Essay Winner!

Mac and the mayor of Bloomington, Mark Kruzan

Mac recently won 1st place in the City of Bloomington's Human Rights Commission essay contest. The topic was: Why I Care About Diversity.  Mac won first place in the upper level which was open to 5th - 8th graders.   He was honored at an award ceremony hosted by our mayor who read an excerpt from his essay. In addition to receiving a certificate and recognition, he also received a $150 visa gift card. Below is his essay.

Diversity is Music to My Ears

                One of my favorite activities is to play music, especially on the violin and the piano. I don’t just play solo music though; I play in the Tri-North Orchestra and the Musical Arts Youth Orchestra, as well as a piano trio with my friends, Roger and Gabe.  In an orchestra, there are a variety of instruments such as woodwinds, brass, strings, and percussion.  Each of these instruments come in many different shapes, colors, and sizes, and when played alone they emit their own unique sound. When played together, however, like in an ensemble or orchestra, all their various sounds combine into one beautiful and dynamic harmony. How is it that these various instruments, all of which create different sounds, can work together to make something so pleasing to our ears?

                Good orchestral music isn’t just created by having a diverse mix of instruments. The notes also have to be timed correctly, played correctly, and they have to have good tone. Sure the instruments can be dynamic and diverse, but what makes them sound good is how they work together. If the musicians don’t play their notes precisely, the orchestra won’t sound good. Pleasing music also depends on how the piece is played and the quality of the sound. If the musicians don’t work together to accomplish a shared goal, it doesn’t matter how good they are as individuals.  Human societies work in a similar way. Each and every one of us is different; we each have our own personalities, looks, and thoughts. We are each equally important and while we can accomplish many things by ourselves, it is when we bring our different talents and perspectives together that we can achieve much more.

The human race is made up of people with various skin colors, hair colors, eye colors, body shapes and more. Not only do we all look different, like a diverse collection of musical instruments, we “play” differently, just like each instrument has its own unique sound and quality.  However, when we work together and accept our differences, we can make a totally different sound. Together we have built great structures, invented amazing machines, created successful societies, and have shaped a better world for ourselves.

 Diversity in the human race enriches our communities and our world because each person has different ways of thinking. By considering each person’s beliefs, opinions, and ideas, we can achieve our goals much faster. However, diversity isn’t the only thing that matters; how people work together plays a big role too. Without cooperation or the sharing of ideas, very little would be accomplished. It’s just like playing instruments, as not only does the diversity of the instruments make a great sound but the quality of that sound matters too. In both human society and the musical world, a mix of people and instruments work together and blend together towards a common goal. When this happens, that goal is achieved faster and better than before, and a new step is taken towards a better world.  Diversity can become music to our ears if we understand and recognize the potential to build a better world.