My band teacher, Mr. Holland*, said that he is here to teach us, his students, about music and life. This year, he taught us many things. From how to send an email to knowing what notes we are reading. One of my favorite things he did was he asked us to write down a question for him to answer.

Many asked similar questions, the most popular question was ’why did you come a band

director?’ I didn’t ask this question.

I asked him to tell us a story about him. I was one of the last questions answered and it took him a second to think of one.

This was my second year with him as my director. Honestly, he was. and still is, the best music director I have ever had. I transferred to his class in the middle of my freshman year. My middle school director wasn’t much help to the whole music experience. He didn’t seem to care as much. My first high school director as wasn’t that good at his job.

But when I met Mr. Holland, my life changed.

He taught me more about life and music than anyone in my life. I’ve learned more about breathing then I have in my whole life. There are things called phrases and you should not breathe in the middle of one. If you do, do not breath with the person next to you.

I’ve also learned more about how singing can help get in tune with each other. Last year, we did some and this year we stepped up our game. We sang almost every day for months. Singing did help get us in tune.

But with learning about music, we also learned about life. Life was very important to Mr. Holland. I remember that he taught us how to send an email. He got this email from a past student that was awful that he felt that he should share with us about how to send an email. He told us that is was very important to be formal with our email.

In class, he would ask if we have any questions about life. One kid in class, Arthur, asked about car insurance. He had got his license recently and needed to know how insurance worked so he could get some. Mr. Holland answered the question as much as he could. A few weeks later he asked teh same question and Arthur told him about what he found out about insurance. It was one of those moments that I connected with. We were in a music class and we were answering questions about insurance. It showed me that Mr. Holland dedicatation to his students and he truly want us to succeed in all parts of life.

Because of Mr. Holland, I have learned more about life and music. Music is life and life is music.

Because of Mr. Holland, I decided that I would follow my music and go farther than I would have.

I hope he continues to teach music to high schoolers. I hope he chooses to tell stories about life. I hope he continues to help students reach their fullest.

Thank you to him and all teachers out there who are taking their lessons farther than teaching the information.

*All names have are changed to protect the privacy of the person.

I know today seems hard.

I know that you hate yourself.

I know you blame yourself for everything.

I know that you want to hurt yourself.

I know you're shutting others out.

I know that you feel alone.

I know this because I feel like this too.

I know you feel like you are a burden to your friends because that how I feel.

I know you feel like you're always started at because that how I feel.

We are the same but different.

I see the light at the end of the tunnel but you don't. You feel like you're drowning. You feel like you're suffocating. You feel like you're in the dark. You feel alone. But here's that thing, you're not.

This is hard for most to understand, after all that time feeling like no one understands you, but I'm here to say it can and will get better.

Why do you feel like this? Alone. Scared. Useless. Once you answer that question you will be one step closer to understanding yourself.

There is one more thing, you have to want to get better. You can say you want to get better but then do everything in your power to make yourself miserable.

But once you get better, you will feel some much better. Trust me.

I'm not perfect.

I'm not super smart.

I'm not super pretty.

I'm not the best.

But, I understand that I'm doing the best I can.

I use to feel like nothing. I could disappear and no one would notice but now I know that's not true.

I want you to find a piece of paper. Now. I'll wait.

Okay, got one. Make a list.

A list of what? You may ask. A list of everyone you have ever meet. Make a list of everything you like. Make a list of what you can't live without. Make a list of every compliments you have ever got. Make a list of things that make you happy. Make a list of things that make you sad. Make a list of your favorite songs. Make a list if anything.

Now that you got your lists, look over them. This is your go to list. Every time you feel down. Useless. Unimportant. Look at that list.

Read about all the people you have impacted, even if it was for a second.

Read about the compliments people have given you.

Read about the things you like.

Add to the list. You are always meeting new people. Doing new things. Liking new things.

Things will get better over time.

Remember:

You are important.

You do matter.

You have impacted people's lives.

You can change the world.

You may be just one person but you have the power to cause the butterfly effect.

If you don't things you matter to anyone. Remember, you matter to me.

Don't give up.

I didn't.

And I hope you don't too.

Love your most caring best friend,

K

Faith takes time.

Something that I have faith in is humanity.

Humanity has always interested me. It is something that can tear itself apart or build it up. War is something to have faith in.

In war, there is no real winner, there is only the side with the most people. How could a battle decide if someone is in the right and who is in the wrong? In the last 100 years, there have been two great wars that have ripped humans apart. To this day, people are still having to deal with the after-effects of the wars.

I have faith in natural disasters.

After nurture decided that it needs to make itself known, something was destroyed. The first two things that come to mind is tornados and Earthquakes. Tornados and Earthquakes destroy homes and buildings. People die in these. After one of these happens, everyone all over the world pitches in and helps out in any way they can. They donate money, donate blood, go over and help pick up the pieces.

I have faith that one day humans with either become immortal or they will be their own destruction. I have faith that we will one day come to the understanding that e do not own the world, we live on it but we do not own it. Nature will have its way and we can't stop it.

I have faith in humanity for reason that some do not understand. Humanity is something to believe in.

Reality is a concept.

Reality is changeable.

Reality isn’t real.

Perception isn’t stable.

Perception is changing.

Living in a world of hate or a world of love?

This always depends on the person.

The perception of our reality is always changing. Is changing our perception of reality make it any less real?

Reality belongs to you and no one else. You choose how to see the world.

Perception is, to quote, “the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.” We all have the ability to change our perception.

Reality depends on the person.

To live in a world of love takes someone who’s perception tells them to love.

To live in a world of hate takes someone who’s perception tells the hate.

Love and hate depend on deception. To one something may look like love, to another, it looks like hate.

Your reality is someone else dream or nightmare.

I choose to live in a world where I can feel the hate and love, highs and lows. Without love or highs, we would never know what the lows and hate are.

Everything is a balance. It can never go one way over the other, it always meets back in the middle.

This is the world I want to live in.