MSP Spring 2012 Personal Essay After my first semester at Cal State Northridge I have accomplished a 3 !

1 grade point average as a res"lt of #or$ing hard every day% getting to school aro"nd &'30am Even on #ee$ends( I am on camp"s #or$ing on home#or$( st"dying( or playing m"sic in the many #ays that I can I #a$e "p every #ee$day at )am *eca"se I am a self motivated st"dent simply trying to +"st *ecome the *est version of myself I #or$ this hard *eca"se at the end of the day( I #ant to $no# and feel that I did the *est I co"ld possi*ly do In regards to my career goals( I try to thin$ of them only s"*tly ,he reason #hy is *eca"se I try to foc"s on the present- semester- day( #ith past mista$es g"iding me to#ards my f"t"re goals If I #orry too m"ch a*o"t the f"t"re goals I can easily get ca"ght "p in it( li$e one does #ith past e.periences Any#ays( these goals of mine incl"de teaching privately to st"dent m"sicians( gaining contacts for professional m"sicians( *ecoming a st"dio m"sician( and- hopef"lly to#ards the end- teaching yo"ng collegiate st"dents the #ays of a m"sician that incl"de more than +"st the lessons of m"sic( the lessons of life In the past fe# years( I have had some great achievements In my hometo#n( I #as a part of all things m"sic and e.trac"rric"lar( these incl"de' marching *and pit and dr"m line captains( #inter perc"ssion dr"m line captain( #ind ensem*le( symphony orchestra section leader and English horn soloist( +a// *and( perc"ssion ensem*le( +a// com*o( and +a// choir 0hile playing different instr"ments in dr"m line( I also played +a// piano( clarinet( perc"ssion( marim*a 1.ylophone( vi*raphone( etc2( o*oe and English horn I achieved even more *y maintaining a grade point average of 3 0 or higher( I #as ta$ing consistent lessons on piano and o*oe( as #ell as playing in the local yo"th philharmonic each S"nday night( playing a*o"t 3 concerts a year% incl"ding a trip to play in 4isney hall here in so"thern California5 I have also attended s"mmer *and camps that incl"de the CS6 S"mmer Arts

program #here the intention of learning and gro#ing thro"gho"t s"mmer s"cceeded In addition to these( I have a"ditioned for the local honor gro"ps since my & th grade year( ma$ing it into *oth the honor *and( and orchestra and even trying o"t for the all state honor *and for the last t#o years( accomplishing a section leader spot in the top *and *oth years My accomplishments at CS6N are *oth recent and *y far the most significant yet Since moving to 7os Angeles on my o#n( these events have really inspired me to only $eep trying to do my *est as #ell as *eing consistent #ith the efforts I am "sing ,hese things may not seem li$e m"ch *"t they matter a great deal in the m"sic #orld% I have already *een as$ed to rotate as section leader in *oth the top #ind ensem*le and symphony orchestra this 2 nd semester #ith o"r grad st"dents( in addition to receiving all solo English horn parts 8"tside of the camp"s I have *een invited and introd"ced to a consistent m"sic gro"p at the Masters College in Santa Clarita #here I am solely on the solo English horn parts5 I even #as given a co"ple of o*oe st"dents in that same area that I get to teach( to help them #ith the same intentions as my o#n teachers( the spreading of good m"sic As a res"lt of these little steps( I have enco"ntered many small gigs that incl"de playing for other recitals at different schools and performing the 9rahms :e;"iem at <orrest 7a#n 1,hat piece #as &0min"tes of o*oe spotlight52 ="st a co"ple #ee$s ago I #ent to do"*le reed day in <resno #here the g"est clinician #as none other than 4avid 0eiss( of 6SC and the 7A Philharmonic After playing for him there( he has invited me to other master classes this s"mmer also offering to give me a lesson sometime this year I have even *een o*taining many contacts of other serio"s m"sicians in the near*y areas( #ho also have offered me a fe# gigs 7i$e I said( these events have only inspired me to $eep #or$ing hard if not harder than I already am% it is as if they are re#ards to s"*tly remind me to $eep at the pace I am going( no slo#ing do#n

I live solely on my o#n( *"dget my o#n money( ma$e reeds for o*oe( learning the m"sical theories of *oth +a// and classical eras as #ell as overcoming a divorce spanning over all fo"r years of high school As far as financial need goes( #ho doesn>t need it? I feel as tho"gh most applicants can e.plain their reasons for needing more money I #ill only say that #ith any scholarship I have earned in the past no matter ho# *ig or small( the money has only *een "sed to *etter myself as a m"sician I love #hat I play( care a*o"t m"sic( and $no# ho# to not #aste my talents