Oregon Student Activities Association (OSAA) State Solo has been a major competition for many collegiate high school musicians over the state of Oregon. Students all over the state compete with a solo in front of three judges that come from all over the country. Each competitor has to have three original copies of their solo to provide for the judges. I have competed in this effortful competition for two years now. It has been a prodigious competition to compete in because it shows how well you have improved over the years and what you rate in the state compared to every student who competes in the competition for that instrument. During the summer after all the long competitions I take a couple months off playing for people and practicing. …show more content…
All these competitions are super hard work and extremely exhausting. I usually do around four competitions, three honor bands, and sometimes a community recital. All these events have to be prepared for, but the most important one is OSAA State Solo. Between the months of August and September I go solo shopping. I search for weeks to find the solo that speaks to me in a way I cannot describe. After I find one, I order the piece and start practicing. I commute to Bend, Oregon every other week for private oboe lessons. My private oboe teacher was the primary oboe professor from University of Oregon. I have came to her for about two years now and I absolutely love going to her. Each lesson we prep more and get ready for State solo. She is a superb instructor on the instrument and I enjoy learning from her. Depending on the level of the piece I picked out for the year it usually takes me about three to five months to get the piece to perfection. It is a lot of slow work and repeating the same practicing over and over. Sometimes it can get monotonous and I usually will take a break for a day or two. This part of my musical adventure for the year is always the hardest part, I never knew before doing this competition how much feelings music brings out in you. Sometimes I get super upset, sad, happy, or even bored. I know in the end though the competition is always the best part. Before any high school student has a chance to go to State, they have to go to Districts. This competition is easy, you don't compete with the best players in the state. You compete with people in your district. This competition is super indolent because you do not need three original copies and it's a local judge from that state. Plus it isn't thirteen oboe players that compete for state, it's usually about two or three. Districts is super fun, because you get to see the middle school kids perform and it is amazing to see how much talent is in those kids! I think my favorite part of District solo is when you are finished playing and the judge comments on how you performed. Sometimes it is not what you want to hear, but it builds you as a person in the musical world. The way they portray and depict certain sections of the piece and how to play it more appropriately just makes me so jubilant. District solo competition is held in Redmond, Oregon. They hold the event at Ridgeview high school, it is super mind-boggling for everyone sense each of us have our own time to perform. Kids come and go every hour, sometimes they even come back and patiently wait for scores. My time at districts was at 1:50 in the afternoon. I like to show up about an hour before so I can get use to the environment before I play. Before this time I am taking deep breaths and trying to calm down before I go and perform. I am super nervous and my heart beats so fast, sometimes I can't think straight. I start to warm-up in a small classroom and make sure my instrument is working properly. I start to go over my piece in the small sections and go over them a few times. I feel the notes between my fingers and listen inside my head to the piano part before I go in front of the judge. After I am all warmed up I head to the woodwind room and get ready to perform. During this time there is usually no talking, except for me and the pianist. I hand the judge my copy of the solo and I announce myself. Afterwards I start playing, during this time I am calm and I am enjoying the sound. I try to make the best out of the moment and own it to myself. I finished performing and I waited for the judge to critique me. His first words were, “Wow... are you sure you are a high school student?” After that I was super happy and I couldn't believed he was that impressed. I was the only sophomore playing against two seniors. After I left the room, I put my instrument away and waited all day until five 'O clock that evening for my scores. The scoring for districts is: (I) is the best, (II) Average, and (III) Below Average. I placed a “I” and it said state next too it. I was super happy! I was going to state again to compete at a state level. State was only a month away, so when I got home I practiced a lot. I knew the performance, I did earlier that day was not even close to a state level. So I practiced everyday and worked super hard until state day. Today was the day before state and I was sitting my hotel room with my family in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
We went and shopped around Portland to pass time for the next day to come faster. I played at 3:00 PM. I woke up that next morning and got dressed into my performing clothes. That consisted of black slacks, black button up shirt, and a black tie. I arrived at Lewis and Clark College and found where I was going to be performing. I was performing in Miller Hall Rm. 201. I arrived about three hours early too see where I was suppose to be and get used to the feeling of the building. When it was time to get ready and performed I walked into the auditorium and handed the judges my three original copies. I walked up on stage and waited for the announcer to say my contestant number and say when to go. At state you only have ten minutes to perform your solo, otherwise they cut you off and let you go. I started performing and I got this weird feeling I wasn't nervous or anything. I was just content and ready to own the performance. After I finished performing I walked off stage and collected the copies and walked out of the room. At this point I was nervous and wanting to know how I placed. My family and I met up with some friends that were performing at state also and we walked around and waited some more until five 'O clock for …show more content…
awards. It was time to go to Howard hall for awards.
I sat in a chair and waited for the announcer to announce the winners. They started with fifth place and went backwards to first. They kept going through each place and I sat there with my heart beating out of my chest. I was scared I didn't place this year again and I started to tear up. I knew my practicing wasn't good enough and I started doubting myself. When they got to second place my name still wasn't said and I couldn't even think how poor I did. Then the tall announcer said, “First place goes to Samuel Ellibee from Burns, Oregon.” I looked around first and then it hit me that I was state champion for oboe of Oregon. I literally couldn't believe it. I got out of my chair and hugged my mom and dad and went up to the front of the room. I got a medal and put it around my neck. I was overjoyed and couldn't believe I got first, knowing I was the only sophomore out of twelve seniors. Afterwards I took plenty of pictures and shook many hands from college scouts and other adults I had never seen. They asked how long I have played oboe and who do I take lessons with. I replied with, “I have only played for about three years and Amy Kolb from University of Oregon.” After that response they looked at me like I was a professional. Some of the adults who talked to me thought I was in college because of how well I performed. This day was literally the best day ever. I couldn't believe I was state
champion. After that amazing day, I ended it with my best friends from Portland and my family with some dinner. We went to a family owned Mexican restaurant and celebrated. When dinner was finished I called my oboe teacher from Bend and she couldn't believe I did it! She was just as happy as I was. After dinner and everything I went to my friends house and spent the night, because the next day I was going back to the college to go to a meeting for my Europe trip this summer. After the meeting was over, my family and I headed back to Burns and I hung my medal up on my wall. Everyday when I look at it, I still can't stop smiling. I just couldn't believe I won. “Don't practice until you get it right, practice until you can't get it wrong,” quoted from Vince Lombardi. I live by this quote everyday for anything that is a struggle in my life. I especially read that quote before I practice for a solo before a big competition. OSAA State Solo is the biggest competition in Oregon, it has served well to many musicians and has taught many lessons to others. I will always remember the memory of that wonderful day. Still to this day I can't believe, that a small town kid from the middle of nowhere won state solo for oboe. It amazes me.
Several summers ago, I made my first All-Star baseball team for a local little league. When I heard that I was picked, I was overwhelmed with happiness. A lot of my friends and teammates in years past had made the team, but never me. I was finally selected by the head coach of the All-Star team, and considered it quite an honor.
When the dorm step show came homecoming week I was so nervous you would have thought I was about to be interrogated. The female’s dorm Kleist had just begun finishing up and they came back and said, “High Rise you’re up.” From that moment on, my nerves began to take over. My heart felt like it was beating out of my chest. The crowd started screaming as soon as they saw us coming out onto the stage. Once I heard people yelling out, “yessss go Tre!, go High Rise!” those butterflies flew away and I instantly grew confidence. It was like I had a flashback of myself being in another cookout or party when I was a kid and I let it out. Before we could even finish our first step, the crowd nearly blew the roof off of the gym. Once I heard the crowd’s reaction that allowed me to get comfortable and start really having fun. After our performance, I knew we had a good chance to win but I wanted to stay humble because the other teams worked hard. After the last performance, they said that they were going to announce the winning team. I shook hands and hugged all of my teammates and closed my eyes tight like I was making a wish. The announcer said, “Drumroll please….and your winner is……. High Riseeee!.” The entire team ran out on the floor full of energy and joy; it was like we won the Super
My middle school’s dean smiles while handing me my certificate. I gave her my best fake smile and stood in line with the rest of my classmates who made the honor roll. I put my medal around my neck, held my certificate in my left hand, and put my right arm behind my back. I can’t believe I left my jacket in my mom’s car.
I turned in an application for the position of yearbook editor at my high school at the end of junior year. The two current editors and my yearbook teacher interviewed me for the position. These editors were my friends of course, but I was still so nervous, I wanted to prove to them that I was an eligible candidate. I got a few laughs in but tried to keep it as professional as I could. A few days passed and I had begun questioning the status of my application. One day in class, my teacher called me in the hallway. He was standing outside and asked me if I would like to accept the position of the editor. I was frozen, caught off guard, I was not expecting this. My heart was racing, I could feel my face getting warmer, I couldn’t speak all I could do was laugh nervously. I finally got myself together to form the word “yes.”As a freshman, I never would have thought that I would be taking on such a big responsibility. It wasn’t
Out of nowhere my name got called to claim the award of “Most improved student of Class of 2014”. I was so proud of myself, it felt so good to know that I achieved something that I really wanted. I knew I could do something if I put my mind to it, and I did and I was so proud of
When my mom asked if I wanted to see this year’s Lakeside musical, I honestly was a bit unwilling. It’s not that I didn’t want to support my two or three friends up on stage and in the crew; I just don’t have a very good track record with high school performances. I’m a critic: I have always been very critical of myself, and very critical of others. I unwittingly judge the actors onstage, and end up feeling guilty because I probably could have done no better. On top of this warped superiority/inferiority was the nature of the musical they were performing; all throughout third grade I had been obsessed with the movie-musical Hairspray. I knew all the songs, most of the lines, and wasn’t sure if anyone could top Queen Latifah. But I was mistaken.
On March 3rd, 2018, I attended the WSMA performance at Rufus King High School at 11:24 PM. I played gavotte by Jean Baptiste Lully in A minor. First, I went in bowed, introduced myself and told her what song I was playing. I started to play. I was doing good until the last part. I started to get nervous and messed up a little bit. It was my first time, so I was not expecting to get a one. However, I was so surprised when I saw that I was only one point away from getting a one. Next time, I really hope to get a one.
I had auditioned like all the other new members did every year and played all twelve major scales two octaves and sight-read music that would be performed later by everyone who made the cut. A week later, when the list of the members for this year’s group was released, the list implied that I did not pass the audition. Of course I inquired to know exactly why I did not pass, and I didn’t like what I heard. I was told by the director himself that I was one of the best incoming members that auditioned; however, he had to shrink the section down to fifteen to compensate for the decrease in the number of returning members. I smiled and nodded like I was taught to do for so many years and simply carried on with the next five weeks of my life as if nothing happened. Then, I got a call saying that a spot in the section had opened when one of the members quit and was asked to join because I was on the waiting list. I agreed to join and the lady on the other line told me when the next rehearsal was.
After the race it was time for awards. I went over the metal stand, and they handed me a gold medal. I stood in line to get on the award stand. Many of my teammates and even some people I didn't know congratulated me. I remember it as was they called my name up for first
I was still in complete shock when I was acknowledged by my friends. I did not expect this award at all, and was in shock when I was chosen. In this moment my best friend and I facetimed our other best friend because she could not attend the game. She answered the phone and started screaming in excitement.
When I was in the 7th grade I considered myself the best clarinetist in the whole 7th grade. I felt that I was an elite clarinet player. This was because the other three clarinetists in the 7th grade , Kevin Calderon, Kevin Mandia, and even David Deng could not play the advance clarinet parts like how I could. However I was stopped in my place when my music teacher only took one student from the whole 7th grade band to perform at the Saint Patrick’s day Parade that year.
would train 3 times a week and have a match every Sunday. I played at
The day of the pageant, I felt like it was finally my time to show off all of my hard work and dedication. The moment that crowing started, I was very nervous but I knew that I had done everything I could have done to win by giving my absolute
The fear of not living up to the expectations of the people who believed in me was heavy on my shoulders as I walked into the tiny room with two stern-looking judges who only focused on the paper in front of them. I was confident for a moment, but it was only a pretension. In the beginning of my sophomore year, I decided to join the All-State Music Festival, a music program where anyone can audition to play at a festival in Anchorage, Alaska. Although the result was not what I expected, the experience has influenced me to become the person I am today.
I didn’t show up at the Miss Lanier pageant expecting to win. There were at least 15 other girls competing against me. I just wanted to have fun that day. I was nine years old at the time. I wasn’t nervous at all, not about the 15 girls competing against me, not nervous about the three judges at the front of the stage, not nervous at all. Now that I look back on that day, I realize that I should’ve been nervous; my hands should’ve been shaking, my stomach turning, and my brain in turmoil while waiting to step on stage. But I wasn’t. All I wanted to do that day was have fun and maybe make a friend or two. My mom and I stood behind the stage, waiting, just waiting. At one point the pageant director came to make sure nothing was wrong. Some of the girls next to me were acting like it was Miss Universe, but I was just treating it like a dressed up walk on a stage. Once she left we stood in a line at the back entrance to the