To Whom It May Concern,
Growing up, my senses were assailed by rock classics: The Beatles, The Eagles, Bob Dylan. My father also loved all sorts of obscure jazz and classic rock ensembles that, quite truthfully, the names of these amazing musicians have been lost to the tumult of memory. But their sound—the foundation upon which their careers were built—has remained. Whenever I go to visit my dad and he puts on an “oldie” I hum the tune along as if I had never forgotten it. I think that these early memories—the deep latent ones that seem to last a lifetime—were the foundations upon which my interest in music began to grow.
Music has always been, and will always be, such a key part of my life that it would be a disservice to my growth to ignore furthering my career in the field in some way. From my earliest years as a curious child to where I stand now as a young man, music has been a constant backdrop to the events of my life. To most people it is. However, the profound impact music has had on the way I think about and perceive the world around me leads me to writing this statement today.
Though it would be quite a while before I applied this interest in a professional capacity, and many years before I took myself seriously enough to do so, I eventually found my way to Salem State University. Here is where my interest began to grow in a direction I never expected it to—towards the technical aspects of music. The finer idiosyncrasies of sound design, audio engineering, and the recording production process were revealed to me when I declared my minor in music technology. It was as if the proverbial curtain had been drawn back, and the aspects of the field that I was unaware of began to become ingrained knowledge. Operating a soundboard, proper microphone setup, specific techniques for obtaining the best sound from your performers, using digital audio workstations—all this and much more, I learned in the short two years I spent within this minor. Capable as I may be in this technical realm, I have not yet had an opportunity to work within this field in earnest.
However, during my time at Salem State University, I have been an employee of the Target Corporation. Nothing glamorous by any stretch of the imagination—but it has taught me patience, with myself and with others. Retail breeds all sorts of inherent problems. But what are we if not the sum total of all of our choices, actions, and decisions? In this field, I have learned how to ply my natural friendliness to bolster bonds between my fellow coworkers. Teamwork is a staple here. And it did not take me long to learn this, but it is something that, after five years of being at the company, I can say is a real strength of mine. Working together can be difficult, but it is all a matter of listening effectively and communicating with clear intentions.
In writing this statement, it is my intention to display my strengths, and bare my weaknesses in stride. The one cannot be without the other. I apply my friendly disposition to foster important bonds and strive to surmount my own fears of social inadequacy. These traits are mere facets of me, but it is my hope that you now have a better understanding of me as a person, and will take into consideration all that has been said when it comes to my application for employment.
Respectfully,
Eric Letendre
eris letendre 