A History of Music and I, Part Two

Piano Keys or Keys to Success?

Getting back to where I left off, I started my clarinet days back in the fifth grade, at first it was a wee bit challenging to eke out the notes but I got them down in due time. Unlike the piano lessons prior, there were concerts I was to participate in at my school and practices were during recess some days, not a problem as I kept improving and enjoying band. The winter concert came and went and the band did well, then the spring concert was coming up and I got hit with a surprise: I would be spending all day one day in May 2006 practicing music with a band that comprised of the best elementary school musicians from all the elementary schools that fed into Meade High School. I was one of the few students from my elementary school called up to perform with this special band. Other than a rainstorm after the concert ended, the event went well, and it left me in awe at the talent that was present at the middle and high school level bands. My elementary school band days came to a close with me finishing the method book assigned and instead of singing a song, I got to perform the song the graduating fifth graders were singing on my clarinet. I think I'll go about future posts in the following (tentative) order: Middle School band for part 3, Piano lesson days in depth for part 4, High School band for part 5, and the other various instruments for part(s) 6 and if needed beyond. I apologize in advance if any of the next blog posts are too long for reading.