Aside from musical skills, I have many skills and abilities. I am clever and resourceful, which will help me succeed in business. I am also unwilling to quit, which will help me push through difficulties.

My name is William Ash and my goal is not to change the world directly, but to shape the future generations into world-changers themselves. Part of my goal in becoming a band director is to help future generations love music, true, but also to help them become better people, and people who understand how music can help change the world. I want my students to go out and change the world for the better, whether through music or not, but I do want them to realize the power of music and develop a love and respect for it.

In the past, I have had issues with a bad habit of procrastination, but in the past year or so, I have been able to put that mostly behind me by learning how and when I work best, maximizing my efficiency. I work best at night and in a quiet environment, preferably without computers, as I tend to get easily distracted.

I have also been a strategic learner in the past, but overcame that by finding something that interests me within every topic, which drives me to look deeper.

What is most important to me is that I am happy. Being the best or being rich and famous are great, but I would much rather be content with who and what I am.

I work best in a stress-free environment, so I will try to implement a rewards system into my practice and homework schedules. In the past, I have spent quite some time working on breaking my habit of procrastinating and have made slow progress, so the deadline system doesn’t work very well for me, so I will try the rewards system. I also intend to alter my practice schedule to include time for naps (or just breaks in general).

I think that the rewards system will help me become more determined and hopefully induce me to practice more.

I grew up with a passion for music, especially jazz. I have always known that I wanted music to be a part of my life. I first joined band in 6th grade and chose the typical jazz instrument-the saxophone.  As I began to develop as a saxophonist, I began searching for inspiration in the archives of jazz history. My first inspiration was Johnny Hodges, Duke Ellington’s legendary lead alto. I tried to emulate Hodges’ mellow but piercing tone. My second inspiration was Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, for his bright sound and technical mastery. I am still working on emulating these (and many other) great saxophonists because I know that somewhere in the mix, I will find my own voice.

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