“Without music, life would be a mistake,” quoted German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

Nietzsche believed that music is essential to living, and as humans we need it to sustain our
mental health and well-being. I believe in Nietzsche’s words; that music is crucial not to
survive, but to live. I have been learning to perform and comprehend music for six years,
and there is nothing that I am more passionate about. My goal for my undergraduate is
to become as proficient and knowledgeable of music as possible so that I can be capable
of performing professionally in an orchestral setting. I have devoted my life in servitude
to music, and I believe the Moores School of Music is the institution that I can continue
to nurture my passion in.
Although I began to study music since middle school, my passion for the art really
developed in my sophomore year of high school. Before that though, I only ever saw
myself as a “band kid.” However, when I started high school, band became very
important to me. Eventually, my obsession with band had blossomed into a love for
music itself. I gained a wonderful newfound joy for playing, a joy that vastly outweighed
any other joy in my life, and so I made the decision two years prior to writing this that I
would contribute to music by sharing its beauty to whoever is there to hear it.
Of all the musical groups and events I have been apart of, there are a few of them in
which my passion has grown in ways I will always remember. One I remember distinctly,
for example, is the first proper solo I ever performed, because I absolutely bombed it.
The “Fair” I received loomed over me for a year until it was time for me to perform
Nocturne by Gliere. Although I had work for a year since, the fear of history repeating
itself spiked my anxiety. When I was in the room my heart raced, the beginning piano
arpeggios counting down to my entrance. But, with the first note, the pressure was
suddenly eradicated. My sole purpose in that moment was to serve the music, and with
my first Excellent-Outstanding I set the pace for developing my self-confidence as a
performer.
Music has heavily impacted my life via my learning and milestone experiences. I still
can’t believe there was a time I didn’t even care to listen to it. I don’t believe it’s possible
to articulate exactly how I feel towards music; all I know is that it makes me feel warm in
emptiness and euphoric amid depression. Music has this ability to stir up strong emotion
unlike any force man can create, and all I want to do is indulge in it and give it to others.
Though life consists of so much pain, that is a life in which I can find satisfaction.