There was a time when Iwas younger when I thought that music was just a passing phase, just a cool wayto pass time. It was something that made me unique and different, but it wassomething that, as I grew older I would set aside for new interests. It wassimply a hobby, not a passion.

Then came that fatefulyear in sixth grade when friends showed their true colors and turned to foes.They wanted me to change, to be someone I wanted nothing to do with. My violin became my constant companion. When my friends and I were in a fight, as we sooften were, I could count on my violin to be there. That year my violin and I had countless new experiences together. We mastered Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus and Seasons of Love from Rent in our youth orchestra. In our private lessons we learned vibrato, octave scales and apretty piece by Seitz. By the end of the year I had grown as a person and still would not change for my so called friends. As a result, they left.

Summer came and went and school started again. At first I was alone. It took me a while but soon I had made a good handful of friends, it was, however my violin introduced me to many more. I met people with similar interests, kids my age who, like me, had been taking lessons for a while but had only just begun to be able to actually play their instruments. With three other girls and their faithful instrument I learned the basics of chamber music. Together we learned a piece by Beethoven.As the year moved my quartet changed and each time it did my violin and I metnew people and learned new skills. At school I had found a group of friends, who, maybe didn’t play instruments, but loved music just as much as I did.Music’s role in my life was changing quickly.

Seventh grade ended and this year began. For me and my violin this has become our most successful year yet. We were placed in a new quartet. The two girls I already knew but we weren’t incredibly close. The guy was new and younger than the rest of us. We had trouble with our piece until finally a couple weeks later our cellist joined. He provided what our group so desperately needed, a good strong core to hold the group together. During the fall our piece didn’t end up being amazing but our friendship did. Everyone except for the basses decided to compete in February. During the next few months our quartet was constantly together, at each other’s house, at master classes, and all afternoon on Fridays for rehearsal. Our relationship grew stronger as together we learned the third movement of K. 157 by Mozart and Dvorak’s Bohemian Dance. As our group became closer and closer our music began really taking off. The better our music sounded the prouder we were of our group and the closer we became. It was a never ending cycle. February came around and the competition with it. It was some of the most fun we have ever had as a group. We didn’t place but that’s okay because we have already started preparing for next year and we are determined to make our Haydn amazing.

Together we have grown so much, not my quartet and I, though that is true, but me and my violin. We have a ways to go, and lots to improve if we want to really get somewhere but every practice, every rehearsal, every day we are getting closer.

There once was a time when music was just a passing phase. My violin changed that.