The stage lights warm against your neck, the silent anticipation of the crowd and a quick breath in. Sharing music created by voices and instruments is a powerful and important experience. It creates connections where words cannot and is the reason why people continue to create music today. This might also contribute to the reason why people continue to make music even if it doesn’t directly affect their futures.
“I’ve always been connected to [music],” Eva Bowen (12) said. “The art form is a good way for me to escape, and it just speaks to me.”
Every musician starts somewhere and grows at their own pace. Some people are self-taught, and others have had teachers to encourage them along the way. For those going out of state as they graduate, they will have to find new methods and outlets to disperse their musical interest into. These students will have to find comfort in the flow of the new cities and make new connections with people. Although they will move on from their regular life, they won’t forget who taught them to create.
“Viola is my main instrument, and I have had weekly lessons with my teacher for the past six years,” Evan Easley (12) said. “It’s going to be a very bittersweet goodbye.”
Self-expression is a major aspect of music. Similarly to how a poet gets lost in stanzas, or a painter’s detail in their brush strokes, music lets people feel what they cannot say. It can be something that changes people in more ways than they realize. It’s not only sounds but feelings — it’s the goosebumps they feel at a climax and the strings played on their heart.
“I think music is probably one of the most magical things that exists,” Easley said. “It’s a collection of sounds that can evoke an emotional and physical response.”
Music not only aids in self expression but also branches out to people around them. It’s a form of storytelling and excitement. Music creates a conversation of sounds and melodies. However, it can also be frightening. Performance anxiety is a well-known thing among many musicians — that feeling of uncertainty as you step into the spotlight. It is what drives people to improve but also drives people away. It is fear and freedom.
“[Performing is] nerve wracking but exciting,” Bowen said. “I’m always nervous right before, but when I get on stage or when I’m performing, then it is perfectly fine, especially if I am with people.”
Attempting to hone an instrument takes time and patience. It is a series of growth that cannot be rushed. The process can be seen in a person in more ways than one, as they share themselves with the world and refine their skills as a musician. Growing up and maturing is part of this process, as is testing music learners’ patience with each new note to create music.
“Without having exposed myself to classical music, my personality would be radically different,” Easley said. “Listening to classical music gives you a certain reputation and it makes you go down some certain paths, but I think in all versions of myself, I like music in some way because I think it’s always been something important to me.”
Although not every person will dedicate a career to music, it still takes value in their hearts and uses a passion they will continue to practice. Searching for classes at the schools they apply to and for teachers in their new states, they will continue to create something meaningful to those around them.
“Don’t try to hinder yourself,” Bowen said. “If you want to do different things, do different things, like even though I’m doing [biology], I still want to branch out and do things that make me happy.”
