More than Music

“I will forever be grateful”

This week I’ve been reflecting on the role of music in my life. At the end of my high school experience I wrote, “Much of my character I owe to music, which began as a fun hobby and grew to encompass more than instruments, notes, and rhythms. The band program has provided me with countless opportunities that have shaped my life from lifelong friendships to extra performance and community service events. I will forever be grateful.”

This sentiment has held true as I still have the friendships forged in countless hours of rehearsal, sweating under the sun, sleeping on a bus, and am as grateful as ever for it. Music taught me grit and perseverance. In preparing music for competitions I learned to break down a goal into smaller subsections, be patient in playing the same line over and over, self-monitor as I practiced for an event three months into the future, and control over performance anxiety as I stepped onto stage in front of an audience and judges. Sometimes the emotional expression that comes with pouring your heart into a piece was reward itself.

However, music was certainly not all work and no play. I smile thinking of goofy games in the bleachers, throwing soap suds at a fundraising car wash, or running around Disney & Universal on a performance trip. In my time at OSU I joined the Collegiate Winds and Buckeye Flutes. Even though I did not choose to pursue music as a career, I hope to keep playing on the side, whether that be in a community band or at religious services.

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