A blast from the past

Anyone who knows me can tell you, and anyone who's read anything I've ever written in this space can probably conjecture, that I'm not really ever "serious" about anything. Take for example my college entrance essay. This is what I wrote as part of my application for an East Coast Music Conservatory. The topics to address were, "Why have you chosen your particular field of study? What are your goals in your field?" Knowing full well that nobody actually reads these things, here's what 17-year-old Gurftastic (at that point, most of the 'tastic was yet to 'tast) wrote to a potential place of higher learning:

The Mystical World of the Classical Trumpet Player

If I had to give one reason why I’ve chosen classical trumpet performance as my field of study, I’d have to say it is for the women* (*original word, "chicks", ed... I think my mom made me change it... it was for college, after all!). There’s nothing quite as alluring to the feminine of the species as responding to the query, “You play the trumpet… do you play jazz?” with the conversation stopping, “No, I’m a classical trumpet major.” This is usually followed by the question, “Oh… what do you want to do with that… play in a band or something?”
Now of course I am just joking. However, our society today puts so much emphasis on popular genres of music, it is frightening to think of the dwindling market available for classically trained musicians. Across the country, orchestras are going bankrupt, or shortening their seasons. Many of the leading “second tier” orchestras in the country are forced to play pops concerts to support their highly undersold classical series. While my parent’s generation, which grew up with the Beatles, still relaxes and relishes the classical experience, it is difficult for me to imagine the young professionals my age EVER listening to classical music (unless it is some cheesy compilation CD they use to impress their “educated” friends). This is truly scary, for the future of classical music is in serious jeopardy.
That all being said, my reasons for choosing the trumpet are simple. It’s my voice. It’s the only way I have found that I can truly express myself. And I’m lucky… I get to sing out my emotions every day of my life. There’s nothing quite as exhilarating as that moment when the last note of a piece is sounded, and the entire ensemble finally releases that mental energy which has been so strongly concentrated on a common goal, and everyone realizes how great everything just sounded.
As for goals… there better be some orchestras still around by the time I finish school, because I imagine I would quite enjoy playing in one. While I love teaching, and imparting the knowledge I have gained through my studies, I do not see this as the main focus of my life… at least not soon. I do hope to teach at some point, but mainly as a corollary to my work in a symphony orchestra. And no, I don’t play jazz.



Hmmm. Pretty good stuff. As you can see... the beginnings of the 'tasticity...