I always say that I had a lucky start with music. I was born in a musical family, and my parents were musicians. Growing up, we'd go to many open mics, and I'd always be fascinated by live music. When I was 7, my dad, despite my reluctance, taught me how to play the guitar. At first, I learned minor little melodies, then full chords, and then entire songs. At that time, I didn't see the point in learning an instrument because I thought of myself as more of a listener than a composer, but regardless, I thought it was fun. For a while, though, I didn't actively play much. It wasn't until high school that my passion for music changed my life. While I was involved heavily in marching band and drumline, putting four years into both programs, what truly started my love for music was the creation of my band. I still remember the exact day that the switch flipped for me. It was October 23rd, 2022, my friend Jr's birthday. By chance, I wasn't the only musician in my friend group, and he invited me and another one of my buddies to come over and play some music. After the first song we played together, I was hooked. As soon as I got home, all I wanted do was play guitar, pick apart and study songs, and find out how it all works. It didn't take long for this birthday party jam session to turn into real practices and, as time went on, into a real band. We named ourselves The Hoopengarners, a name we got from an inside joke, and started to write songs. I fell in love with the process of writing music. It gave me a way to express my feelings and thoughts in a creative way that seems personal but that I'm comfortable sharing with the world. Especially during high school, when I was dealing with stress and anxiety, it saved me a lot of turmoil, knowing that I could take my problems and turn them into a piece of art. After finishing up a few songs, we started to play small shows. Getting up on stage was nerve-wracking, but the excitement of playing live to people was worth the anxiety. Eventually, as we improved, that anxious feeling went away and opened the door to other opportunities. I connected with many local musicians and made new friends that way. We grew to play in larger venues, even playing for some charities. But what I'm most grateful to music for is the confidence it instilled in me, particularly in leadership and resilience, because it granted me many great opportunities to develop those skills. I'm the frontman of The Hoopenganers, so I take on a majority of the responsibility for the band. I book the gigs, schedule rehearsals, and plan out the next steps. It gets difficult, but I always push through to make sure the vision stays alive. Many of these lessons have applied to other areas of my life, like academics and sports, and have helped me develop as a person. Without what music has done for me, I would not be who I am today. My perseverance and love for music helped me discover my dream of becoming a full-time musician. We plan to release an album and send it out to record labels, on top of playing more shows on a south coast tour. For me, music didn't just become one of my hobbies; it became my entire life, and I will continue to play music for the rest of it.