Cindy's Featured Guest Writer - Devin Hillery

DEVIN HILLERY

Hey, everyone! My name is Devin, I'm 16 years old and I’m an aspiring musician! Music will forever be a part of my life. I’m so happy to be able to do what I love and move forward with it. 

I started music when I was a little kid. My grandfather was the one who introduced me to it. He played the piano! I remember every time when I went to visit my grandparents, I would always go into the piano room and start playing what I thought sounded good. I’d be so excited to share the “song” I came up with and present it to the family. They always loved it, and I loved it more. A few times I would hear my grandpa playing the piano and I was so intrigued to see how he did it; I wanted to learn more. I would sit down next to him and he would slowly teach me the songs and I learned them right off the bat! He was a very strict teacher as well. Never bang on the keys, be clear, glide with your fingers. It was the very basic training that I got from him that made me the musician that I am today.

Once my grandpa passed on, I started to take music further. I kept playing the piano, practicing every time I went to visit my grandma and I got better and better. I came to the realization that on a piano I usually don’t need sheet music to look at. I’ll listen to a song, and then I'll press the keys that are the right note and just memorize it. It’s weird. I know. I don’t know how I do it but it just happens. I took a break from piano and decided to go to the orchestra in the fourth grade. I only played the violin for a month but it was probably one of the hardest instruments I have ever played. And violin is one of my favorite instruments! I love the soothing sound it has; it has a very good tone too! After that short month of the orchestra, I had gone to a new school and wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay with violin or switch instruments. I decided to switch and go to the band on clarinet! Now, this is where the journey really begins.

I attended Cardinal Forest Elementary School. I was in the 5th grade and I had my first day of band class. I was really nervous and didn’t know how to play a squeak on the clarinet but my teacher was very helpful during my first few weeks and then she retired. I had gotten a new teacher later on and she was one of the best teachers I have ever had. She got me more interested in music as I became more familiar with the clarinet. 

Once I got into middle school, things started getting serious and I never liked the band as much; only because of the practice records but I scored 100’s on those every week. There was a test at the end of the year to see which band you would get into for the next year. I was always nervous. I didn’t think I would get any further. I was kinda letting myself down. I remember going into the room and my band teacher was asking me to play certain scales and then my prepared piece. My initial thought when I got out the room was I completely did terrible on my prepared piece, and scales and I won’t move further. Well, I got into the second highest band level for 8th grade! I was astounded. I was really proud of myself and I didn’t think something like that would happen.

Near the end of my 8th-grade year, I had to do another placement audition. Then I realized that if I were to stay in the band until I graduate high school, then I would have to audition every time at the end of the year because there are different band levels. 

The high school band teacher came in and I was ready for my audition. I kept boosting up my confidence and I was ready. I did what I had to do and then I found out that I got into the lowest band level in high school. Concert Band. I wasn’t happy at all with what I placed but then there were people there who were much better than me so, at the same time, it was okay. That just meant I had to work harder to get where I wanted to be. 

My sophomore year I moved up to the symphonic band, the second highest level, and this year (my junior year), I placed Wind Symphony. The highest level at West Springfield high school. I was in shock! I placed 8/10th chair clarinet! Then a new clarinetist came and she placed 4th chair so everyone after her got moved down one so now I’m 9th chair. That is totally okay because I’m still in Wind Symphony! 

This musical journey is going great so far and I have progressed so much throughout my six years in the band. I think that music is an essential part of life. Music seems like the one thing that everyone would want or need depending on emotions, just playing it for fun, or whatever the reason may be. If it’s a rainy day I’ll play in a concert E flat. When listening to music, I allow the song to dictate whatever emotion it may bring out in me. A lot of the songs evoke. I learned that word from my high school band teacher. Evoke. For those of you who don’t know, it’s putting more emotion out into a song, making it sound clear, or depth within the song, making it sound dark, however the song is written.

When I graduate high school, my dream is to go to a music school and major in music. If that road doesn’t go the right way then my backup is Astronomy. I think that I can achieve my goals in music because I’m really setting the bar high for myself. I have high expectations. I want to be the one person that people remember or think of, in musical terms. I want to leave my mark. I want to be the person who makes a difference between an incredible performance than an average one. I have started looking at music schools and I’m mostly looking at in and out of state colleges. Now, this is going to sound crazy but my dream has been to go to The Juilliard School. Even though the bar to get in is really high, I still want to put myself out there and do the audition anyway. I have looked at schools such as GMU, JMU, VT, etc. But that’s my goal in life right now. I want to get into a music school no matter what it takes. I’m glad that I have that determination because it’s what keeps me moving forward and pursuing my dreams.