First draft

       For a very long time in my life I have been passionate about one specific dream.  That goal has been for me to become a very well-known guitarist in the Dominican Republic. Even though many people have told me that this goal is impossible for me to achieve I have never given up on my dream because music has been my passion since the very first day I learned to play an instrument. I have faced many obstacles and challenges along the way but when you have a goal that you truly want to accomplish the obstacles and challenges do not really matter.

    The very first time I became interested in music was on my 14^th birthday when my parents had got me my very first guitar as a birthday present, it was a blue electric guitar with a very shiny hollow body. At first I had no idea how to play it or how to even tune a guitar, I had never played a musical instrument in my life. A few weeks after I had gotten my guitar my older cousin Lourdes had come to visit me, after she had been away for college. When she saw my guitar she asked me if she could play it I said “sure why not.” I had no idea my cousin already knew how to play the guitar. When I heard her sing and play I was really amazed and from that moment on I had made a promise and I set a goal for myself that someday I would play as good as my older cousin Lourdes did.

        Just as my cousin I shared the same goal to become a role model and influence for the next generation of Dominican musicians that would rise someday.  A year later my cousin had started her own band, which I later had joined. My cousin was the lead singer and guitarist of the group while I played rhythm guitar. I was not such a great singer but I shared the same love for music as my cousin did and was very passionate about becoming a great guitarist someday. As timed passed by I decided that it was time for me to start my own group as the lead guitarist and progress on my own. I told her the reason why I was leaving and I told her about my goal. My goal was to become one of the best known artists in our country and to open a free musical institute for those with talent or with just the desire to learn how to play a musical instrument in our country. I wanted to share with others and be able to teach them what I had learned through my years of experience. This dream was very important to me because when I was growing up in the Dominican Republic I was one of those kids who wanted to play music but my parents couldn’t afford to buy me a guitar or pay for music lessons, and I want to change that for the next generation of children who would grow up with the same desire and difficulties.

      I have faced many challenges trying to accomplish my goal. One of the major challenges I have faced has been maintaining a strong and stabled group for a very long time. In a group there are always many differences, back ground and disagreements. Many of the time these differences and disagreements always results in someone leaving the group, which becomes really frustrating because each time a member of the group leaves is very hard to find someone else to replace them. The most challenging obstacle we have faced has been when the lead singer of the group leaves the band. Replacing the lead singer is the worst thing that can happened in a group because of two reasons. The first reason is that everyone has a different tone of voice which makes it hard for a new singer to get use to the singing the same songs the old one did. The second reason is that each time we replace the singer is like starting all over again because we have to start from scratch.

    

    There are certain steps I have to take in order to be able to be a well-known guitarist in my country and to open up a free musical institute. First of all I have to become well known in my country as a lead guitar player or musician which I can obtain either by having a really successful group or by going on tour as a lead guitarist with any famous group or singer in the Dominican Republic. The second step I have to do is raise money in order to by enough instruments and equipment to open up my own academy, which I can do either by doing fund raisers with the group that I go on tour by the time I feel like I am ready to start my own academy.

   Everyone has a specific goal some of these goals are long term goal or some are short term.my long term goal is to become very well known as a guitar player in my country the Dominican Republic and also to be able to open up my own musical academy. I would have to face many challenges and overcome a few obstacles but this goal means so much to mean because I want to give the opportunity to those who are less fortunate like I was to be able to learn and explore their talents in music.