A Moment in the Music by Maya

A Moment in the Music by Maya - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

I was participating in the annual Solo/Ensemble festival the school system hosted every year. Young musicians from elementary school to high school played in front of a judge to get graded on their piece. I was especially excited because this was the first year I ever had private lessons, and my new teacher and I worked on my piece for what seemed like ages. When it was my turn I went in, along with my mom, her best friend, her son, and my string teacher from school. After I played a scale, my string teacher began the piano accompaniment for Handel’s Bourree and I started to play. I was so focused on my piece that when I stopped and looked up, I was surprised to see how quiet everyone in the room was. There was tears in everyone’s eyes. The judge quickly spoke up, saying how moved she was and that I was going to be a great concertmaster one day.

I felt honored and knew that my playing wasn’t just about making music. It was about evoking emotions in any who heard and was willing to hear. I knew then that what I had was special. This is what I think about when the road gets rocky, when I can’t nail down a certain passage, when the anxiety before a performance or an audition seems to be eating away at my very soul. Knowing that I can pass on the love I have for classical music and the violin to someone else, just from being myself, is what drives me everyday in my playing.