Back in elementary school, everyone had a choice to play an instrument. Back then, if you played an instrument you were seen as old and cool. I remember being in third grade and seeing all the fifth graders carrying their instruments and having fun with it. It was then that I decided that I wanted to play an instrument too. So when I finally became a fifth grader, I had the choice to play an instrument. I could've picked from the violin to the tuba, so I decided on the trombone.

Yep, the trombone. I could've picked something seen as elegant like the flute. I could've joined the orchestra instead of band and played the violin. But nope. I picked a very loud and pretty big instrument for a fifth grader. I couldn't even ride the bus and had to have one of my siblings drive me to school whenever I had band practice. You must be wondering why I picked the trombone. It wasn't because I thought it was cool or anything, it was because one of my friends played the trombone, and it was easy to borrow. At first it wasn't bad playing the trombone. Sure it was an inconvenience sometimes, but that wasn't the reason why I stopped playing, ultimately.

I decided to stop playing the trombone because I was the only girl who played the trombone. Every time I would come into band practice, there would be two other guys and me. It was fine for a while, I even got to meet my best friend there, but being a fifth grader, you worry about things that could affect you when you go onto middle school. I was worried that people would make fun of me for playing a "boy" instrument, and I was worried that I wouldn't make any friends. So, instead of playing on and keeping up with it, I ran away from it.

Telling my band teacher that I didn't want to play anymore was the scariest thing ever. Being the only girl in the group of trombone players, we kind of stuck together. I really liked her, she was awesome, nice, and funny, and that only made it harder for me to tell her that I didn't want to continue playing. When I told her the reason, she told me that other girls play the trombone too, but at that point, I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb. Later in the day, I overheard her talking to another teacher saying that I quit and how she was sad because I really showed great potential. When I heard her say that, I felt my stomach twist. I felt bad for disappointing her, but I knew that I couldn't go back.

Nine years later, I wish that I stuck with playing. I really did like playing an instrument and having another talent. I had fun learning new music and reading notes on a music sheet. It amazes me to think that I used to read notes on a music sheet easily and play it just as easy, and now, I don't understand how I did it. I wish that I never ran away from it and just listened to my family, my best friend, and music teacher instead of listening to my fears. I hope that if you love something, keep doing it. Don't worry about what anyone else could say or think of you. Worry about how you think of yourself and how you love something. If you really love doing something, then why let anyone get in the way of that?