From a very young age, music was introduced into my life as an important part of the human experience. My dad was constantly toying around playing music on the piano or on his guitar and my mom was forever belting out the words to her favorite songs. My home was often filled with music throughout the years. So, as I grew, I continued my personal discovery of what kinds of music I enjoyed and what music truly meant to me.

In my younger years, I enjoyed music most by listening. But, as I grew older, I also found appreciation in being part of making music come alive. My parents enrolled me in piano lessons as a kid, though they never really stuck. I enjoyed listening to the piano but playing it never fully captured my heart. For a brief moment there, I thought I just might not enjoy playing music. That was until I became fascinated by the flute. (I know, I know, put your band camp and nerd jokes aside for a minute.) The flute is a beautiful instrument and in junior high I was fortunate enough to be able to take private lessons and play in the school’s concert band. I even continued to do so throughout high school.

There is honestly no feeling that can compare to making a piece come alive. Alone or as a group. Some of my most vivid memories from high school are from my time in band. The contrast from when we would get a piece and sight read it to get a feel for it compared to when we performed it on the stage in front of our peers and families was mind-blowing sometimes. I could never tell if it was the adrenaline rush from being onstage in front of so many people, light headedness from playing a woodwind instrument with every fiber of my being, or a combination of the two but every performance left me breathless and tingling in the best way. Nothing can compare to that feeling. I miss it to this day. To come together with others to take a piece of paper and make it into an emotion-filled piece is such a fantastic experience.

Playing music and coming from a family that loves it so deeply has made my deep love for music possible. Some people simply listen to a song, but I feel it. The arts are often thought of as frivolous and unnecessary, but music is part of what makes me who I am, part of what makes me alive. Lyrics can touch your heart and put a situation or feeling you were struggling to express into words. And the instrumentals can bring you back to life or perfectly release the sorrow resting in your own heart.

There are few greater feelings in this world than being in the middle of a band making a song come alive or riding in the car with your music blasting around you. Music has gotten me through tough times and made good times even better. It has the ability to breathe life into any moment and for that, I will be forever grateful.