Autobiography

For as long as I can remember, music has been a very important part of my life.  Today, I play saxophone in jazz band and wind ensemble, and I do piano lessons as well. I practice almost every day during my spare time and try to take as many music opportunities as possible.  One of my two majors is also in music, more specifically saxophone performance.  My musical beginnings however were not anything close to how I am now.  When I was five, I started playing guitar.  I remember wanting to play music from the Wiggles all the time.  As a little child, I was obsessed with that show.  When I was six, I started to play piano.  I only did it because my brother, who was four at the time, was playing piano. I was purely classical on piano, and still am.  However, when I played saxophone, I started to branch out and play music from different cultures as well.  For all four years of high school, I was in a Latin Jazz ensemble and a Dixieland ensemble. These ensembles taught me more about the music of other cultures, which actually ended up making me a more well-rounded musician.  I started playing classical saxophone more seriously the beginning of last school year. I learned lots of different classical saxophone pieces and got into Peabody Conservatory.  Classical saxophone music is very different from all other instruments’ music, and each composer of classical sax music varies from each other as well.  This helps me learn all styles of music that were written to sound like they were from a different era of music.  I also play in lots of ensembles.  Playing in these ensembles is a good way to connect with people who appreciate the same kind of music that I do.  If they did not have a passion for the music, they would not be playing in that ensemble. Finally, I love playing music because it is another way for me to express feelings and emotions.  I can do that through my playing, and in fact they will be conveyed clearer than with words.  I am very happy with my musical situation now, and I hope music continues to be a big part of me for the rest of my life.