Music and Me

Music is not my strongest passion, nor do I devote any great amount of time to it. However, I have been around it my entire life, and it is essentially a part of who I am. Until I was about 5, the only music my mother would ever put on would be the Beatles. That is what I grew up on. My father and uncle were both saxophone players in high school, so I was definetely encouraged to take it up. From the 6th grade until 8th, I played the sax, but never seriously. The school I went to only had 200 students and no band, so I was never motivated to practice, and was given no direction. When I entered high school, I took up the flute under the urging of my band director. I've been playing the flute ever since. I made red band at all west my senior year. I don't practice very much nowadays, but I still play for enjoyment and personal fulfillment. As a musician, I am more of a listener than a performer. Listening to classical music helps me concentrate while I'm doing homework. This past Summer, I got to spend 2 weeks in China because of my music. Last year, I joined an organization called GPAC, short for Germantown Performing Arts Center. It just so happened that the youth symphony orchestra there was having there first international trip to China, and I was lucky enough to have a donor pay for the plane fare. The program is only for high schoolers, so I can't go back, but it is an experience I won't forget anytime soon.