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Everyone has different reactions to the adrenaline that they feel when doing something for the very first time. For me, it is happiness, nervousness, and ­overall great excitement. The thrill and jumpiness we feel can give us a sense of confidence that we need and live for. In December 2021, I took a leap of faith and another major step in my compositional career and traveled to Chicago, Illinois for the 75th annual Midwest Clinic (a large international conference for instrumental band and orchestra music education) for the first time. This was also the very first time I traveled alone. I was nervous, sure, but also very excited to go and experience what so many colleagues have participated in before, and as a composer, it was an important opportunity. I made so many connections with wonderful people, directors, teachers, and composers alike, and also attended numerous educational clinics, exhibits, and concerts, listening to great music every day. I've seen, heard, learned, and experienced so much during my time there and it will forever follow me through my career as both a composer and music educator. 

The Midwest Clinic was not my only “first” during that trip either. It was my first time in Chicago too, so I had to check out the attractions they had. I visited the Art Institute of Chicago to see all kinds of art, some of which inspired sections of this music as well. I also faced my fear of heights and went to the 360 Chicago Observation Deck on top of the John Hancock Center to get a bird’s eye view of the entire city. Not only that, but I took it a step further and tried the thrill ride “Tilt” while I was there. I stood on a 30-degree tilted window overlooking Chicago for more than at least a minute. I was very anxious, but I loved it.

 The joy I felt during these “first-time” events inspired the music for this piece First Time in a Life Time. It is the culmination of my time at Chicago, with each different section of music expressing another form of the fun experiences that I had. It is the exhilaration of attending my first Midwest Clinic, sight-seeing the attractions in Chicago, and the thrill of adventuring alone for the first time, all expressed within this exciting 10-minute composition.