The jingle of a bell above my head sounded as my father opened the front door of this tiny music store down the road from our house. I remember that the smell was a bit stale like an old carpet. As soon as we entered, I heard this thumping sound from my left. An older gentleman was playing a guitar but not like any guitar I had seen before. I pulled on my father's sleeve and asked him what the strange guitar was. I found that it was a bass guitar, and as my dad went to buy supplies for his acoustic guitar, I hovered around the old man. I became so enchanted by the bass line that it was the only thing I could seem to focus on for the rest of the day. Later that night, as Dad and I sang the theme from Disney’s Classic Robin Hood for the one-millionth time this week, I asked him how I could play it. My father was your typical rock-n-roll dad. He loves classic rock as well as the seventies classics he played for me over and over making sure I "knew my stuff." Music soon became a bonding experience between me and him. We sang on the way to school, when we watched our favorite movies together, and even in the most random moments chilling in the living room. I soon got my first bass at the beginning of the seventh grade after I had truly failed at the banjo. I took two years of lessons with a man named Glen. Glen was so passionate about bass and lived for music. On the first day of lessons, he asked me who my bass guitar hero was, and I honestly did not have one. I guess I could have mentioned the old man, but that was just a moment of love at first sight for a passion I ended up carrying with me today. I got to know Glen and he helped me get out of my shell. He made me laugh more than anyone had previously. We had our jam sessions, and there came a time when I was ready to stop the lessons. On the last day of seeing each other, my answer to his first-ever question changed: Glen was my bass hero. His passion for teaching and the instrument itself taught me that music is a healing element. It was a universal language that can speak to every moment in someone's life. From happiness to pain, music is always there for anyone who needs it. Music was there for me when I felt at my lowest, and it kept many lonely nights filled with a sense of comfort and peace. Music was also there for me during times of pure joy. Music extends how I feel and makes everything brighter and deeper. I knew that just playing bass by myself was not going to be enough, so I started a band. I found a group of people who felt happiest when creating something, and I want to continue to make music in the future. My goal for the future is to begin playing locally and continue in college. Once our band is established enough, I would love to relocate, and start to perform for larger venues and share our music with as many souls as possible.