Megan Perry

UWRT-1104

The Power of Music

Imagine, a young teenage girl standing on stage in front of hundreds of people. The

spotlight gleaming down on her blushed red face. The drops of sweat role down her face as she

begins to step closer to the microphone. Her hips rock back and forth and she can’t even begin to

think about what to do with her hands. Her mind begins to race as she notices the hundreds of

eyes staring up at her, but she is suddenly calmed by the comfort of her brother standing

alongside her. As the girl gets ready to sing she glances over to her brother, he gives her a slight

smile and whispers under his breath “You got this”. That girl in the spotlight was me about three

years ago performing on stage for the first time with my older brother. Ever since I was a little

girl, I would sing every chance I could get whether it was in the shower, singing along to the car

radio or humming a little tune down the grocery isle. As I grew older, I started singing duets with

my older brother and eventually progressed to on-stage performances with him. Being able to do

something I love with a person I adore made such an impact in my life. I absolutely admire

everything about music and want music to be a part of my life forever.

My appreciation and admiration for music sprouted to what it is today because of my

grandfather. My grandfather was a band director for a high school and could play any instrument

you could think of. He would practice playing the trumpet for hours until he physically could not

play any longer. His love for music then spread to my father and my uncle. My father joined the

marching band and learned how to play the drums and my uncle learned how to play the

trombone. When my mother met my father, she decided to join marching band as well and

learned to play the French horn. Many years down the road my cousins joined marching band in

high school; one learned how to play the flute and the other learned to play the trombone. My
 Megan Perry

brother took lessons to learn how to play the guitar and is now playing for his local church. As

you can see, my grandfather’s love for music was passed down from person to person until it got

to me, the youngest grandchild.

Being the youngest grandchild, I had big shoes to fill entering into the music industry

after each one of my family members. I joined marching band at the beginning of middle school

and I learned how to play the flute. I would practice for hours most days after school and on

weekends, my grandfather and I would sit on his front porch and play little ditties just for fun. I

participated in the marching band for about four years and enjoyed every moment of it until I

realized my true passion was singing. As I mentioned before, I have been singing ever since I

was a little girl whether humming a tune in my head or having a one-person concert in the

shower. I would dream of auditioning for American Idol or The Voice and picture myself being

the next Ariana Grande, but I thought those dreams were way too unrealistic. I told myself music

is not going to be a part of my future, it just will never happen. I believed that short degrading

statement for so long, but little did I know that music would become one of the most important

things in my life.

During my sophomore year of high school was when music really took a turn in my life.

My brother was working on a project to create a band for our church youth group. His goal was

for each member of the youth band to be in high school so when he was searching for members,

he automatically turned to me. I was so terrified at first even to think about standing in front of

an audience and being at my most vulnerable state I could be in. I did not think that I could ever

stand in the spotlight and sing my heart out, but my brother had so much faith and trust in me

that I could spread the love and importance of music through my talents. I later on agreed to be

the lead singer of the band and sing alongside my brother. The band would have practice at least
 Megan Perry

twice a week and once on the weekends weeks before the actual performance. I would spend

hours sitting on the floor of my brother’s room working on harmonies and different ways we

could rearrange the song to make it our own. My brother and I would walk to a park and run

through our set list to make sure everything sounded just right. It took a lot of practice and hard

work to overcome the difficulties of creating music, but I would not trade it for the world.

It is because of music my bond with my brother has been stronger than ever. Music

brought us together when most teenage siblings grow apart. Music allowed us to spend time

together doing something we both love to do. It allowed us to spread the love of God in a

creative way to our church and to express our passions to our communities in local coffee shops.

Music is the topic of all of our phone calls, text messages, and facetime calls to each other.

Without music, my brother and I would not be who we are today. My family would not share

common interests if it weren’t for music. I feel that music is an important part of life and should

be used to portray experiences each and every person in this world goes through.

Music has not only brought my brother and I closer together, but my family as well.

Growing up in a music-centered family, I had a great deal of role models I could look up to and

reach out to for support and guidance. Many of my family members were willing to sit down

with me and work on anything I needed to improve on. My family would help me with anything

from finding the correct tempo to a song or the perfect harmony to my duet. Because my family

has such a love for music, they are willing to help anyone understand the ins and outs of what

music is. I still to this day look to my family for advice and guidance every chance I can get.

Music has brought my family together in a way nothing else has ever done, music is our passion.

Throughout my life, I have come to learn that the most important things in your life can

be shared with the people around you. You can use your knowledge and talents to support one
 Megan Perry

another and create a strong relationship. Music is not just sounds and words mushed together, it

is having the power impact a person’s life and create indescribable bond between two people. I

know that if it was not for music, my brother and I would not have the relationship we have

today.
 Megan Perry

Reflection

After completing the language and literacy paper and having some time to reflect back on

the work I have accomplished, I think that the most successful part of the paper is my

introduction paragraph. My goal within the introduction paragraph was to really grasp the reader

through describing an intense scene that the audience can visualize. I was very proud at the

creativity I used within my paper to portray the different bonds I have created through music

with my family members. I enjoy writing these types of papers because it allows me to challenge

my creativity and practice my writing skills. I would want my reader to notice the true bonds I

have with my family through music and inspire them to use the music for their relationships.

Even though I enjoyed writing the paper, there were a few things that I still need to work on. I

need to work on the transitions between each paragraph and through my different key points. I

also need to work on using more challenging words to enhance the quality of my paper.

Something I learned through writing the language and literacy paper was that literacy is

not only focused on reading and writing. Literacy consists of many different types such as music,

art, sports, or film. I also learned that writing the paper couple weeks before it is due allows you

to create many drafts and get other readers opinion to improve the quality. If I had to teach

someone about writing based on my experience with this project, I would tell them to write

something that has meaning to them. I feel that your writing will be infinitely better if it is about

something you care and enjoy talking about.