It wasn’t initially Jacob Resalsingh’s dream to play music at an elite level – or even his desire to play at all.
Originally from California, his elementary school required students to choose and play an instrument. He began playing saxophone.
Then, when he moved to Louisiana, he could have stopped if he wanted to.
“I went to a school where if you did band, you could get out of P.E.,” Resalsingh said.
But what was once duty, and then a bit of opportunity, evolved into a strong passion – and, years later, into Resalsingh being accepted into one of the country’s top music schools, the Indiana University Bloomington Jacobs School of Music.
The clarinet player – he switched to that instrument in the eighth grade – will be attending Jacobs. He had a decision to make, also accepted to Juilliard and the Curtis Institute of Music. He’s eager for the opportunity – and a rare experience.
“I’m excited for the world-class faculty and the repertoire that I’m going to be playing,” said Resalsingh. “And just the college experience, having a dorm and a roommate.”
Reading the letter informing him he’d been accepted was a thrilling experience itself, he said. It’s also one he didn’t expect to have just yet.
“I thought I bombed a certain part of the audition,” said Resalsingh. “I was getting in my own head a lot and then it’s just, ‘I messed up the scales. It’s not going to happen.’ I was so shocked (to learn he’d been accepted). I didn’t think I’d get in, but I did and that felt amazing.”
He may have been his harshest critic for that portion, as he impressed enough to earn acceptance. He added that a strong interview helped.
“That did go really well,” he said. “I was surprised with myself, honestly.”
It’s certainly something to be proud of – admission to Jacobs does not come easily. The prestigious school admits by a live or recorded audition only. The overall acceptance rate is generally about 25 percent for undergraduate students and about 30 percent for graduate students.
Throughout his four years of high school at Destrehan, Resalsingh played clarinet for the Pride of Destrehan Band, creating memories and music with his bandmates.
“You have so many different personalities there together,” said Resalsingh. “We had a lot of fun. And it is a lot of work, but it was extremely rewarding. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Traveling with everyone, stopping different places to eat and just hanging out, that’s the stuff I’ll really remember.”
Resalsingh was also part of Destrehan’s color guard the past two years.
His shift from saxophone to clarinet, he said, just felt right to him.
“I feel like saxophone is a lot like jazz, and I’m more of a classical person,” he said.
By the time he’d reached high school, Resalsingh not only had discovered a love for music, he wanted to push himself and see how good he could become.
“I kept pushing to get better. I did all of the honor bands that I could,” said Resalsingh, who earned All-State honors his final three years as a band member and made Senior High Honor Band in all four years. “I did every single thing that I could to get better and get to this point.”
As he pushed himself, he also looked to help and inspire those around him to aspire for their best.
“I wanted to lead by example and set a standard for younger and newer members,” he said. “In my freshman year, the seniors did very well. There was a clarinet senior I looked up to that made All-State three years of high school, and I wanted to be like her. I kept practicing and pushing myself. And once I got older I wanted to get our underclassmen to push themselves to see how far they could go.”
Resalsingh was part of the Destrehan Principal’s Advisory Council and the district’s Art Steering Committee, a student-led advocacy and planning group that organizes fine arts initiatives, gallery exhibitions, and district-wide events to expand creative opportunities for students.
“It was pretty cool – you’re showing the students over at Hahnville what you’ve been working on and vice versa,” Resalsingh said. “(With both committees) I just wanted to make a difference and be part of a positive change.”
