Musical Autobiography

I first knew I loved music when I was five years old. After my parents split up, I spent most nights with my dad because my mom worked the graveyard shift at the warehouse which left my dad having to find ways to entertain me before bedtime. His most successful attempt was playing me music. I began to sing and memorize all of the lyrics to the CD 's he 'd play me. He used to tell me I would became so excited and engaged that by the time I got through one CD I was exhausted and would fall asleep within minutes. I distinctly remember my dad playing me CDs of El Chichicuilote, a Mexican cartoon character who sang traditional and popular kid songs. I even remember him joining me in singing and dancing. Those moments were very special to me and

This passion continued to grow through high school. I auditioned for Chamber choir in high school under the direction of John Crocker and he made me his choral president after just a year. There was nothing like the feeling of traveling and performing with my choir; whether it was a festival at another high school or Walt Disney Concert Hall in L.A. At one point, we even attended a choral event in New York City and were able to sing in Carnegie Hall with a handful of other lucky choirs from around the states. That was the first time I saw what it took to be in a professional setting: learning new pieces as a group, the discipline, the amount of professionalism we had to maintain; it was simply refreshing. We performed twice in NY, once in the Carnegie Hall and once in a little run down church in the Bronx. Crocker never let us forget our roots and the time I had the pleasure of knowing him was one to

My choral experience inspired me to want to become a music educator, whether it be choral conducting, theory, applied studies, or something else music related. I wish to recreate the experience I was lucky enough to have. I want my classroom to be a place where young adults can let go of their home issues and be able to heal through song and support from their fellow musicians. I hope my students can take the lessons they learn in the classroom and apply them to all areas of their life as they continue to build their character and find themselves, just as I did. After taking this Chicano studies class, I am now able to look back on my experiences and understand why my choral participation and directors had such a major impact on my life. Through the endless arguments with the principal that I witnessed as the Choral president, my high school director taught me to never give up and pursue my dreams. He gave me aspirational capital—the ability to push beyond real-life barriers of the biased education system and uphold certain hopes and dreams for the future (Yosso 2005). I realized that the high school I attended was not a supporter of its soon to be non-existent music program. It was obviously biased towards the athletic programs and could care less about the arts so trying to convince them that we actually mattered, while still trying to maintain a positive outlook, was extremely stressful and challenging and with that I also discovered navigational capital (Yosso