Personal Narrative: How Music Changed My Life

I have never been one to effectively communicate my feelings and emotions through spoken word. For most of my childhood, my words served as a stumbling block in my communication, which was frustrating, since spoken communication is a very prominent aspect of life. It was a rare occurrence for sound to ever escape my mouth, causing a few people to be surprised to even hear my voice. In spite of my quiet nature, I made a decision that would affect my life for the better.
When I started my musical journey in the fourth grade by purchasing a used trumpet, I became immediately discouraged because - to my surprise - I could not play as well as Miles Davis or Louis Armstrong. Obviously, playing as well as some of history’s greatest musicians is no simple feat, and this idea was difficult for my naive nine year old mind to comprehend. Even so, I began the not-so-delicate process of honing my musical craft. I took lessons from the elementary school music teacher

and honestly, did not practice as much as a beginning musician should. Frankly, practicing music was not something that I could get myself to do, as I was not at the level that I expected to be at.
At a young age, it was very difficult to get myself to do anything if I was not performing at the level I believed I should be at.

I thought that I would at least be at the same playing level as the trumpeters in the middle school concert band, yet I couldn’t even play a basic scale! My attitude towards practicing music changed later that year when I began taking piano lessons from the woman who lived across the street from me. I was eager to begin lessons because I could not play the simplest ditty on the 66-key keyboard I received for Christmas, and the only necessary payment requested from my neighbor was simple yard work whenever needed. I fell in love instantly with playing the piano, practicing whenever I had any free time. Piano became the key that opened the lock imposed by my inability to practice and improve. Unlike trumpet, I had a hunger for learning the piano, and although my piano skills were not proficient by any means, I practiced simply because of my love for the

instrument.
As time continued forth, I continued to practice and improve my playing ability, and my love for music grew even more. I loved that I could put as much emotion as I pleased into my music. Piano became my outlet for expressing my feelings in a way I’ve never been able to do before. My silver Casio keyboard became my sanctuary, a place where I could let anyone willing to listen feel the same way I feel, just by pressing down on a seemingly random combination of keys. I would play for anyone with ears: my mother, father, grandmother, dogs; it didn’t matter. My music was for me - my own way to simultaneously feel life and let all of my frustrations flow out of my body and into the universe.
Playing music has changed me in ways nothing else ever has; my emotions always felt trapped inside of me, with no feasible way of escaping. Music proved to be a productive method for letting all of my emotions escape in a communicable fashion. Even as a high school senior, I play music whenever school becomes stressful or I feel frustrated with my life. I firmly believe that playing music has altered my life in so many positive ways.