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The
Squeak
Toot
Blast
Sound Of Music

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      I play the alto saxophone, a common instrument in many bands. It wasn't the first choice I had when I decided to join the school band. The trumpet was the instrument I first gravitated towards, because of its simplicity. It wasn't too big, there didn't seem to be a specialized technique to playing it, and it was a main instrument in band. However, when I first tried to play it, I found out there was a technique to play it, and I kid you not, it was blowing a raspberry. I had little success doing it, so I turned to the saxophone.

                 In 5th grade, when all this was taking place, I was a pretty tiny person. The saxophone, in my opinion, was a modest instrument. In my mind I placed it below the importance of the trumpet but above the flutes and clarinets(Sorry guys!). It had a lot of bells and whistles, which was a little intimidating. I took the chance and chose the saxophone as my instrument. The saxophones in our school band were either available in alto or tenor. The tenor sax seemed a little to big for me at the time, so I chose the alto.

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              My experience playing the alto sax has been one of great enjoyment. I think this applies to everyone, but at first I felt a wave of intimidation and nervousness. The mechanics of the saxophone, combined with having to get the air through the body, seemed like a real challenge. However, I slowly adjusted to getting better at playing and making the music sound solid. Based on my experience, you should be focused on the music when playing a song, as it reduces distraction and mistakes. On the other hand, you shouldn't be thinking about a song too much when playing, as this can also fill your mind too much. I just look at the notes, and play them without thinking too much. This does result in mistakes sometimes, sadly.

            When performing, you do what's described above, but you also have to think about another thing: doubt. When you've been practicing a song for weeks, and you're trying to put everything into not messing up, sometimes you hesitate to play a part or two where there's not many people in the background to support you. There's parts where, if you mess up, it's CLEARLY heard, and parts where if you mess up, no biggie. What we sometimes in Band is each person can take a little break from playing for 2-3 measures, as long with other people with the same part are still playing. This helps us relax for a little bit, but for the person who's still playing, it's all on them to continue the performance. So you shouldn't hesitate to perform during a concert or event, because you can learn from any mistakes you may make.

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              So that's my lengthy, but personal take on my experience playing music. I hope you enjoyed it,  and that you also enjoy the memes below.

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If I Were The President

                 If I were the president I would want to improve the health of Americans, fix strained race relations, and improve school funding. I know these might sound like things anyone might say, but they really are serious issues.

                The health of Americans. Over 2 out of every 3 Americans are overweight or obese, and 142,000 preventable deaths happen each year because of obesity. The US has to spend an extra $147,000,000,000 on obesity every year. Statistics show that 3 out of every 4 Americans will be overweight or obese by 2020, which is a pretty serious topic.


                   I would roll out programs to help Americans either stop their increasing weight and/or lose their weight. Obesity is affecting Americans as young as 8 or 9 years old, and going up into the teens. People in the US are getting judged because of their weight. We need to control our habits, and be aware of ourselves.


                Race Relations. Not only race relations, but religious relations are being highly tested right now, with the ban keeping citizens from 7 countries from entering the US. I don't want to give my personal thoughts about the ban itself, but I am slightly concerned that the countries might want to retaliate against the US. Iran had even placed a ban on US visas entering Iran, in response to Trump's ban. They recently lifted their ban because the US ban was lifted, but people in many cities and even countries are opposing the ban.


                 Some African American relations are also being tested, represented through the Black Lives Matter. And on top of that the border wall to Mexico is being built. Right now the country is in a tight situation concerning race and religion, and I want to fix that.


                  Last of all is school funding. I know that particularly in Illinois state funding is at a low but I think that overall funding for education should be higher than it is now. Lead tests are being administered at schools across the nation and many of those schools are testing positive for lead. If funding was increased for schools,  testing and removal of lead would've been done earlier, and that additional efforts to control lead would be taking place.

                   I also think that efforts to increase sanitation in schools should be emphasized, so that students can learn in a good environment. Overall, I think efforts to improve schools should be taken upon by the government, and president.