine. I want to share with them my bond with music and help them discover theirs, which is really exciting for me. Society thrives off of bonding. If we all just lived life in isolation, then we wouldn’t have much excitement in the world. In society, music is such a special bond because of how diverse it is. Even if some members of society do not listen to the same styles of music, they can still bond over the experience of enjoying music. The bond humans have together just because of music is sensational, and I want to help ensure that that bond is here to stay for generations to come.

Over the years, I have discovered that music is one of my greatest passions. From the songs I listen to in my free time, to the classical songs I play on my clarinet, I love how music is so versatile and how there is a style of music out there for everyone. I have truly been so thankful for those who have helped me discover this passion and this alone has inspired me to pursue a career in music to help others discover the wonderful aspects of music as I have. Although I know it will be hard, I am willing to work hard to make my dream come true. Right now, I have been working hard in high school to make this happen. I’ve taken multiple core classes early and have worked my way into classes that are far above the level of my peers’ classes. Although I have struggled though many parts of my journey, I have been able to do it all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and participating in extracurriculars. I also work multiple days a week at a local grocery store. I have been working hard right now so I can pave the way for a good career in the future. I will be graduating high school next year and I plan on starting college that fall. I plan on attending the University of Evansville and studying music education there. I chose their school because of their great music program and their close distance to my home, which will allow me to maintain a close relationship with my family. While I am aware that this school has a high tuition rate, I have been applying to many scholarships, saving money weekly, and taking dual credit and AP courses to help lower the cost. While this path may seem a bit intimating, I am willing to take on the challenge and work my way through any hardships I may encounter. Musically speaking, I have been working hard to become better at my instrument. I participate in all of the bands at my school and also take clarinet lessons outside of school. As for my success in band, I have been selected to participate in All Region Honor Band twice and All District Honor Band once. I have also made it to State Solo and Ensemble this year. In the future, I am planning to audition for a local youth orchestra to build my musical resume. I also plan on taking on a higher responsibility role in my school’s marching band this coming season. Overall, I have worked very hard at learning music and I am ambitious to continue to get to work on building my musical resume. After I have completed my education, I plan to either become a high school band director or play professionally in an orchestra. Either way, I also plan to help clarinet students who, like myself, are ambitious to continue to play music. I hope to carry on the beauty of music into the next generation and show young musicians why music is so important. Although my dreams may seem challenging, I am prepared to work hard for them and willing to endure hardships in order to make them come true.

I have always loved learning about music, even before I could realize it. From fiddling with my grandma’s piano, to learning extra songs on my recorder, and finally to playing with my school’s band, music has always played a prominent role in my life. Now that I’m older, I have truly have been passionate about learning everything about music and I spend quite a lot of my free time practicing my instruments. Through this, music had truly aspired me to pursue all of my dreams, even when they may be challenging. I first started learning music when I was in fourth grade. Then, our music teacher had began to teach us the recorder. I remember being passionate about learning music and looking up more songs on my tablet to learn. A couple years later, I got my ukulele and truly loved it. Although I will admit that I had a learning curve for the first few months, I eventually discovered play along songs that I truly enjoyed. This truly sparked my passion for music. When I learned that my sister was joining band the following summer, I was inspired to do the same, even when I knew I would be a year behind. I remember feeling excited to learn how to play my clarinet and I waited impatiently for it to arrive to my school at the beginning of the school year. I remember assembling my instrument and feeling very disappointed when I was unable to make a sound the first time I played it. After that day, my band director had me work alone in a practice room with some simple recordings demonstrating how to play clarinet and a workbook. For the next three weeks after that, I practiced every day and worked hard to be able to play with the other students. I remember knowing that my efforts had paid off in the end when my band director didn’t tell me to leave and brought a music stand to me instead. Since then, I’ve been one of the most passionate people in my entire school about band. I practiced my instrument every night and became one of the top members of my section within the school year. I also participated in both marching band and pep band the following school year, even though I was only in eighth grade. I continued practicing every night and even began to research my own music to learn as a challenge. Now, I still participate in all forms of band in my school and even take private lessons in my own. Recently, I was even nominated to perform for state Solo and Ensemble. Alongside that, I participated in All Region Honor Band twice and All District Honor Band once. Even with my busy band schedule, I still find myself trying to make time for practicing my instruments. No matter what I am doing, I find that a lot of my energy revolves around music. I love performing, and, even when I am tired, will make an effort to learn my music. In the future, I want to help other students discover their passion for music. I hope to become a band director myself and help students like me. I think it is so compelling how people share their love for music, and I dream of showcasing my passion to others. I hope to attend the University of Evansville and study music education there. I couldn’t imagine my life without music and I truly hope to continue having it as a key aspect of my life by making it my career.