Music & Me

Hey! My name is Michaella Willis and I am currently a sophomore and majoring in Accounting here at Converse. I was born in Kentucky, but I have lived here in South Carolina for the majority of my life. I do not live too far from campus, so I commute. I am half white and half filipino and was finally able to meet my family in the Philippines this summer. What I do outside of coming to campus is make all your complicated drinks at Starbucks, eat, and sleep. Whenever I am doing something other than those things, I am listening to music. Music has been such a strong part of my life for a long time now. I am always listening to music while I am doing assignments like this one, when I am working out, or just whenever I just think my surroundings are too quiet. I currently do not have a favorite music genre, though. I like to choose what genre I listen to depending on the current mood I am in. 




I also have plenty of music background and I am definitely going to use this paragraph to share most of my accomplishments. I have participated in multiple SCBDA Region Band and All-State performances here in South Carolina. I was able to play as the principal clarinet during a clinic at the University of South Carolina. And I have marched with the James F. Byrnes Marching Band for five years and even earned my part in solos and small ensembles within a few shows. Being part of the marching band included marching in a parade for Disney down in Florida, competing at nationals in the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indiana, and winning our state competition. Even though I have played and accomplished many things on the clarinet for many years now, I might decide that this chapter of my life will come to an end after this academic year.



1. A band that I am currently interested in is Deftones. Listening to them always makes me want to go 500 miles per hour down the road. Instead, they just help me get my homework done a lot quicker. Even though some of their songs are heavier than others, I will still never mind listening to them. Their music always get me in the right headspace and excites me. It is always them and others in the kind of shoegaze genre, like Cocteau Twins, that helps me stay focused and keeps me thinking.



2. Currently, the only piece of music that means something to me is Mozart: Clarinet Concerto, Movement I, Allegro. This piece is something I play every now and then. Because I thought I was going to be a music education major, I chose to audition to each college with this piece. Now, I just choose to play this piece only for fun. After summer break, I had to get back into the hang of playing my instrument, so I pulled just pulled this piece out and learned it all over again. I have done that for the past two years before each wind ensemble practice. 





3. Finally, one type of music that I do not really like is country. There are a few songs that I could sing along with, but it is definitely not a genre that I would proudly say that I like. If I were to be upset, it would definitely not be the genre that would make me happy. It would probably make me even more upset as I am sure that it would never satisfy me. Like, seriously, what is up with "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk?"
























Comments

  1. Chris TyraSeptember 8, 2023 at 2:43 PM

    Ever since growing up I have always like Mozart and what really got me into this kind of music was the pure happiness I felt while listening. Are there any other favorite songs you have of Mozart`s?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Miguel JuncoSeptember 9, 2023 at 2:58 PM

    I also listen to Deftones when I do my homework; I really got into it this past summer thanks to a friend who recommended one of their songs. It's slowly becoming one of my favorite current bands.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lydia Writes About MusicSeptember 9, 2023 at 9:17 PM

    Hi Michaella! Thanks for sharing these bands! I had never heard of the Deftones or Cocteau Twins and I enjoyed the discovery.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Marty's cultural music blogSeptember 9, 2023 at 10:25 PM

    Hi Michaella, thanks for this. amazing blog!! i also don't like country at all... But you got good music tastes!

    ReplyDelete

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