College Admission Essays: Discussing A Significant Person Essay Example

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Below is an example college admission essay that focuses on an object as a way of discussing a significant person.

Where it was once shiny, it is now tarnished. In the past, it made music. Now it simply makes noise. It was once exercised daily by a professional, but now it is practiced on by an amateur. Formerly, it was used to entertain and make people happy. Now it serves as a means to remember.

My father tells me that he was a great man, a caring husband, and a wonderful musician. I never really knew him, however, as he was disabled by Parkinson’s Disease when I was very young. Grandpa’s life, as I understand it, revolved around his job. As the co-president of a musical entertainment company, he had many responsibilities. This meant that he was never home on weekends. From Thursday night to early Monday morning, there was always a wedding, a society gala, or a business party to play. The rest of the week was spent at the office, meeting with prospective clients, auditioning musicians, and making contacts with party planners at hotels and country clubs. With a wife, a widowed mother, and two children to support, my grandfather had to meet many economic demands. Unfortunately, his success in the music field limited his ability to be, in the conventional sense, a family man.

When he is not at work or spending time with his family, my father can often be found exercising his fingers at the piano that sits in our living room. Music and family have been and will be forever joined in his mind. As a result, my sister and I were encouraged to play an instrument from an early age. Neither of us enjoyed the piano, the instrument of choice. Practicing was a chore that prevented us from enjoying other activities. We developed an utter distaste for the piano. However, our parents urged us to continue. Much to my father’s dismay, my sister quit. Having grown tired of the piano, I would have followed my older sibling had it not been for a wonderful gift.

When my grandfather passed away, I was given his Selmer Marc VI tenor saxophone. I was told many stories about his musical career and the amazing things he did with this horn. Despite the death of his dad and his career in medicine, my father has continued to perform on club dates. With this sax, he hoped that I would one day accompany him on a “gig.”

Although overwhelmed by the gift and excited about the prospects of joining my father on a club date, I was never eager to practice or perform. Originally I thought my lack of interest was the result of my early experience with the piano. I simply viewed music and practicing as punishment. With considerable introspection, I now believe my reluctance stemmed from something else.

Every time I looked at the horn, I saw the tarnished brass on the bell and the trunk. My grandpa spent so much time playing that the sweat from his hands penetrated the once glistening finish. The unsettling images of my father as a boy competing with this instrument for his father’s attention disturbed me. Because my father has always praised my grandfather, I was unable to allow myself to feel anything but affection for him; conflicting thoughts focused on music, and, more specifically, my grandfather’s saxophone.

Perhaps it is maturation that now allows me to play every day. With persistence and focus, I will learn all the songs in his repertoire. When summer arrives, I will once again accompany my father on club dates, but my former apathy will be replaced with enthusiasm.

Music is still an important part of my family. It once served as a means to build a relationship between my father and grandfather. Now it will help to sustain and strengthen the strong bond between my father and me. I am beginning to realize just how complex relationships can be. My grandfather played his hand as best he could. My father, with a different score and a different drummer, plays on. I hopefully synthesize what went before, learn as much as I can, and compose a new score.