The Autobiography of Jasper Taylor
I have a zeal for music. Throughout all of the changes I have experienced, music has
been the one thing that has never changed; it has been the constant element in my life. However,
until my junior year of high school, my involvement with music was merely an extra-curricular
activity. It was only when I began to think about my future, that I realized I never wanted to live
without music.
During my junior year of high school, I was chosen to serve as a peer tutor for the STAR
program (Student Teaching and Resource Center). This was a cutting-edge program in which
struggling freshmen and new transfers could become more acclimated to my high school’s
unique culture and atmosphere. My job description was simple: to tutor kids that were having
problems in certain subjects. After tutoring in almost every subject, I soon realized that I
enjoyed teaching others. From that experience, I gained a new direction for the rest of my life:
teaching. Nevertheless, this newfound direction still had its patches of fog. I often wondered,
“What in the world would I teach?” My mind drifted and wandered, but the answer was right in
front of me.
The choir room was home. It was the place where I became more mature, more
intelligent, and more complete. It was also the place where I served as teacher’s assistant and
White Choir’s conductor. Being in the choir room gave me peace. Ultimately, it was the place
where I further defined and solidified what I wanted to do with my life. The choir room will
become the place where I will teach music.
My goal as a music teacher would be to allow at least one hurting child who has not felt
the vast power of music, experience it, and as a result change his or her life forever. Teaching
music is my purpose. I harmonize with Dr. Martin Luther King when he said, “If I can help
somebody, then my living will not be in vain!”