If I could pinpoint the one day that has made the greatest impact on my life, it would be a day in the fall of sixth grade: the day I decided to join my school’s band. Not just the band; I wanted to play the drums in the band, which required a screening audition, a daunting task for a sixth grader whose only experience with percussion had been banging on an out-of-tune toy drum kit in his basement.
During the screening audition, the teacher said to me, “When we are done, are you willing to immediately know if you will be in the percussion program?” to which my answer was a nervous “Yeah.” He then went about the screening, which primarily involved me clapping my hands to the tick of a metronome. I passed the screening audition. Fast forward a few years, during high school. I now had to audition for my school’s drumline. My instrument of choice was the tenor drums. I was told that since there were many students with more experience than I had, it was likely that I would not make that spot. But I was also told I would make some instrument, regardless if I made tenors or not. So, I concluded it was at least worth a shot. But not just any shot - my best shot. In the weeks leading up to that audition, I practiced… a lot. I felt as if there was always something to improve. This feeling, …show more content…
This simple outcome instilled within me a drive to become my best. My percussion teacher suggested I audition for the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) All-State Band. This audition required a level of dedication and hard work I never knew I was capable of. I stayed after school almost every day of the week for three months to perfect four separate audition pieces. I completed this audition process once per year for three years during my high school career, and will forever remember the sense of accomplishment I felt when, each of the three years, I received an email from OMEA with “Congratulations!” in the subject
During the screening audition, the teacher said to me, “When we are done, are you willing to immediately know if you will be in the percussion program?” to which my answer was a nervous “Yeah.” He then went about the screening, which primarily involved me clapping my hands to the tick of a metronome. I passed the screening audition. Fast forward a few years, during high school. I now had to audition for my school’s drumline. My instrument of choice was the tenor drums. I was told that since there were many students with more experience than I had, it was likely that I would not make that spot. But I was also told I would make some instrument, regardless if I made tenors or not. So, I concluded it was at least worth a shot. But not just any shot - my best shot. In the weeks leading up to that audition, I practiced… a lot. I felt as if there was always something to improve. This feeling, …show more content…
This simple outcome instilled within me a drive to become my best. My percussion teacher suggested I audition for the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) All-State Band. This audition required a level of dedication and hard work I never knew I was capable of. I stayed after school almost every day of the week for three months to perfect four separate audition pieces. I completed this audition process once per year for three years during my high school career, and will forever remember the sense of accomplishment I felt when, each of the three years, I received an email from OMEA with “Congratulations!” in the subject