What is your favorite genre of music? Why?

Years ago, a relative on my fathers side of the family, who I call Uncle Joe, had a Polka

band, The Crescendos. They would go and play all over the place. When I was young, maybe

three or four years old, my grandfather would always pick me up and carry me up close to the

band so I could watch them. My grandpa told me one time that he would hold me and I would

just stare at Uncle Joes accordion. A few years have passed and we get a call one day, it was my

Uncle Joe. My dad picked up the phone and Joe asked if I was interested in playing the

accordion. He had had an old one and wanted to give it to me. So I said that I would try it out. I

remember counting down the days until I would get this accordion, I was so excited. I believe it

was January 15, 2006 that I got it. The next day, my parents found someone local that still gives

accordion lessons, so we got in touch with him and I started lessons within a week of getting my

accordion. In the days leading up to my first lesson, I remember sitting in my living room for

hours at a time playing with my accordion, trying to figure it out.

Once I started my lessons, it did not take me very long to catch on. I was playing my first

song, Accordion Waltz, in just a few days. Once I was able to play through the whole song, I

played it for my grandma and grandpa and I can just remember the biggest smiles on their faces,

they were both so proud of me, especially my grandpa. So as I got better and I knew I was going

to stick with it, my grandpa bought me a new accordion, which I still have to this day. As months

passed and as I advanced, I got many new songs to play, all of which I would go and play for my

grandparents. Well I got a hymn one week, How Great Thou Art, which was my paps favorite

hymn, it put the biggest smile on his face when I played that for him on my accordion. So as the

years went on, my grandfather was diagnosed with Squamous Cell Skin Cancer, which he

eventually passed away from in February of 2008. If he was lying in bed, he would always ask me

to get my accordion and play for him, so I would. On February 14, 2008, he passed away after I
 got home from school. I remember as if it were yesterday, I was sitting on the edge of his bed

playing How Great Thou Art, his favorite hymn and I know he heard it and was so proud of me.

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When my older brother was in high school, he was in the band and played trumpet.

After he graduated in 2005 he knew he would never touch a trumpet again, so one day he gave

it to me. That day I was sitting in my room and blowing as hard as I could into that horn until I

finally made a sound. I was so excited. So for the next few years, I would just play around with

my trumpet, and then when I was in fourth grade, the band teacher let me join band even

though I was not allowed to until fifth grade. But once I started playing in the band, I knew that

was for me. I already had some knowledge from playing the accordion, so a lot of concepts

came easily to me. So as many years went by, I got more involved with music, it became like my

safe place, my escape from everyday life, a way for me to express myself.

As I aged and my ability to play grew, I started learning how to play many different

instruments. I knew that learning to play the piano would benefit me a lot in my future because

at that point in my life I knew that I would be making music for the rest of my life and I needed

to have a better understanding. So out of curiosity, I started to learn the basics of the flute,

bassoon, and violin, among other brass instruments, which I had basic knowledge of from

playing the trumpet. Along with playing all these instruments, I also started getting interested in

all the different styles and genres of music.

I cannot honestly say that I have a favorite kind of music, it all depends on my mood that day. I

do not listen to music just to listen. I mentioned that music has always been my escape from everyday

life, so if Im in a bad mood, I might listen to something like Gustav Holsts Mars, Bringer of War,

because that strong percussive ostinato in the beginning makes me feel like I am letting all my anger and
frustration escape. On the contrary, if Im in a good mood, Ill listen to some big band music and let it

send chills through my entire body when I hear that fat sound from the brass. I never can get quite that

same feeling from anything else.

I believe that all music tells a personal story. For example, when I hear How Great Thou

Art, to me, that is the story of my grandfather and is a constant reminder of how music became

my passion in life. As a musician, I appreciate all music and where it came from. I enjoy

everything from Gregorian Chant to rock and roll, so its a pretty wide variety, but my favorite

genres of music are Classical, Jazz and Polka. I am more of a classical player than anything, I find

that it challenges me and really tests my abilities, but theres just something about it that puts

me at ease. It makes sense to me and I understand it more than anything else. When I listen to

Maurice Andre play Haydns Trumpet Concerto in Eb it makes me feel like Im floating on air.

Jazz on the other hand, that gets my heart pumping and the blood flowing. When I listen to jazz

artists like Wayne Bergeron, Arturo Sandoval, and James Morrison, I get goosebumps all over.

Each one of them is very inspiring to me as a trumpet player. Jazz just gives me such an

indescribable feeling that I never can quite obtain through any other means. Its really

something you have to experience to completely understand.

Polka music is one of those genres that you dont expect a lot of younger people to be

that in to or know much about. But having a Polish background and growing up playing the

accordion, its a style of music that is very important to me. I always liked the up-beat tempo

and general sound of polkas, Im not sure why. They just make you want to get up and dance.

Polkas are also one of those styles that can be difficult to play because they have such a distinct

sound to them, almost like ragtime. Playing the accordion for the past eleven years, I have also

become familiar with waltz music. Being on the complete opposite end of the spectrum as

polkas, I love the slow triplet feel that waltzes have. It is very easy to put some emotion into
 playing a waltz, which is something else that I really like about them. I can express my feelings

through the music that I play, which is one reason why I am so passionate about music. Its

everything in my life, music is what made me the person I am today.

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.

-Plato

Of the areas of music that we have studied, which is your favorite? Why?

One of my favorite styles to play on the piano is Ragtime. I love Scott Joplin, Zez Confrey,

and Jelly Roll Morton. They are undeniably my favorite Ragtime pianists. Playing Rag is a whole

new challenge compared too classical. Its very syncopated, and has a pretty up-beat and lively

tempo. I never did find it easy to play, but once I got the hang of it, its easy to take what you

learn from one song and apply it to another. A lot of times, I will sit down at the piano and start

playing a few bars of Maple Leaf Rag or Dizzy Fingers, surprisingly, I find that it clears my

mind and helps me focus, its also just fun to play. I really dont listen to Rag that often, but its

one style that I find more enjoyable to play. Its also one style that we really dont have much of

today. We have Americas Got Talent and the Tonight Show today, which is essentially

Vaudeville. Americas Got Talent is a variety show featuring a wide range of acts, and the

Tonight Show is all comedy based. A few artists like Michael Buble, Sal Valentinetti from

Americas Got Talent, Harry Connick Jr., and even Adam Levine are trying to bring back the

Crooning and Swooning era, but its still present for the most part today. Ragtime on the other

hand, was at its peak between 1895 and 1918 and, in my opinion, was kind of forgotten about,

which makes it all the more interesting to me.