Assignment 21 - Ethan Scott - Journey to All-State

As a sophomore in high school I considered myself to be a good trumpet player. I knew I wasn't and I still haven't achieved that but I understood I was good enough to accomplish some things such as making the all-district band but for me that wasn't good enough. December 2018 rolls around and first cut auditions for all-state are right around the corner so I did what i always do and work until I'm satisfied with my performance of the audition music and take the audition with confidence. Later that month I find out I made it through the first round but all that meant was more work and practice so I will be ready for the second round. January of 2019 then comes and it's time for the final auditions. Yet again, I prepare myself and take the audition with confidence. Unlike the previous audition I find out that I didn't make the cut and to make it even worse I was the first one out. So where do I go from here? This experience of failing an audition that I had worked so hard for taught me that no matter how much work I think I am doing there is always more progress to be made and that if I want to be great I can never be satisfied with my abilities and must always strive for better. So moving forward with this mentality Junior year comes around and every audition I have taken has been a success, from all-state to all-district and more, due to my new perspective on my abilities and learning from the failure I had the previous year.