The Firebird Speeches

Peering from offstage I catch a glance of the audience. My heart-racing, I walk on stage with my violin. Deep breath in, deep breath out. I continue to walk to the black velvet chair where I am destined to be and begin to play. Igor Stravinsky's The Firebird. Orchestra Hall is filled with waves of sound as months of preparation and hard work pay off. Echoes of the remnants of the last notes begin to fade, and after a moment of still, dignified silence, Maestro lowers his hands and the thunderous applause ensues. The audience stands on their feet and cheers for it seems like an eternity. I can't whistle. I can't sing, can't even roll my tongue. Yet, when I am surrounded by music, I can accomplish anything. Music has been the single most inspiring,
The magnetic pull between the eighty-eight black and white keys of the piano and my fingers was present even before my first piano lesson at the age of five. Over the years, after every lesson I started getting better, piece after piece. Seeing the progress I made each week on the piano taught me the power of hard work. My hard working attitude has extended beyond the piano bench into my schoolwork and after school activities. Today, I put forth my best effort at everything I do because I know with hard work I have the potential to do great
With each new piece of repertoire, the music I create will never sound the same as someone else. I love the freedom that music gives me to make each piece my own. The opportunity to make my own story, to make it uniquely me. This freedom of expression has made me into a person who tries to find a new take on everything I encounter. Ever since I joined the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies (GTCYS), I have incorporated my passion for music and leadership qualities into the community. After being chosen as a student mentor, I share my love for music with elementary school students-teaching rhythms and notes in their music. Though many view mentors as being the teachers, I learned just as much from the young musicians I mentored. They taught me patience, understanding, and most of all, how music can make a connection between people. Music transcends sensory input. The strong vibrations creating sound waves that express emotions of poetry with or without words. Through music, I escape mundane routine; my exploration of another side of