Personal Narrative Essay: The First Violin

Personal Narrative In the spring of 2009, I gripped my piano books tightly as I tiptoed into the piano studio. I had been preparing for my first piano test for almost five months, but the butterflies in my stomach wouldn’t go away. Being only six, everything looked huge, especially the the 2 grand pianos looming in front of me. Although my piano teacher told me numerous times I was sure to pass, that fact couldn’t stop my brain from telling me how nervous it was.

Risks can be something huge to overtake that leave you paralyzed with fear. But often smaller risks are overlooked even though they have the potential to change your life. The best risk I have ever taken in my life is a seemingly small one in the grand scheme of things, but I know at the time it seemed a monumental task, but if I had never gotten the courage to take that risk my life would probably be drastically different today.

Music has had a big affect on my life. Music kept me busy when I had nothing else to do after school. Music has also been a safe haven for me. Music has been in my life ever since I was a little kid. I started to indulge myself into music when I joined my church’s choir in 3rd grade. I was a shy child growing up and that made a lot of things difficult for me, for example making friends and being a part of group activities. This shy phase was apart of me all of my life; however, once I went to high school I changed. I had to take a music class and I thought that it would be easy for me to do choir because I was in my church’s choir for majority of my grammar school and junior high years. When I was in class I was able to take part in everything and participate, well it took a few days for me to warm up to the new environment. I was asked by my choir teacher to join the school’s music enrichment, Advanced Singers. This was the year that music was helping me break out of my shell of being that shy person. As the school years went on I was involved in my high school’s musicals and have the pleasure of being a part of my high school’s honors choir. Being in the choir and participating in all of the music enrichments that my

"How serious is it mom?" “Cancer is very serious.” "Will papa die?" “...” I did not know how to react, a mini panic attack was occurring inside my head. Since I was thirteen, I did not know much about cancer.

My life was great, I had a hero police officer as my father, a genius scientist as my mother and two little brothers. I wanted to make my parents proud so I got medals, high grades, licenses to make them proud and they pampered me so much that I had a high ego but when I reached puberty my high ego was so fragile that an insult would break it all down and the breaking hit came from my father, we had a fight about dinner, having fights with the parents as a teenager was a normal thing but I wanted to get out of there and so I did.

From a very young age my grandparents started taking me to musicals and symphonies. Teaching me that music is a very important aspect of creative expression. I was reluctant at first like any 5 year old would be, but soon I fell in love with the music as well as the acting. From there my musical obsession started. I started choir in 3rd grade and then orchestra in 4th grade. I stayed after school almost every day playing and singing. The practice timesheets were never a hassle for me. Most of the time the required 30 minutes would turn into an hour or two. I would completely lose track of time and that when I knew I fell in love with music. Although music, in any form, was my passion, my timidness and anxiety held me back from striving for

Literacy is one of many words in the English language that is not accurate in definition; rather it varies from person to person through cultural experiences, community, exposure, and even academic submersion. Literacy, or being “literate,” is a skill that people use constantly to perform daily tasks such as reading road signs, texting a friend or calling a family member on the phone for a few examples. Through my experiences, however, literacy is as a form of communication, writing, and reading. Each family creates traditions in their household, ranging from food traditions to holiday traditions. Some of these traditions include eating specific meals with corresponding days of the week, like Taco Tuesday, while others’ traditions could be

It was New Year 's Eve the year of 2007, I had just turned 9 years old and little did I know my life was about to change forever. My parents took my sister and I on the Queen Mary 2, a cruise ship, to celebrate the holiday season. My family and I went to watch the musical playing at the cruise 's theater, Beatlemania, which is a musical focusing on the music of The Beatles and as a 9 year old boy I was completely unaware the impact this band had left in the world. As I began listening to the music all of a sudden I found myself immersed in all the rhythms and harmonies. The feeling I felt listening to them play couldn 't be compared to anything in the world and I felt like my mind was being introduced to this whole new side of the universe.

Studies have shown that learning how to read and play music, and even listening to music has an impact on the development of the brain. Music requires the use of both the left and right sides of the brain. After learning music I have noticed a change in the way I view music, my social skills and my thought processes. All of these things I believe are at least partially because of being in band and, they have all changed my life for the better

After seven years of playing the violin, I can proudly say that music has become a part of me. Throughout my experience with playing the violin, there has been one individual who has helped shape the person I am. Providing the enduring teachings that will shape me into a greater human being, this person deserves the utmost respect for establishing my interest in the violin and in music. For the sake of this story, he will be referred to as Maestro Johnson. If I had a ticket that could take me anywhere, I would use it to go back in time to the time when Maestro Johnson was my musical advisor.

When I started my senior year of highschool, I was ecstatic to tell all my friends that I didn’t have to suffer through the horrors of a math class. I was finally free!

Taking a deep breath, I walked into the room. This was it. This was my chance to find something I could be good at and recognized for other than just being a “smart girl.” Looking around, I observe the other children chatter and fiddle with violins, violas, and cellos, to find one that suits them. Even though I was only nine years old, I knew violin was for me once I saw it.

Taking a deep breath, I walked into the room. This was it. This was my chance to find something I could be good at and recognized for other than just being a “smart girl.” Looking around, I observe the other children chatter and fiddle with violins, violas, and cellos, to find one that suits them. Even though I was only nine years old, I knew violin was for me once I saw it.

Initial rebellion were tantrums; fake tears spilt in hopes of avoiding practice sessions. As time slowly passed, I fell in love with the big, wooden instrument. Daily practices quickly flew by as I buried my daily stress under a large pile of old, wrinkled sheet music. That view quickly changed my freshman year of high school. My good meaning mother,

The violin, an instrument that I once despised, has led me to the point of being able to perform anywhere. Furthermore, without having had the perseverance to continue to play this instrument, I would not have become the person and musician that I am today. The musical notes written on the page before me were ingrained in my memory, allowing me to catch the reflection of their image on the shiny wooden floor below. As my gaze moved across the audience, I was captivated by the tiny arc of lights that outlined the innumerable levels of red velvet seats.