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you
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music it’s been a part of my life since
I was born in fact even before I was
born
as my mom listened to music well as she
was pregnant with me
so naturally listening to music was one
of the first things I did we can thank
my mom for some of these pictures and
later my life shifted from listening to
music to playing music when at the age
of six I started learning the piano then
I wanted to join the school band so I
started with the alto saxophone but I
wanted to join the orchestra and the
saxophone is not generally an orchestral
instrument so I learned the bassoon at
the age of 13 afterwards I was inspired
by Kenny G who is one of the
best-selling instrumentalists of all
time and a soprano saxophone player
himself so I started learning the
soprano saxophone at fifteen which is
growing up my life revolved around music
before classes I would be seen for
Herzing in the morning some new piano
songs getting the scales arpeggios right
to learn a new song after school I would
stay with the school band or I would
work with the orchestra and along the
way to and from somewhere I was always
listening to music trying to learn new
songs and get basically try to imitate
the greats at the age of 15 when I was
in Guatemala I was playing around with
my family we were all sitting around the
table having a good time I was playing
some fun songs with my younger cousins
and uncles and aunts they were all
listening it was so fun so afterwards my
grandfather came up to me and asked me
have you ever thought about recording a
CD I said no I’m 15 I didn’t think I was
good enough I didn’t think people would
listen to my CD but he told me I have a
friend who’s a director of an orchestra
we can go talk to him and see if he’s
interested in recording you so I said
sure why not I mean what’s the worst
that can happen so we got in the car and
drove over to see this director and when
we got there I played some songs for him
showed him some my arrangements and you
told me definitely
we can record you I was so excited we
started working with instrumentalists
getting the songs right arranging the
pieces getting the whole feel for the
project and then it was starting to
shape up here are some of the covers we
were thinking about using as all this
was coming together I started to dream I
started to wonder what is my talent self
what did people are willing to pay for
the CD what would I do with the money so
I thought I am a saxophone player I’ll
buy another saxophone there was one in
Paris that I wanted to get actually it’s
the one all the greats played
I thought if I to can learn to play the
saxophone maybe I can sound more like
them or at least I would feel more like
them as a young boy wearing Messi same
sneakers but all of these projects all
these dreams took a very different
direction when I met a young boy in
Guatemala named Samuel I was playing in
a clinic in Guatemala trying to have a
good time and give some enjoyment to the
patients there went out of the corner of
my eye I noticed a mother and her young
son it was a sight that I was not
expecting the mom was holding her son
clothes warmly to her tears were coming
down her face concern was visible all
around so I approached her after I
played and I asked her what’s going on
is there anything I can do to help you
and she responded my son has just been
diagnosed with cancer and we have no
money to pay for the chemotherapy
treatments so doctors have only given
that phrase struck with me and hit me to
my core I thought there wasn’t really
too much separating these natural
motherly emotions from some my mom had
felt with me growing up if I sometimes I
would get hurt in school sometimes I
would not get chosen for a sports team
maybe I did bad on an exam or had a
tough day my mom too was there to cry my
tears to share my concern and to hold me
close to her
however there were huge differences my
pains and my troubles were temporary
Samuels were potentially final this is
Samuel he was 8 years old at the time I
thought how could it be that a boy that
was born only a few miles away from me
could have such a different opportunity
I knew I had to do something I thought
I’m a musician maybe I can use my music
so I told the mother I’m recording a CD
right now and I’m gonna go back to the
US where I’m living
I will try sell it and all the money we
make from the CD will go to trying to
give your son a chance and that’s what I
did so I went back to the US and I
started telling people about Samuel and
telling people about this project I told
people about I told my friends about how
this boy is struggling to survive I
spoke at businesses I spoke at Civic
Center’s I performed but also as I had
done so much growing up to learn about
music I listened I listened to my
friends who told me they wanted to come
and help out in my house after school
helping assembling the CDs getting the
packages ready even though they had
already completed all the community
service hours required by my school I
listened to how they wanted to keep
helping because this was not about
checking a box this is about saving a
life I listened to businessman tell me
the whole concept of short term goals
and urgent needs took a very different
tone when hearing about a young boy
trying to survive cancer and I listened
to an old lady tell me after a
performance
that she want to do more than just give
money and she wrote a letter to Samuel
which I let her later read to him and it
brought a smile to his face after a few
months of working on this project and
much help from all around we were able
to raise all the money for Samos
chemotherapy treatments and he is still
alive today I knew I could do more
though so I recorded another CD later
and the purpose of the CD was to help
other Samuels in Guatemala and I helped
this program called Ayutthaya Vida which
means help me to live in Spanish help
provide chemotherapy treatments for
children who are unable to pay for them
through the proceeds from my music I
thought maybe this is giving all of my
music a purpose all the scales I’ve been
rehearsing from a young age could become
skills of warmth the arpeggio as I had
rehearsed to join an orchestra could
become our page years of love and the
songs I was recording and arranging and
writing could become songs of life and
this showed me that maybe my talents had
a deeper purpose than just trying to win
an orchestra competition or get in a
specific band or school I realized that
some of the things I’ve been chasing
were so little compared to the problems
of others some of these ideas were
reinforced after a conversation with my
greatest inspiration Kenny G at the age
of 17 I’ve heard that Kenny G was going
to be performing very close to me so I
thought this is my chance if somebody
can think about think of who you admire
who you respect who you would love to
meet what it would be like to see them
in person I was there and I remember
when Kenny G walked into the auditorium
where he was performing
I just turned over to my mom and said
he’s really here I was in complete awe
because on one hand inspired me to learn
the soprano saxophone and he inspires me
by his music but also he doesn’t have
charity work he works with many
organizations providing money
but also instruments to kids and he’s
one of the founders of Starbucks so he
inspires him in business too so after
the concert Kenny G was there to meet
all the people who were attending so I
waited in line I didn’t care the line
was very long I was going to wait and I
could already see him and I was so
excited like here I come one person at a
time getting closer to my dream when I
saw him I told him about some of the how
he inspired me with saxophone told about
some of this stuff I had done in music
but I also told him about Samuel and
then I listened to his response Kendu
told me the following words he told me
that’s what it’s all about your talents
are not just for yourself they are to
bring joy and happiness to others joy
and happiness to others I thought this
is a very natural fit for music in fact
for arts in general the arts are about
sharing your emotions on a stage showing
others how to feel a certain emotion and
identify with it but I wondered could
this idea of sharing joint happiness
with others resonate in other parts of
your life in other parts of my life for
example right now I’m a student at ESA
in the first year I’m getting a Masters
of Business Administration I wonder if
we and some of you too and I’m thankful
you are all here I wonder if we have
talents here I wonder if we have chances
to serve and I think we do and both
perhaps our talents are not musical
though for some of you they are here
we’re learning how to analyze businesses
but we’re really learning how to make
decisions through the various aspects of
a company whether it’s marketing
accounting operations finance and the
list keeps going these are a talents
these are opportunities we have to learn
how to understand a business that many
don’t have and also how can we serve
after we graduate we too will be in the
business world we will have an impact in
many ways we will have clients we’ll
have co-workers we will have employees
who work with us we will have investors
or shareholders
the business the way we treat each of
these stakeholders well determine how we
live and how we serve others so in fact
the talents were acquiring through this
program and through many similar
programs or ways that we can use them to
then serve others after we finish
through our business I thought about all
this like as I admire Kenny G I may
never be a Kenny G I may never be as
successful as him in music or business
or charity I may not help thousands of
people inspire millions to learn the
saxophone but I helped one person in
much the same way we too are inspired by
business leaders by the many things they
have done we can dream of being a Bill
Gates but maybe we don’t need to be a
Bill Gates maybe we can have a deep
impact on one person and that’s enough
and by doing so we too can bring joy and
happiness to others so I encourage each
of you to go out there and think of what
are the things you’re currently doing
and how these two can become your
talents and then how use those to serve
those around you to help your community
and by doing so you too will find your
greatness and realize that some of the
things you may have been chasing are not
as important as the person who needs you
next door thank you very much
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