Katy Perry Accomplishments

Imagine Katy Perry or Lady Gaga walking the red carpet before giving an outstanding performance at a fancy award show. Thousands of fans scream the second they walk on stage. When I was eight years old, I was convinced someday that would be me. I was going to grow up and become a famous singer. I would jump around my room and belt out nonsensical notes while Avril Lavigne was blaring from my radio, obviously practicing for my debut. I even tried to write my own songs, but could never finish one. Those ridiculous fantasies are now long gone, but music is still an essential aspect of my everyday life. Music is important to me because it has been a part of my entire life, it helped me grow, and it can heal any emotion I might be carrying.
I have

been surrounded by music for my whole life. When I was only three years old, my grandma would take me to Kindermusik. All of us would experiment by tapping our hands on the little instruments. I was already intrigued with music at a young age. Multiple years later, my mom forced me to start taking piano lessons. Initially, I absolutely loathed playing the piano. I dreaded going to my lesson week after week because I hated being told what to play. I easily become frustrated and would never practice because I didn’t have any patience. After a few long years of lessons, I finally realized I knew enough to compose my own songs. Whenever I had the chance, I would start making up little tunes. I would beg for my parents to leave the house, so I could sit down at the piano and make up a song. This was life changing for me because it was another way for me to be creative while doing something I truly loved. My passion for music grew immensely during this period because of the skills I gained by playing piano.
Band also grew my musical interest into a true passion.

Once middle school started, my family encouraged me to join concert band. They had all been in band and expected me to be too. I refused to try any of the brass or wind instruments because the thought of spit grossed me out, so I decided to join the percussion section. Middle school band sparked many friendships I still have today. It also expanded my knowledge on how to read rhythms. Mr. Cole taught us short words and phrases to help us play the rhythms correctly. He would say, “Mississippi, riverboat, popsicle,” and other words. In seventh grade we started marching band; this was my first glimpse at drumline. Originally I had no appreciation for marching band. Possibly because I knew our band sounded like complete garbage. Once I reached high school, drumline and marching band were completely different. The other students actually knew how to march and play in time, and it sounded pleasing to the ear! The silly phrases Mr. Cole taught me in middle school carried over into high school. Every year when Mr. Philgreen hands out our music, the bass drums have multiple sectionals throughout the season. Sometimes we would come across a difficult rhythm, and to get it down, we would put words to it. For example, in our cadence ‘Bounce’ we would say, “One day I swear, oh yeah I’m gonna swat flies. One day I swear that Emily is cute.” These silly phrases did not always make sense, but they served their purpose. Everytime we play our cadences, I always spew theses goofy sentences in my mind, even though I have been playing them for four years now. Making new friends and creating these silly sentences are some of my favorite memories of

drumline.
Taking private voice lessons and singing solos helped me gained courage to fulfill my passion. For years I was extremely shy. When I was with my friends, I felt comfortable to be myself, but once I was surrounded by several other people, I became terrified to just breathe. Music gave me the freedom to speak out more, something I had dreamed of for years. In eighth grade I began taking private vocal lessons from a woman in Monticello. My brother had taken lessons from her and encouraged me to do the same. She helped me focus and strengthen my sound. I would spend hours with her preparing solos for solo and small ensemble contest, West Delaware’s Dinner Show, and River’s Day. Having to stand in front of my entire grade and sing a solo for River’s Day mortified me. It felt like their eyes were burning a gigantic hole right through my soul. My hand was shaking vigorously while I held the mic to my mouth. The experience was so traumatizing, I honestly do not remember most of it. Once I finished my repulsive singing, I promptly sat back down, slouching in my chair. I was praying everyone had already forgotten my terrible performance. Although terrifying, singing in front of my class helped my confidence grow a little more. It was another giant leap towards my passion.
Along with River’s Day, I have also sung solos for solo and small ensemble contest. Every year, one of my solos is usually in a foreign language. Sometimes the most beautiful songs are the ones we cannot understand. Occasionally my voice teacher, Francie, will give me a synopsis of the song, so I can try to sing with some emotion. Other times she is completely clueless. Francie is definitely one of the craziest ladies I have ever met. Thankfully, my voice teacher also helped me with the All-State music. I would drag my groups to her house so she could hear all of us sing together. She always gave us feedback and said exactly what was on her mind, even if it was not something we wanted to hear. The All-State music is probably the most beautiful music I’ve heard in my life. It is so melodic it made me want to cry because of its beauty. I always wanted to be a part of the All-State chorus and stand near the bottom so I could hear the choir roar down on me, but unfortunately I was never accepted. However, I still grew immensely from singing four years of difficult music and I don’t regret going through the process at all. Auditioning gave me more opportunities to practice performing for others, which has always been a nerve-racking struggle for me. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to hear this style of music and it has changed my life.
Passionate emotions bleed throughout all music. When I become stressed, sad, or happy, I listen to music. A song can make you laugh, cry, or go back in time. It’s not always the music that makes you feel deep emotion, but rather the memories and people that come to mind when you hear it. I love how an artist can write a song containing great meaning to them, and a listener can interpret a completely different message from the same song. I adore how Adele can hit me hard with her sadness, and Katy Perry can pump me up. Whenever I am driving, you will find me singing. Driving down the road and singing with the radio is alleviation from a stressful day. After I hear a song a few times, I start to make my own harmonies when I sing along. I never tried to harmonize with songs until my sophomore year. It was after the All-State process that year when I transitioned from singing soprano to alto. A soprano tends to sing the melody, so the alto usually is singing a harmony. Experimenting with the songs on the radio is a daily routine for me. It doesn’t always sound pretty, but is something I love.
Music has brought me friendship, laughter, sadness, and memories. Most importantly, music brought me freedom. Words cannot express how grateful I am that music is a part of my life. It feels liberating to just be me. I now worry less about what people think or say about me. Of course I still have my quiet moments where I tend to be reserved, but I have come a long way. Even though I do not plan to pursue a career in music, it will always be prominent in my life. I have learned many skills throughout my musical journey. Whether I was playing an instrument or singing a solo, I have without a doubt grown up with music. When I’m flying down the road in the future, my radio will still be cranked, and I will be jamming out. When I have alone time, I will still plunk my piano. I plan to be a part of a choral group in college so I can hopefully have new experiences and make new friends while making new memories.