"Where words fail, music speaks." - Hans Christian Anderson
Instrumental music has been a part of my life since the 5th grade, when I was 11 years old. I probably started because my mother insisted that I was involved in something, and I probably chose the flute because it was what the other girls were doing and it sounded better than the clarinet to me. Little did I know then that I had found something I'd fall in love with and continue far into my adult life. I am proud to say that I've been playing the flute for over half of my life.
What amazes me about wind symphony is that the pieces that are written for ensembles tell evocative stories through sound alone. There is nothing like sitting in the middle of the ensemble and getting chills all down your body as you reach the most intense point or beautiful chord of the piece. The motto of my high school marching band was "From Many, One." When I'm part of an ensemble, I'm not "me"; I'm an essential piece of a larger whole and I love that.
While I can't share my ensemble's version without giving away my location, this is one of my favorite storytelling pieces I've ever played performed by another ensemble. It's called Silent Hills of My Childhood by George Farmer.