Art is a huge part of my life, whether it comes in the shape of music, theatre, or drawing, I couldn’t live without it. If I had a life without music, drawing, or theatre, I think my life and my very being would be incredibly dull. If couldn’t create anything in my life, I would never see the colors of the world. I play French horn in my high school’s wind ensemble and whenever I play my instrument, I feel like there has been a weight lifted off of my shoulders, off of my heart and I can create and just fall in with the music.

I don’t think there hasn’t been a time in life when I have never liked art, ever since I was a baby I had loved music. When I was three, I picked up my very first french horn. I only started really playing it when I was in the fifth grade. I started playing string bass in seventh grade. I only started acting and singing last year, my freshman year. I, however, have been drawing my entire life.

When I draw, I always try to one up myself, as if it were a contest. But I just recently created a very picturesque drawing of a character from a movie, and so far that was the best thing I have ever drawn. It made me feel very happy just because I can see how much I’ve grown as an artist. Or with French horn, I hear my solos from years before, and I listen to my latest solo, the amount that I have grown through concentration and practice is awesome, and it always puts a smile on my face to see what I have accomplished.

I feel like every single person should be exposed to the arts. The arts is a way to express yourself and a way to find yourself. People who are also exposed to the arts have a higher GPA than those who don’t. The arts can help people relax and be happy. And I’ve seen people say, “Oh I can’t do that!” when they want to draw or play something, then they try it, and work for it and the amount of joy and accomplishment when they are able to get it is just so awesome to see and I wish so many more people would feel that joy and accomplishment of playing and instrument, or drawing a picture, if only for a minute.

by Sarah Muller, age 15
artist, high school student

National Arts in Education Week - Blog Salon #4