My music journey through Piano, SAX and Guitar:
I distinctly remember the first and only club I joined in elementary school, upon my move from Florida to Texas. Elementary school in Texas was typically boring for me, and I remember being offered two afterschool clubs: a Lego club, and a keyboard club. I was a massive Lego fan; I would constantly beg my parents for new sets and watch Lego-animated TV shows. And yet, for some inexplicable reason, I told my parents I wanted to join the keyboard club.
The club was basically an intro to piano using keyboards. At the club, we had tons of simplified versions of popular songs and themes to choose from. Each song had different levels of difficulty, ranging from one to five, with five being the hardest. With no prior keyboard experience, I jumped in, quickly learning the basics of the names of the different notes, as well as reading sheet music. I picked it up quickly, learned level three and four versions of various songs. When the final club showcase arrived, I performed a level-five rendition of the main theme from Star Wars. Impressed with my progress, the group teacher of the club offered to teach me privately which I gladly opted for. And as luck would have it, my parents purchased used upright piano for my practice at home. And so began my formal music journey.
My first piano teacher, which I later realized, was rather a bit unorthodox. Rather than jumping into the fundamentals of music, she instead encouraged me to find a composition or a song I wanted to learn playing. Previously during the club, I had learned a level three version of Beethoven’s Fur Elise and loved it. I was curious about how a more challenging version of the composition would be to perform, so I requested I learn how to play Fur Elise. You might be able to imagine my shock when the next session, my teacher brought out the music sheets of the entire composition. There were no more levels twos and threes, instead, I had graduated to the level of original, classical music. And the process was long. Since the level of notation had dramatically expanded, new symbols, notes, and dynamics would be taught as I came across them. Whenever a section seemed too hard, we would slow down, work on the right hand, then left, then together for however long needed.
To be very honest, there were many times I wanted to give up. But as I went ahead with the journey, I learned a very valuable lesson. A way to dramatically increase your performance in a skill is to find a task within that skill that is dramatically outside your existing skill level. So with this realization, I persisted. Despite knowing to play piano fairly recently, after six months of practice, I could play the entirety of Fur Elise. Later, we had a recital at the Steinway piano gallery, and I performed the composition for the first time in front of a crowd. I even played it again for the fifth-grade talent show, winning second place. Performing a formal recital and then also playing in front of my entire school was a great feeling and I wanted to continue playing music as I entered middle school.
Throughout middle school, I continued with piano, learning more songs and improving my fluency. I was also a part of middle school band, playing Saxophone. Learning new instrument was actually not tough even though Saxophone was way different. Band was my favorite class in middle school and I could not help resist playing Sax at home every evening. Despite being introduced to a new musical instrument, I kept playing Piano and took a liking of Hans Zimmer music renditions, particularly some of the scores he developed for the movie Interstellar. I sought out new songs, asked my parents to pay for music sheets and even started composing my own songs. During middle school, as I entered the first Lego league Robotics competition I played a song from John Lennon “Imagine” which we recorded as a backdrop for a video we played in front of our judges (to introduce our Robotics team)
As I persisted with Piano throughout my middle school, I grew in confidence with the instrument. I performed in a variety of recitals, the most notably was the one at the Senior Home.
Then Covid stuck but I continued with the Piano lessons even during then (remotely) but we did manage to find a new music teacher who was willing to take lessons in person once the worst of Covid was behind us. Towards the end of middle school, I also picked up the guitar at the recommendation of my new Piano teacher. My latest music teacher happened to know over ten different instruments. For over a year, we practiced piano and guitar together, learning more songs. We both played a song “Let it Be” by Beatles for one of the recitals. My teacher was extremely impressed by my musical talents and I was featured in an article showcasing my love for music in the community magazine (see below)
Eventually, as I entered high school, with high school sports and other scheduling conflicts, I had to part ways with my music teacher, but I kept playing both Piano and Guitar through my high school. Music is something I always resort when the going gets tough. It calms me and I feel revitalized even by just playing 15 minutes or after the end of long day. As part of IB CAS curriculum, I practiced and played a piano song. This summer, I am in process of building my own YouTube channel.
Reflecting on my musical journey, from my first steps with the keyboard club in elementary school to mastering complex pieces on the piano and exploring the guitar, I’ve realized how much music has shaped me. It has taught me persistence, provided solace during tough times, and offered endless joy. As I look forward to sharing my music on YouTube, I am excited about the endless possibilities and the new horizons my musical journey will continue to unveil. Music has been a constant companion, and I know it will remain a vital part of my life, continually enriching my experiences and helping me grow.