Mr. Schweigert

Mr. Schweigert was the Band Director at my high school during my freshman year. He was a very animated conductor who had a lot of interesting stories and was very knowledgeable about music.

I'll never forget the first day of band practice. The band sounded so good and I was excited to be a part of a band that marched at football games and played concerts in the spring. Before high school, playing the clarinet was always something fun to do for me. I wasn't more than a few weeks into my high school experience, when I realized that music and the clarinet were going to become a much more important part of my life.

Mr. Schweigert opened up a whole new musical world to me -- classical music. The kind of music that most people think is long and boring, but playing this music with a group of other musicians changed me and I began to love everything about learning and performing music.

My teacher inspired me to practice hard and to be open to learning new things. He suggested I audition for Honor Bands so that I could expand my musical horizons. Because of him, I played in Honor Bands four years in a row and loved every minute of it. There is nothing like making music with a group of musicians who are your own age. It's a powerful experience.

Mr. Schweigert taught me the importance of working towards a goal and practicing hard to achieve that goal. Because of him, I learned to appreciate music in a different way. Also, I gained many life-long friends who made musical experiences even more special.

I learned how to deal with defeat gracefully and to learn from my mistakes so that next time I could come out on top. I learned how to get up in front of a crowd and play a solo without getting too nervous. (I'll always be a little nervous in front of a crowd. =] ) And most importantly, I developed a passion for music. Sixteen years later, it is still burning. Now when I pick up my clarinet, sometimes I'll think about Mr. Schweigert and wonder if he really knows what an important part he played in my musical life.