It was 8 a.m. during summer break and I had just walking into the high school to start my first year of marching band. Millions of thoughts rushed through my head, “What if I forget the music? What if I mess the drill up?”As I walked to the field one of my friends introduced me to someone who would become the greatest mentor during my high school career. Alex Murphy was the lead saxophonist at Kingsway Regional High School. He aspired to study biology, similar to myself.
When I first entered high school, I did not intent on continuing band, let alone becoming a lead instrumentalist. I wanted to focus on academics, however my friends persuaded me into joining marching band, which became a major turning point in my life. I absolutely hated it at first with the early morning practices and the difficult music, however I eventually found myself drawn to this atmosphere. Eventually I learned that the only reason I stayed was because of Alex’s encouraging words and tenacious personality. He taught me how to be an effective leader at an early point in my career. Now that I have reached a similar position I implement …show more content…
A fit of rage and aggravation grasped me each night, wondering things were falling apart around me, but eventually I turned that desperation into tenacity. I practiced vehemently during the summer for around three to four hours per session. I’d watch documentaries of jazz legends like Charlie Parker and Dexter Gordon up until 2 AM to learn more about the history and hardships of the developing genre. I’d transcribe standard jazz repertoire by ear from online videos into a binder manuscript paper after learning the chord changes and melodic lines. I only hoped to play alongside Alex once more before he would leave for college. Although he didn’t directly mentor me, I still believe that those few months showed me what it’s like to be a
When I first entered high school, I did not intent on continuing band, let alone becoming a lead instrumentalist. I wanted to focus on academics, however my friends persuaded me into joining marching band, which became a major turning point in my life. I absolutely hated it at first with the early morning practices and the difficult music, however I eventually found myself drawn to this atmosphere. Eventually I learned that the only reason I stayed was because of Alex’s encouraging words and tenacious personality. He taught me how to be an effective leader at an early point in my career. Now that I have reached a similar position I implement …show more content…
A fit of rage and aggravation grasped me each night, wondering things were falling apart around me, but eventually I turned that desperation into tenacity. I practiced vehemently during the summer for around three to four hours per session. I’d watch documentaries of jazz legends like Charlie Parker and Dexter Gordon up until 2 AM to learn more about the history and hardships of the developing genre. I’d transcribe standard jazz repertoire by ear from online videos into a binder manuscript paper after learning the chord changes and melodic lines. I only hoped to play alongside Alex once more before he would leave for college. Although he didn’t directly mentor me, I still believe that those few months showed me what it’s like to be a