Jazz Saxophone Improvisation

http://www.channel7oaks.org/videos.cfm?video=154

The link above redirects you to a video of the Maples Collegiate Winter Band Concert, however when fast forwarded to 31:41 of the video, I am seen improvising on the tenor saxophone. This is something that I enjoy learning and performing, because it is like a language. When I improvise, I create a story, but instead of saying it through words, I express my ideas through different styles, rhythms and notes. I can honestly say that improvising has helped me to gain more confidence in myself  because everything is improvised on the spot, and so I have to trust what I want to "say" and how it is conveyed through the music. Moreover, it has also taught me a whole new world of jazz music that has been hidden until I began learning it.    

In My Life: The Beatles

MR STARK I WILL E-MAIL YOU THE VIDEO BECAUSE IT IS NOT UPLOADING. THANKS.

This vocal excerpt represents my love of singing from a very young age, and it also represents how the music of The Beatles impacted the kind of music I listen to. It also strengthened the bond between my father and I, because he was the one who introduced me to The Beatles and to various types of music in general. A lot of the musicality that I have today allows me to be creative and to express my ideas in the form of singing.    

Diary Entry

Dear Diary,

            

      The skies continue to remain their soft, colour of blue. The sun penetrates the earth, its warmth reaching our very cores. Now at this point in my life, its touch takes me back, to my childhood; where happiness fully satiates our tender hearts. It is now that when I reflect back, I realize that this pure happiness stems from love.

            

      As a doctor, there were days when I would feel exhausted. Physically, mentally, emotionally. It was evident that this is the norm for doctors. Days when thoughts would shroud over in my head and I would ask myself why I am doing this? Do I really want this? I remember looking in the mirror and I stared with a fierce intensity at myself, and a powerful force stronger than the sun forced the clouds of thoughts away to a far place; I grasped the fact that I do this because I find satisfaction in helping others to the best of my abilities, and it keeps me full. This flourishes from love.

            

      Not every day will be what you want it to be, this is not a perfect world. If I have learned anything from this life of mine, it would be to fully embrace love. No matter what form it is in. Learn to love completely. Do things with love. Do what you love. Love. It is a four letter word, that when stretched is boundless. It will enable you to accept yourself completely, show love towards others, and to the world around you. It will allow you to push out of your comfort zone, and to value every moment. To have an overflowing amount of faith and understanding. Love will be the light that shines in the darkest of hours. Love will be the vibrant colours that make a perfect painting, even more beautiful. Without it, there would be no point in living.  

Short Story

When One Door Closes, Another Door Opens

             

            The light is blinding. It is so bright, that minuscule pieces of dust could be seen ever so slightly floating aimlessly in the air. As I approach the stage, I cannot not help but notice the clicking of my boots against the uneven floorboard, and with every shallow breath, I am drawing closer to the microphone. The silhouettes of the audience are vague, quite obscure due to the fact that I forgot to put on my glasses. I look to my left, and then to my right, and I see my friends are with me, and we are ready to perform. I take in a rushed deep breath, and then let it all out. Afterward, our beautiful songs ensue. At first my voice is shaky, but soon we are harmonizing and smiling at each other, unable to fathom that we are on stage; we are singing our hearts out. At the end of our performance, the audience cheers voraciously, as if they want more. I think to myself, "Maybe we could actually win this thing."

            

           Seconds feel like minutes, minutes feel like days; as we are waiting for the results. As I look up, knees shaking and my body ironically cold to the touch, the emcees begin to announce the winners. As they are speaking, in my head their mouths are moving yet no sound is coming out. I watch as the third, second, and first place winners receive their prizes, and in a fraction of a second, the sound of cheers returns, but it is not for us. It hits me like a heavy brick wall that we did not win. I applaud and smile, although a piece of me still wishes the contrary.

            

          At the end of the talent show, a group of students suddenly approach me and commend me for my vocals. I am taken by surprise but very thankful for their compliments. They advise me to audition for the schools vocal group, and I humbly reply to them that I will think about it. We exchange more small talk, weary smiles, and head home. I tell myself in the car, "I won't even get in. What is the use in trying?"

            

           A couple of days have passed, and I find myself holding the sheet music for the audition. I am in awe at how thick the papers are, but nevertheless I work diligently at the music. After hours of hard work every day, I am finally ready.

            

        The day of the audition is a busy one. I walk into the audition space, and I am greeted by many hopefuls in the room. I take a seat, and watch as the others nervously share their vocal talent. The air in the room is stagnant, and the facial expressions of the teachers are indecipherable. As I notice this, my name is called out and it is my turn to sing.

            

            The moment I open my mouth, something happens. I overlook the fact that I am in an audition, I sing the best I can, and even though I am nervous; I use that energy to fuel my voice, to allow my character to shine through. My whole body is immersed in song, I am involuntarily snapping to the beat, and my lips are extended in a smile.

           

            I remember it was the day of my science exams when I had found out I had gotten in the group, and I rushed to the door where all the names were posted on a shiny piece of parchment, my name typed in black ink; permanent, visible, and real. It is a day I will never forget.

            

           Throughout all of this, I have learned that when you want something, you will not always get it the first time. Sometimes, you may never get it at all. However, when you work hard at something, and let go of underestimating your talent and potential, many positive things can shine through. Indeed, when one door closes, another door definitely opens.   

Life Lesson Reflection: Giving Back

It was in my early teen years when I had finally realized how it felt to give back to the community. I had begun volunteering with a non-for profit organization called Career Trek, which aims to show youth 80 different career paths in 20 weeks. Being a past Career Trek graduate myself, it was awe-inspiring to witness a younger generation experience what I had experienced when I was in fifth grade. The classes were held at the University of Winnipeg, University of Manitoba, and Red River College. The children were able to use classroom space and to learn firsthand from teachers and students from specific fields various career paths in the sciences, the arts, criminal justice, and politics, just to name a few.

I had a wonderful time being a teacher's assistant at the University of Manitoba in the Chemistry class helping the children with their labs and experiments. I also had the chance to co-teach the Drama class at the University of Winnipeg, and act as the junior campus assistant who helps to oversee the entire campus at Red River College. I could not help to see myself in so many of the children in the program. Many of the kids were inquisitive thinkers who were not afraid to try new things, and who readily gave up their Saturdays to attend the program at the campuses.


At the end of the program in April, there is a graduation ceremony that is held for all the trekkers, and it was at this ceremony when we had exchanged goodbyes that I fully realized how much of a difference I had made to these children. Many of them thanked me for helping them and teaching them throughout the program, and how even though some of them were stubborn, I had not given up on them. Beyond the program, I had developed friendships with some of the kids and it was truly heart warming and uplifting to see them grow throughout and accomplish the program, ultimately getting something out of it. For myself, I was able to make a positive contribution to the program and the trekkers, and it is something that will always bring a smile to my face. 

Poetry

Haiku

A voyage away

Vibrant colors, tastes anew

Adventurous days.

Acrostic

M agnificent

Y outhful

F earless

U nited

T eaching

U nique

R adiant

E ducated

Future Masterpiece

Eyes closed; the ubiquitous sky and its vastness awaits.

The stars, one by one, are dreams you are ready to take.

Head on, with the fierceness of an autumn wind,

and a heart of gold, openly unfolds;

To show the colors of wisdom and healing.

With splashes of knowledge, compassion, and bountiful feeling.

The canvas shines bright,

the many stars of futuristic light,

ingrained are the facets of ambition and fight.

Determined to create a masterpiece,

for you and only you,

open your eyes,

and make not haste.

For you will find,

your future awaits.

Images

This image represents the time in my childhood when I had learned to ride a bicycle. This had taught me at a young age that you must work hard at something to achieve it, and even though I had fallen many times (and quite discouraged at the laughs from my big sis) I  got back up and continued on with my pursuit of being able to ride a bicycle. Now I am proud to say that I do enjoy riding my bike as a pastime and I will never forget the first time I was able to pedal on my own, looking straight ahead; it was clear my hard work had paid off.

The next image represents my fondness of baking and cooking; and how it strengthened my relationship with my mom. I believe that my mom is the best cook in the world. She is definitely a natural, and I remember in fifth grade when we had a little cooking camp and she taught me how to cook traditional and modern dishes and desserts. Through this, our mother-daughter relationship flourished and it also taught me to be patient, to be helpful, and I certainly developed a new found appreciation into how much work goes into creating and preparing dishes. 

Sources:

http://georginaluck.blogspot.ca/2011_09_01_archive.html

http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large-5/my-red-bicycle-trudi-doyle.jpg

Music

Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
And I say it's all right
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
It's all right, it's all right

I feel these lyrics represent a part of my life where I like to think optimistically and positively, and I associate the song with this mindset. I believe it is important to have this way of thinking because there are many things in life that will try to bring you down, and it is up to you to pick yourself back up again and to focus on the brighter side of things.

Confetti - Tori Kelly 

People seem to think
That you'll be happier, once you reach the top
You'll have it all
But I'm livin for right now
Cause what if tomorrow never comes
I'm not waitin, I'm not waitin
For the confetti to fall

Additionally, these lyrics embody how I've transitioned in learning to take each day as it is, and to live in the moment. This song holds fast to many ideas that we can all relate to, reminding the listener to not take anything for granted and to cherish the simple things in life. 

Stop This Train - John Mayer 

So scared of getting older
I'm only good at being young
So I play the numbers game to find a way
To say that life has just begun

Had a talk with my old man
Said help me understand
He said "Turn 68, you'll renegotiate"
Don't stop this train

Don't for a minute change the place you're in
And don't think I couldn't ever understand
I tried my hand
John, honestly, we'll never stop this train

The lyrics from this song really caught my eye because it is something that we've all been afraid of at least once in our lives; getting older. It also connects with the novel we have read in class because Morrie talks about how so many of us fear aging, yet we forget that it is a part of life, and without it; we would not be able to move forward with our lives. Aging should not be something we fear, if we live our lives fully everyday, we should be able to continue on the "train" of life. 

Sources: 

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/beatles/herecomesthesun.html

http://www.metrolyrics.com/stop-this-train-lyrics-john-mayer.html

http://www.metrolyrics.com/confetti-lyrics-tori-kelly.html

Symbols

Treble Clef: The treble clef embodies the importance of music in my life. In my opinion, music is not a commodity. It cannot be bought or sold, rather it is shared. Words, melodies, and harmonies intertwine to create a precious story, a world of feelings, and insight to the songwriters mind. I believe that wherever you are in the globe, or whomever you meet; music is the one thing that connects us all. It has no barriers, it does not judge, its flavors and sounds suits to the needs of the listener. As Plato once said: "Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything." 

Peace Symbol: I believe the peace symbol represents a part of my life because I am generally a calm, mellow person and I am very much opposed to hate, social calamities, and social injustices in the world. It saddens me when I hear of stories from around the world where people fight over things that truly have no meaning. Violence, bloodshed, loathing, indifference; these things will not allow society to prosper to its fullest. If anything, it creates deep cracks in the foundation of societal structure and wreaks havoc to our world, the one place we call home. We must learn to live in peace, to accept one another for who we are, and to abhor not each other and our differences, but the hatred that fuels the fire of our apathy to each other and the world.

Quotes

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. 

C.S Lewis

This quote relates to my life because I am blessed the friendships that I have made throughout my years have taught me to become more considerate, understanding, and has put me in situations where I must put myself in my friends' shoes. Just as C.S Lewis quotes, friendship is indeed one piece of the puzzle of life that gives it value and meaning. Friendship is a two way system where both parties learn from one another, and as the bonds of friendship grow stronger and stronger; its significance in life blossoms even more so.

Family is not an important thing. It's everything.

Michael J. Fox

Additionally, this quote relates to my life because for myself, family has so much meaning. We are a tight knit unit who supports each other, shares laughs and memories, stays together through the most luminous and the most sombrous of days, and more importantly, we love one another unconditionally. I know deep within that no matter what happens, my family will never leave me. As I have grown older, I have also learned that family does not have to be tied to an person by blood. Family can extend beyond that; simply characterized by love and affection towards an individual that is not necessarily a blood relative.