out of character.

hello my name is awesome
i am 21 many in years am i experienced? here

in character.

Hi, I'm Samantha Barber and I'm a 21-year-old Junior from West Chester, Pennsylvania. I'm a composition major whose main instrument is oboe. :)

I. West Chester is a really fabulous place. I'm from the upper end, and I love it. It's not usual for many girls these days to be able to walk up and down brick walkways and find those little independant shoppes that thrive or die based on the wallets of the teenage wealthy. It's been rated one of the top places to shop near Philadelphia, and I get to live there, taking in the scenery and beauty of the changing seasons whenever I wish. I adore home, and enjoy returning whenever I can.

II. I suffered through school. My grades were top because there was nothing else to do; our music program suffered at the hands of funding cuts. While our football team flourished, our orchestra dwindled. I decided to join the field hockey team, in hopes of finding a niche where funding existed. I did well. In fact, my mom and dad encouraged me to put music aside and concentrate on a sports scholarship, rather than a music scholarship. I didn't do it. I didn't have the heart.

III. When my parents finally accepted that I would not be joining an Olympic field hockey team, they fronted the money for me to attend summer courses at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. I loved it. It's where I learned the process of composition and about all different types of music. It's where I learned I had to compose and try to express myself through music.

IV. Curtis also turned me into a singer. Though it's not my main instrument, I love to sing. It's said there are few true altos in the world (most are technically mezzo-sopranos), but I'm absolutely an alto. I have a low voice, and embarrassingly enough, have been confused for my brother on the phone. But I like being an alto.

V. I chose the oboe because no one else in my elementary school picked it. I wanted to be different. I told people forever that it just sounded so beautiful to me, but let's be honest: a fourth grader cannot sound beauty of an oboe. The oboe's a bit nasty on your throat and ears, though (both literally and figuratively--it's possible to blow an eardrum from the pressure, and it also sounds harsh), so my teacher started me on clarinet. In seventh grade, I switched, and I loved it.

VI. I mentioned my brother. My brother, Jake, was two years younger than me. He died a year ago in a car crash. I've been working on a piece in his memory for ages. Nothing feels good enough.

VII. My oboe professor from Curtis suggested that I look at Allegro. She's an allumna of Allegro and wrote my recommendation. She's so amazing, and has been such a great influence on me. I work hard to repay her, because as supportive as my parents have been, they do it because they have the money. But she did it because she cared.

IIX. Right now, I'm compsing mostly atonal pieces. They're experimental and a bit different. Usually I like more traditional things, but I've felt a bit rebellious lately. I know my parents wouldn't enjoy what I'm composing, but it's just how I feel. Next semester I'll be dabbling into some jazz and blues ideas, but for now, I like toying with atonal work. I don't think I could perform it, though. I'd drive myself crazy.

IX. I read constantly. Language and music are intertwined. Music is a langauge, and I feel most inspired after I read a particularly great book. I do enjoy pop music and television and movies, but I'd pick a good book over The Office any day.

X. Nothing I've done in my life has been extrodinary or memorable, but it will be. Someday, my music will be played by symphonies around the world, and I will sit in the back row enjoying their interpretation of my imagination. Isn't it funny how everyone plays each piece a little different? No two performances are the same. That's exactly how I want it to be.

0. I used to talk to myself when I was alone. I'd talk to imaginary people, like characters from books. Now, I talk to Jake. And I think my roommate's heard me. Maybe that's why she moved out.


00. Samuel Barber's work, Adagio for Strings, was voted the saddest classical piece ever written, beating out even Purcell's Dido's Lament. I couldn't find much about his inspiration, but I wanted that saddness to be reflected in Samantha's life. That's why I added the story of her brother dying.