“Although I quit a couple years ago, piano has taken an important role in my life. For the majority of my childhood, a daily part of my routine was hauling myself to piano lessons, practicing everyday, and going to competitions. I hated this: practicing and competing. It was all too much work for something so trivial. But I did love listening to classical music whenever I had the chance, though at the time, piano was not worth the trouble. Playing for 8 years left me drained, and I think that when I quit was when I finally started to appreciate how much I improved in playing and the music itself. Not having the pressure of competing and practicing helped me to explore my passion and love for music. It became something that was relaxing rather than stressful and let me do things at my own pace. Now anything piano I love, whether it’s playing or listening. I wish I had that appreciation earlier.”