A Special Visitor!

On Friday morning, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra trumpet player Jeff Holbrook visited our school and led a sharing session with the students on his thoughts and experiences with being a professional musician. The students prepared questions such as "What makes music powerful? How does music help you? How can we learn more about music?" Mr. Holbrook discussed the importance of being around great music as much as you can: go to concerts, take part in your school music program, learn as much as you can from your music teachers, ask questions, find new music that excites you, and to never give up on one of life's greatest joys. Mr. Holbrook shared that when performing Beethoven's 9th Symphony he feels the most emotion, describing that he has never felt a stronger power than when sitting in the middle of the orchestra during the 4th and final movement, Ode to Joy. "It brings emotions that you can't describe: awesome in the true meaning of the word, spirituality, and bone-shaking joy." Through his trumpet lessons with great teachers at a young age, his top education at Interlochen and The Juilliard School, Mr. Holbrook expressed the importance of soaking in learning and working hard to achieve success in a very competitive field. We ran out of time and are hoping to have him back for a follow-up session!

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