My first band director was terrible to me. They would bully me alongside my peers at every chance they could get. It was constant jokes about my so-called 'lack of talent.' It wasn't lack of talent, it was lack of trying. I wanted to quit so badly. I remember sitting with my mom in the car after a marching band practice, and we talked about me quitting. I was so tired of getting made fun of. My mom convinced me to just deal with it, so I did, but it got worse. The director would yell at me in front of the entire band. They would point out every mistake I made. They even screamed at me during a lesson because I didn't understand triplets. After that, every time I made a mistake I would hear them yell at me in my head. I would leave every lesson crying. The summer after that dreadful year became a turning point for me. That band director said that she was going to take a different job, and that we'd have a new teacher. I remember everyone else crying and getting emotional. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get a single tear to shed. My new band director came at the beginning of my sophomore year. Because of how badly my freshman year went, I was pretty messed up. I was so scared to make any mistakes. I was scared to play in front of anyone alone. I had a lesson with the new band director and I remember feeling that fear again. I was shaking when I played. She was encouraging and nice. She started building me up instead of tearing me down. I played a few bars, and then I relaxed. She hadn't yelled at me yet. I started realizing that she wasn't going to yell at me. When I made mistakes, I would stop and make comments about it. She never did. After that first lesson, she told me I was doing great and that I'd do amazing at the all-district competition. I left the room and I cried. I cried because no one had ever been that nice to me about music besides my family. She gave me the courage to try again, so I did. With her help, I became an amazing musician. One of my private teacher's once told me, "Stop treating yourself like you're still that freshman who can't play. You don't make those mistakes anymore. You're very good." That was a big moment of realization for me. Her words stuck with me as I continued my high school journey. Eventually, I started believing what she said. My band director and I have gotten very close over the past 3 years. She's been a constant encourager and motivator for me. I would take every opportunity she would give me. She's never said one bad thing about me or anyone else. She was the first person who believed in me, and that was what I needed to become a great musician. My favorite experience was getting to perform solo with the middle school choir. The choir director sought me out to play with them, and it was really fun. I liked seeing all of the kids surprised by my playing (apparently it was mind-blowingly beautiful to some 10 year olds). It was a great experience that I'll never forget.