Senior Farewell: Music, writing gave me a sense of purpose

One thing that has remained a constant theme in my life has been music: my involvement in it and enjoyment of it. While growing up, I would watch my brothers play in church, awe-stricken at how talented they were. Subsequently, my love for music was instilled in me from a young age, as I wanted to be just like them.

I would constantly play the piano – though I was not anywhere near great – and sing when given the chance during church events.

As a child trying to find new ways to express myself, writing had become a new interest for me through creating screenplays. Though it was a short-lived phase in my life, my passion for it had never truly gone away. Unknowingly, I had stepped into the world of music journalism through a now-embarrassing music fan page I created when I was in middle school. Needless to say, when I wrote my first review for the Purbalite, I immediately fell in love with writing once again and had been given a much less embarrassing reason to be so enthusiastic about music.

Fast-forward to a year after I began writing for the school newspaper: My leg, unfortunately, broke in the middle of my senior year. Around the same time, I had just signed up for my first year of high school band. It felt like my whole world was taken from me until I was cleared to play and my instructors were supportive of my returning to practice. From then on, the idea of being a musician began to seem more real than when I was younger. 

With the help of Ms. Virgin, through indoor percussion and insightful conversations, and Mr. Tranter, allowing me to play drums and bass guitar during concerts – one being a concert I also had to sing in – my time in high school has been fruitful as a musician, despite the short duration. 

In short, I say all of this because I believe music and writing have given me a sense of purpose in high school I don’t think I could have gotten elsewhere.