The Best 15 Quotes from the Encore Tours/Tri-M 2015 Scholarship Applicants

Today marks the announcement of our first Encore Tours/Tri-M Music Honor Society $500 scholarship winner. We received many exceptional essays from high school students across the country on the following topic: “Who is your favorite composer and why? How has this person influenced you in your musical studies?”

We were so impressed with the responses we received, that we’ve compiled a list of the best quotes from this year’s applicants. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

“[Vivaldi’s] moods and the moods he wanted you to feel were evident in the music. If you listen to various pieces, you can see images in your mind. That is music affecting your being, your soul. That’s why we have music in our lives; to touch our hearts and to make us feel. To take us to other places that we could not imagine.”
-Kendelle P., Waterbury Arts Magnet School,  CT

“When I think of struggles and hardships that I have faced, I know that without music I could not overcome them. I often think of how Beethoven could not hear his symphony, but how he could feel it. Music is meant to be felt in a special way.”
-Lauren C., Bethpage High School, NY

“The amazing thing about Gershwin is how his music permeates so many genres, and excels and innovates in all of them.”
-Jonathan K., Long Beach High School, NY

“Years from now, when I look back with fondness and nostalgia on this period of my life, I am sure to remember the song that spoke of home, the place where one finds their truest friends.”
-Sydney S., Pius Xi Catholic High School, WI on “Love Will Be Our Home” by Steven Curtis Chapman, the closing song for their spring concerts

“My all time favorite piece written by [Brahms] was his String Sextet in B-flat No.1, Op.18. When I first heard it, I was in absolute shock. The way the melodies were passed around and heard through each instrument almost brought me to tears.”
-Haleigh W., Fairfield High School, OH

“Music is truly in its best form when the performer can make it personal and share their own musical story. This stems from music as a powerful and influential force. Not only does it allow the composer to immortalize their own story, but every performer has full rights to their own interpretation.”
-Kevin Z., Stephen F. Austin High School, TX

“When I listen to [Jablonsky’s] music, I feel like I can do anything; there is such great energy behind it. I feel like I am transported into another world when I am listening to his music.”
-Jessica R., Hillsborough High School, NJ

“Nothing has made me build my confidence, accuracy and love for music more than pouring my soul into a Mozart piece.”
-Veronica M., Glassboro High School, NJ

“On a universal level, Holsinger’s pieces provide challenge and give a musician the feelings of accomplishment and success. On a personal level, his pieces serve as a reminder that any challenge can be overcome with the right mindset… His pieces reassure me that no piece of music is too difficult if one has the right amount of determination.”
-Laura I., Battlefield High School, VA

“Hendrix has influenced my studies and way of playing. Rather than playing my scales up and down unmusically, I skip intervals and group the notes to add interest. This also improves my improvising on the spot…Instead of writing chord progressions and four part vocal harmonies that fit right in the key, I tend to add dissonance in order to add character to the pieces and grab the attention of the audience.”
-Radka K., Methacton High School, PA

“[Beethoven’s] dedication and unfailing persistence reminds me to never give up on something you are passionate about. His life is a testament to the idea that with great struggle comes great success.”
-Alyssa G., Batavia High School, IL

“I constantly learn more about music, discover new music, and am astounded by how life is so much better with music in it.”
-David S., John F. Kennedy High School, IL

“Music can comfort, music can heal, music can move.”
-Dustin L., Herricks High School, NY

“It was through Wagner’s techniques and musicality in regards to Gesamtkunstwerk that was able to model how all forms of classical music are supposed to flow and exemplify a story.”
– Jason C., Dover High School, OH

“[Whitacre’s] easily recognizable musical style has its imitations among other composers, but [he] was the trailblazer for this unprecedented genre of music. The style is exclusively his own because Whitacre did not follow the path already paved; he paved his own path with others to quickly follow in his footsteps.”
-Bryan S., Hendersonville High School, TN – $500 Scholarship Winner