with time comes the twisting of memories, however the present can’t be twisted. so be done with dwelling on things of the past, things you only remember to be good, when really they weren’t. Live life in the moment, to the fullest, surrounded by the people who make you nothing but happy and fill you with love.

It’s daunting to think that I’m old enough to begin looking at my future. My time in high school feels as though it’s flown by. For years I’ve thought about how I can’t wait to get to college, and now I’m just about there. I’ve begun that long process. It’s filled with stress – studying, volunteer work, extra-curriculars, and especially (from what I feel) are those unneeded tests… as well as trying to find time to get to all the schools you need to visit so that you can find your “perfect match”. It’s unfortunate that we feel so competitive when it comes to where we go, but c’est la vie. I was lucky enough to really find my perfect fit early, so now I have a goal for the year. However, there are no guarantees and due to the competition, I can’t just put all my eggs in one basket. I have to keep looking for more places to apply. In one sense this is all very exciting, in another it’s very nerve wracking. You just may not be in the place you want to be ultimately. Hard to accept that. Though this is an adventure I’m so very much looking forward to, it’s one that I kind of want to take the time to start.

Self expression. It’s the most important thing a person has. It’s the way we voice our opinions, our feelings, and our thoughts to other people. How we choose to express ourselves however, that’s the interesting part. Our choice of how we express ourselves is part of what makes you, you. Do you draw? Do you paint? Is it through your music? Through your blog? Creative stories? Do you go out and protest? Do you do something completely different (if it is, tell us about it in the comment section below)? For me, when I express myself I use my voice. As a little kid, I was a talker. I guess I still am, that translated into writing, and then I found my real voice, my singing voice. I started just by myself, taking lessons, then got into a band. My life changed. When you know you’re doing something you love, something that allows you to open up and let people in, in a way you didn’t think was possible, the adrenaline starts rushing and your heart starts pumping. Your body starts getting really cold, but boiling hot at the same time. It’s a rush. When I sing, especially a song I connect to, it’s a new world, an amazing world. It’s an experience that everyone should have. Now it’s your turn. Go out find your outlet, go enter that new and amazing world, and most importantly EXPRESS YOURSELF

“Teenage Garage Bands”, this statement usually makes you think of a group of “emo” kids going off and simply being loud and annoying, not actually writing or covering really good music, and doing it really well. However, there are a lot of really talented teen bands out there, and some of them are probably within your own community, especially if you have a School Of Rock in your area. School Of Rock (SoR) isn’t just a movie, in fact the actual school came first. SoR is a place for kids to learn to play music, through Rock, rather than Classical music. It’s more than just lessons, you also have the opportunity to rehearse and perform in themed rock shows. Now back to the real point, Teen Bands! Our generation, mainly focuses on pop music, however there is a large group of kids out there who are incredibly passionate about rock, and they show it. Not only by covering songs, and covering them well, but also by writing their own songs too. I know, from personal experience, that when (the good teen bands) bands write original songs, they take so much time, listen to their influences for inspiration, and think about their lyrics. They will write and revise, play it at a gig and use the feedback they get. Just a couple great teen bands I know are Big Moose, their youtube is: dangerdays1122 and ISpaceWalkSometimes. You can find both of these bands on facebook.