A Light-post Along the Path

Mondays are the longest day of the week for me.  I start at 9am, and by the end of the day I have had two classes, four rehearsals, plus time in the practice room.

With two performances this week, I have extra rehearsals which leads to planning out my playing very carefully. After three long rehearsals, I headed over to CoFAC for my fourth and final rehearsal.  I didn't want to be there-my face hurt, my body hurt, and all I could think about was getting something to eat and putting on my pajamas/laying in bed.  But yet there I was, trying to tell myself that I could play for just one more hour.

By the end of the last rehearsal, I was exhausted.  All I wanted to do was put my trumpet away and head to my room. The director stopped me to tell me how I was doing very well.  He reminded me of how much my sound has improved.  To be honest, I wasn't expecting to receive this compliment.  It was completely out of the blue, in my opinion.  While I know that I still have a major amount of work to do when it comes to my trumpet playing, this compliment could not have come at a better time.

This compliment was a light-post along the path..a gentle reminder that hard work pays off.  There are many days when I just want to quit, but yet I get up the next day and pick up the trumpet again.  It's always nice to have someone tell you that they've noticed the work you've put in.  So, as I continue with the rest of my extremely busy week, I am ready to tackle the next obstacles that will be thrown at me.

ESA

ESA-Epsilon Sigma Alpha. It's a way of life. It's a part of who I am.

ESA isn't something that I joined after going off to college. I've been brought up in ESA..if you've been to a convention, you've probably heard many of the people say how they remember when I was in diapers...well, that's the truth..My first IC Convention was when I was 9 months old..and so far I haven't missed one-so I really have been brought up in ESA.

One of my favorite things in ESA is going to IC Convention. Going to convention allows me to see so many people who I consider family.  My whole family knows that when you arrive at the hotel, you better be ready for lots of hugs and kisses.  Amanda and I know that everyone will ask the same questions- How old are you now? Do you have a job? Do you have a boyfriend? How is school going? How is band? Where are you living? Have you started a chapter yet?-all week long...and as much as we may get frustrated with having to respond so many times to these questions, we still respond because the people asking those questions are important to us. 

ESA has taught me the importance of giving back to the community.  ESA has also taught me the importance of sharing my talents to help others.  ESA has allowed me to find my passion for supporting Easter Seals and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. ESA has allowed me to make an uncountable number of friends-many of whom I consider family. ESA has taught me so much more than I will ever know.

The men and women of ESA support, encourage, and love me more than I will ever know.  I will always be grateful to ESA for all of the memories.  

For more info: http://www.epsilonsigmaalpha.org/Homepage

A Weekend Away

Sometimes it takes a weekend away from the wonderful chaos of school to find motivation. Yes, my life at school is full of fun times and great memories, but it is also very hectic and chaotic.  Somedays I struggle to find the motivation needed to push myself to be the best person and musician that I can be.

As I was home this weekend, I was reminded as to why I am studying music.  There is just something about going back to Quincy, attending concerts, and visiting with friends and family that makes me want to become an even better musician.  Every time that I am home and attend some type of concert, I am reminded of where I came from. As I have previously talked about, I was very fortunate to grow up watching many fantastic musicians perform. (see:Why the Trumpet? Why Music?) Many of these people have known me since I was very little.  The thing about this is that now when I come home from college, they all ask about how I am doing.  The best part is that when they ask how I'm doing and about school, you can tell that each of them genuinely cares.

There is also something about practicing in my room and putting the music on the stand that I used for over eight years that reminds me of my love for music.  The deep conversations about music with my dad help, too!

There are so many things that I want to say in this post about what this weekend at home meant to me...but it is so hard to translate my thoughts into this post.  So..I just want to say thank you to everyone that I saw this weekend. Congratulations to everyone in the Quincy Symphony Orchestra on a wonderful performance, and thank you providing me with a little motivation heading in to the new week!

Who am I called to be?

This question has been on my mind the past few days, and tonight at mass this was discussed in the homily.

SO-who am I called to be?

I am called to be myself.  I am called to be a Godly person. I am called to be the best Christian that I can be. I am called to be the best trumpet player that I can be. I am called to be the best sister, the best daughter, the best granddaughter, and the best cousin that I can be. I am called to be the best friend that I can be.

I am not called to be the best trumpet player in the world...I am called to be the best trumpet player that I can be. Even on the days when I feel like I'm the worst trumpet player ever, I remind myself that there will always be someone worse than me and someone way better than me somewhere in the world. The only thing that matters is that each time I pick up the trumpet, I am working to be the best musician that I can be.

I am not called to be the next saint...I am called to be the best Christian that I can be..to share the love of God with others...to help those in need...to give back to the community...to live out God's plan for me. While there are many days that I question why I am in a certain situation, I have to remind myself that it is part of God's plan, whether I like it or not. If it is a part of His plan for me, He will help me through the rough waters.  I am here on Earth because He has a plan for me.

I want to remind each and every one of you to strive to be be the best that you can be. Live your life for Him, and He will help you reach your dreams.

A Blue Uniform

While some may not like police officers, I do. I respect those who wear blue. I respect those who wear blue because they are the ones who protect us.

A few years ago, I had the privilege of attending the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police Conference with my dad, who at that time was a Deputy Chief for our city police department. At the banquet, the organization honored the families of those (in IL) who had lost their lives that year. While the families were being honored, it really hit home that everyday when my dad went to work, he put his life on the line.

Police officers protect out community 24/7. We may not like police officers becuse they give speeding tickets and other fines, but that is their job. Their job is to protect and serve our country and the people. So when you get a ticket, don't think police officers are mean, because the officer that gave you the ticket was just simply doing his/her job: to protect the people. Even when an officer is inside working at the desk, his/her life is still on the line. Officers working in a station still face the chance of a person coming into the station and attacking/shooting them. 

The men and women who wear blue don't just work normal twelve hour shifts.  They are usually at the station before their shift starts and many have to stay after to finish up reports. Or perhaps they took a call a half-hour before the end of shift..they can't just drop everything and go home..When an officer goes home after shift, they have to be prepared to go back in if an emergency were to happen.  Even though they may work twelve hour shifts, they always have to be prepared to protect the community.

The men and women who wear blue have families. They are the son or daughter of someone, they are the spouse of someone, or even the parent or grandparent of someone. If your mom or dad was a police officer, wouldn't you want them to come home at night? For the families of the men and women wearing blue, they have no idea if their loved one will come home safely after each shift.

There are so many things I could say in regards to how people treat police officers, but I'm not going to.  I just want to remind everyone to respect those who wear blue.  If you are driving and you pass a police vehicle, don't be afraid to smile and wave.  If you are out and about and walk past a police officer, tell them thank you.  If you hear someone talking bad about the police, ask them to stop. Remember that the men and women wearing blue have families.

All officers, at any level, put their lives on the line to keep the people of our communities safe. So next time you see a police officer, make sure to thank them for their duty and service to the community.

DON'T TELL ME!!

If you are a musician, you know that waiting for audition results can be very stressful. The results bring joy to some and cause sadness for others. Results are something you want to find out on your own, not by being told from someone else-who isn't even in your section.

Tonight I came out of a meeting to look up the results from my auditions, and before I could even look-some kid was telling me how I did while I was telling him that I wanted to find out myself..Well, some of you may know what it's like if you make me very angry-and that is what this person did. For those who were there and heard me raise my voice at the individual-I apologize...but something needed to be said to the individual. What he/she was doing was not right, and I'm sure it upset more people than myself. Luckily my results were in my favor, but what if they wouldn't have been and this kid told me..how would he/she like it if that happened to them? I would assume he/she wouldn't like it--so why would they do it to me?!

Why the trumpet? Why music?

A lot of people ask what made me want to play the trumpet or why I have chosen to study music in college. To be honest, there isn't a simple answer. 

Growing up in a musical family, music was always a part of my life. You always went to hear dad play, whether it was with the QPB, QSOA, or him filling in with another group. Some may not know, but my mom can play the piano, so music is truly a family affair.

Many people have that concert they went to or the recording they had that made them want to play a certain instrument..but I truly don't remember having something like that that made me want to play the trumpet. I kind of remember always liking the sound of brass instruments the best, but didn't think anything about it.  

One memory I have is when I was able to go hear the QSO during their Young Peoples concerts..I can remember one year sitting in the front row with all of my classmates when my dad came down to talk to me, and then all of the brass section was waving at me-yes, I felt special. At those concerts, they always picked a few kids to come on stage for a song..I remember my dad asking who I would sit by if I was ever chosen, and I was always like "I have no clue-but probably somebody in the brass." 

So when I was in fifth grade I chose to play the trumpet and began taking lessons as well as playing in PMO band. I immediately fell in love with the trumpet, and obviously never looked back. But why the trumpet? I have no clue-my dad said you should try the trumpet-so I said okay. Later I realized that it was kind of a family tradition, too, because my great grandpa had played the trumpet along with my grandma and great aunt. 

So that answers the question of why the trumpet(sort of)..but why study music? Well, that's hard to answer-because there are so many responses I could give. And in my opinion, the two questions go hand in hand. A lot of people have that one band director and/or private teacher they give credit to-but I would have to give credit to more than just my private instructors and band directors. So many people in my life are involved in music, and each one has helped me on my journey of continuing to study music in college. Since I began playing in the QPB after my freshman year of high school, I have gotten to know and become friends with the many musicians I grew up watching each summer. And I would say the same to everyone in the QSO, especially the wind and percussion players(both past and present). Each of these musicians have reinforced the many things I was taught from my private teachers and band directors. But without my private teachers, there is no way I would be where I am today. I am very blessed that I had two wonderful trumpet teachers before going to college-one during grade school and the other during high school. Each of them taught me not only about music and the trumpet, but also about life. My parents have always been supportive of my music journey, as well. Without all of these people, I wouldn't be studying music today. Many of these people are more than just my peers, they are practically family. My trumpet teachers, band directors, and all of my fellow musicians who are band directors and private lesson teachers are what have inspired me to study music in college. 

As I was traveling in the car today, I was listening to one of my favorite CDs- Alternate Voices(Dr. Greg Jones).  When Nightsongs came on, I began thinking about these two questions, which led to me writing this post.

As I am about to begin my sophomore year at WIU, I would just like to say thank you to all of my former, current, and future music teachers and mentors for all of the support, encouragement, and inspiration!

(If you want to know about why I'm studying music therapy, check out the post entitled "What are you going to do with THAT degree?)