School Band & Orchestra Online Magazine Essay Contest

This essay is my submission to the SBO Essay Contest, asking what kinds of ensembles I would incorporate into my school if I were the principal. The essay had to be less than 250 words, which proved to be quite a challenge, actually. This contest offers a $1000 scholarship to the winning entrants -  I haven't been accepted yet, but this would be greatly beneficial to my fundraising efforts.

            

Music is an incredibly essential part of education. Music shapes our students. It reinforces personal characteristics, such as cooperation, responsibility, and dedication, which are not always taught in academic classes.

As principal, my responsibility is to ensure that students are given the best learning opportunities possible. Participation in music ensembles teaches valuable lessons of life; therefore, I would be extremely diligent and strategic in my choice of ensembles in order to provide diversity of musical exposure. 

A classical music ensemble is a must! Music history, music appreciation and theme recognition are highlighted in classical studies. Working in a full orchestra setting enhances listening and blending skills as well as teamwork. Additionally, student involvement in chamber ensembles greatly improves leadership, self-guidance, as well as group collaboration and achievement.

I would also love to create an Exploratory Music Composition class. Students would write their own compositions, which would be played by fellow musicians. Peer critique would offer perspective regarding how the music is experienced. Too often, school bands are primarily focused strictly on performance; no actual opportunities to creatively write music are afforded to them.

Unquestionably, Jazz, Gospel, and American ensembles add so much musical depth, enhancing cultural expression, improvisation, and thematic conveyance for our students. Their histories are just so rich and distinct, articulating the stories of our American independence and heritage.

Exposure to a variety of musical ensembles simply adds to a student’s learning on so many levels, shaping their musical talent, their academics and most importantly, their character.

An Exciting Opportunity!

Earlier today at school, I got a letter addressed to me from The Sound of America Honor Band and Chorus! It turns out that it is a group consisting of musicians from all across the country! The group tours in 6 different European countries. It sounds totally awesome. Considering that my mom had been pushing me to do the IU Honors Foreign Language Program, where you travel to another country during the summer to study your foreign language, this is a much better fit for me because it blends the cultural experiences of touring Europe with the musical opportunity of a lifetime! It certainly seems like a kind of adventure that I'd love to go on! Although this is a whole lot of money, I think that it would be well-worth all the effort that I'd need to put into it