One of the best decisions I’ve ever made in India was to go to the music room at my school. I met the music teacher, Melvin Sir and he invited me to come for a stay back and play trumpet in the schools western music band.
I didn’t know what to expect, but I was so happy to have an opportunity to make music here in India. The first practice I had with the band was amazing, the music sounded beautiful, and we were laughing the whole time. Our band went on to become somewhat famous around Delhi schools. We are a unique band: we have a foreigner, a trumpet player, and we are the only band that plays jazz in Delhi. We did well at every competition we went to. During our escapades, I became very close with the members of my band. Last week, we were selected to travel to Bangalore for an all India competition. It was a tremendously fun time. We all spent the whole day laughing and goofing off. Getting on the stage to preform was when I fully understood how thankful I am for these people. “Through our music I have been able to understand so much about India, and myself”. When we are making music, I feel the most at home. Jazz has been my way of connecting two drastically different cultures. I attribute many successes in India to this band. They have helped me more than they know. I look forward to my future with this band, and I’m sure they do as well.
