Support Me in Studying Abroad

Yuliya Shyvilka Start Date: Jun 3, 2024 - End Date: Oct 2, 2024
  • Dallas, TX, United States of America

My Travel Story

by: Yuliya Shyvilka Start Date: Jun 3, 2024 - End Date: Oct 2, 2024
Hi! My name is Yuliya Shyvilka. This year, I am going to study Music Composition at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. I have gotten considerable financial support from the university, but it does not cover all of the expenses. As an international student, I need to travel to another country to get an American visa ($800) and buy a one-way flight ticket to the US for $1,000. I understand that, unfortunately, this is a large amount of money for me and my family. That is why I am searching for support on this website. One day, I hope I will support others as you do now! 

Thank you so much for your help!

As a curious child, I did not know what professional career to choose in the future. But I always knew that through my job, I wanted to help people when they faced difficulties in life. That is when I opened for myself a career in music. 

My journey of learning music began when I was 8 years old. At first, it was just curiosity about performing on musical instruments. However, while pursuing my education at music school, I realized that music is much deeper and more interesting than I had initially thought. After a while, I tried to compose music. At first, I was just composing it for myself. These short piano improvisations helped me express my feelings, which sometimes overwhelmed me. After sharing my compositions with my family and music teachers, I found out that my compositions are not just arrangements of notes, but that this music can also help others feel better, to come up with new ideas, or to make difficult decisions. This realization inspired me to create a YouTube channel to share my music with a larger audience. 

I can call music my life guide. I am always listening to it: in the morning, to calm down my thoughts and to wake up, while writing this essay, to be inspired, to come up with fresh ideas, and to stay focused, in the evening, to analyze my day and express my gratitude. Music is also a good source for overcoming some challenges in my life. I see how music helps me to keep going during both joyful and challenging episodes of my life journey.

Usually, I compose orchestral music. Before that, I used to compose music for meditations. I was pleasantly surprised by lots of positive feedback from my YouTube followers, and I was happy I could help them through my music. Being interested in that area, I aim to continue composing music that will gently create a welcoming atmosphere for deep thought and reflection on what actually matters in life. 

Through my music, I also like describing historical, natural, or scientific events such as, for instance, the Vesuvius eruption, an eclipse, and medieval times. Through this music, I strive to show the listeners and help them experience without any words or pictures all these states of nature and events. On a slightly different note, I am thinking about working on a project that will help visually impaired people experience artworks at museums. I believe that collaborating with the university art museum would be a great starting point to make this idea come true. For this project, I thought of composing music describing famous artworks at the gallery so that people could experience them with the help of music and have a nice time at the gallery. 

After finishing two programs in "Piano" and "Percussion Instruments" with excellent grades at my music school, I decided to learn about music composition on a deeper level. That is why I started searching for universities where I could pursue this major. In order to pursue a music composition degree in my home country, one needs to complete a bachelor's degree in music performance first, and only after that, one can study music composition as a master's degree. Although I see the point of such a structure - obtaining solid knowledge first and then starting to create - I tend to fear that the traditional attitude and strictness of the system in my country might extinguish the spark for music and thirst for experimentation in me. Being uncertain about the education structure in Belarus, I have started looking at universities abroad. My attention was immediately drawn to the US system of education with its focus on liberal arts, flexible schedules, active student life, research opportunities, and lots of possibilities they have on campus, which only increases my curiosity. So I realized that US universities are exactly what I need. Thus, I applied to 11 institutions and was accepted to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, my first choice university.

Any help, big or small, will bring me closer to my goal. I believe that money will never stop me. My dream is much bigger than it is. Among my other plans after completing my education are gathering community on my YouTube channel and other platforms, composing music for a movie so that it will help convey the deep meaning of it, and composing relaxing meditative music that people could listen to at any time they need. 

Thank you so much for taking your time and helping me. Even if we do not meet in real life, I will always remember the help and support you offered me today. 

Warm wishes,
Yuliya Shyvilka
  • Dallas, TX, United States of America

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