Governor's School

I spent the summer between my sophomore and junior year of high school at Governor's School West. While there I felt surrounded by people who were out of touch with reality and wrapped up in their own creativity. It was very interesting to be in an environment in which new ideas were not only discussed and explored, but accepted and celebrated. I say interesting because there was very little discression as to which ideas were deemed worthy of adoption. Many people found Governor's School to be a life changing experience in which they found themselves and a whole new world was opened to them. This was not my experience, but I did enjoy the avant garde dimension of the music I was priveleged to play. Unlike my high school band or any of the district bands in which I played had a flare for the avant garde. I did play a lot of modern and traditional peices, but they were still within the realm of popular or classical music. At Governor's Schol however, I was able to play works by experimental composers that focused on the "Nature of Sound" which sounded nothing like a piece of music. At some points, there weren't even notes to be played. We just got to do whatever we wanted. There were also moments of organized creativity. For example, the brass group decided to do a piece in conjunction with some of the dancers. They danced on fire escapes while we played whatever suited us. We didn't prepare anything; we just sat down and started to play whatever we thought fit their movements and vice versa. I never experienced this level of creative freedom anywhere else in my school career, but at times I felt that it bordered on the ridiculuous. For many students, Governor's School was the first time that any of them had ever been challenged to actually think about anything. It was as if their brains were finally expected to think, but they didn't know how. They just adopted any passing thought or new idea because it was different (and therefore must be the best).

I've never really felt that my creativity was hindered in any malicious way. I made choices throughout my life that led to my abilities in one area to be developed while others were left to fit into the "oh, I used to be able to do that" category. My ability to play the french horn is quickly dimenishing since I don't play in an organized band anymore. My older brothers are very brilliant, and I don't often participate in conversations at home; however, I certainly listen and learn which always sparks some new interest in my mind. I do attribute my relatively blase attitude at Governor's School to the fact that I was always challenged to think at home.