My journey with music has had its ups and downs. My first recollection of playing music was probably like most people’s my age: learning popular songs like Greensleeves on the recorder. After that I joined the band in middle school: comically playing an instrument (the bassoon) that was significantly taller than myself, with the need to fulfill an elective rather than join of my own interest.

The first indication of my passion for music happened when we played a piece called ‘Into The Storm’. Thunderous and brash, the piece was fast paced and energetic: easily the hardest piece in our repertoire. Yet despite its difficulty I savored one particular moment. In order to replicate the qualities of a storm our band was instructed to abandon our sheet music; we were given free reign to follow our own individual music intuitions. The result was chaotic yet beautiful. Every rehearsal was a new and different experience. However, not being challenged as much as I wanted to by my teachers (even after persistently asking)  caused my motivation and enthusiasm to wane.