UW Admissions Personal Statement PDF

Preview

Summary

nice...

Description

The lights are on. The stage is set, and the room is ready for the audience to flood in and have a good time. As the timer ticks down to 10 seconds, I am given the cue, and my team and I are off playing. It was my time to shine every four measures for the next thirty minutes, jamming and stroking out fills of crazy complexity with subtle tones of grace. It was my chance to show that my hard work had paid off. And as soon as it had begun, it was over. Where I am now as a drummer originally started with my drive to become famous. But I didn’t know where to start. I was just a little eighth grader wanting to make a loud crashing statement. Growing up, I experienced a lot of oppression, making me feel like I was nothing, so I thought that I could find a way to make a name for myself through playing drums. I was on my own, trying to rack up my skills to make a name for myself. I spent countless hours to get my hands to stroke faster, play better, and hit harder. From the time I got home from school, I would go through endless prints of sheet music, working on my rhythmic mentality until I got a headache. My hands would cramp, my wrists would get sore, and my body would even break out in sweats. Slowly and surely, I was getting what I wanted, but I didn’t know that I was going to learn more than just trying to be a celebrity. My opportunity to show my skills came when I was asked by my ministry to play for them. Finally, Brian Lee had the chance to show what he was made of. As time passed, people came up to me, telling me how well I played, and how much fun they had. I felt so satisfied when I heard these comments. But it honestly wasn’t because I was playing the best. Even on my off days, it seemed that the audience had a blast. Maybe it wasn’t about my drumming skills because before I joined the band, they didn’t even have a drummer, so the fact I was even playing gave something to the people they never had. Maybe the point of everything was to contribute to the satisfaction and the joy of others before mine. Upon this, I slowly learned that everything isn’t about me. I mean, I got what I wanted, but when I took a step back and saw what was really happening, my contributions were helping to give the ministry something that they didn’t have before: joy. My drumming life has taken me places I never would have thought I would have gone, being asked to play for events now, with the crowd ranging from sixty to possibly three hundred people. Heading into my fifth year of drumming, I still haven’t lost the motivation to keep playing my best. That will always be what gives me motive to play, but more importantly, I learned selflessness and heart-felt sacrifice for the welfare of others.

Contributing to something that is bigger than me really gives me happiness, and it gives the community happiness, too. Ultimately, these past five years in my life as a drummer has shaped me to do things for the joy of others....