One of the most influential abilities a person can have is the ability to tell a story. The weaving of narratives that draw laughter as well as tears have a distinct way of bringing people together. In my life, the best storyteller I know is my father. An immigrant from the Philippines, the life story he has shared with me has many moving parts- he has shared experiences about strange pets, encounters with the military, and even his short-lived fame as a dancer on a television series. His journey has drawn me toward following a path of storytelling, and I began to wonder how I could create community with my own, unique form of narration. Blending inspiration with personal skills, I devoted myself to telling stories through music. I was introduced to classical piano at the age of five, and as I grew I developed a driven mindset toward music and all of its intricacies. At thirteen, I became committed to pursuing my path as a musician. After the applications, competitions, and hours of grueling practice, my skills and passions began to develop. While these things have often been met with struggle and disappointment, passion carried me through to achieve one of my greatest accomplishments: Last year, I was accepted into the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and I now study piano performance with internationally renowned pianist Inna Faliks. Ever since, I have seized every opportunity to share my stories and contribute to the stories of others- in solo work, ensemble pieces, and even orchestral and operatic styles. Unlike other forms of storytelling, piano performance cannot be written down or painted on a canvas. A narrative without words, music is an experience where storytelling is alive and intrapersonal, understood individually by every person listening. With every performance, I become more ambitious about sharing stories of the past and present with others. My education revolves around this ambition, which gives my life a unique purpose and goal. I plan to tell these musical stories through teaching and performance. Classical music is a challenging art and requires mounds of motivation to share at high-skill levels. I believe this challenge, alongside the moving popular culture of today’s media, has made classical music accessibility and education restricted. As a pianist, my goal is to make classical music more available, as to share the same spark I experienced with others. I yearn to develop my skills so classical music and its unique storytelling is preserved and appreciated for many years to come. I believe in my purpose and am devoted to my contribution as a narrator, performer, and educator. Through music accessibility, I hope to pass the torch on to the future storytellers of tomorrow.

My greatest skill is the ability to give to others through music. This began in my childhood when my parents decided I should learn to play the piano. As I grew, my experiences with classical piano built up an overwhelming sense of passion, and I discovered my true love for music. From that moment on, music became a vital part of my life’s trajectory and led me to my purpose and life-long service. I’ve chosen to pursue classical piano firstly because of the challenges and beauties it introduces to musicians. Throughout my childhood, every experience I’ve had within the classical realm has shown me the piano’s true potential and has inspired me to improve. The wide range of repertoire tells stories and histories that I yearn to preserve. The technical difficulties and feats of great pianists of today make high-skill piano performance a challenge, as well as an accomplishment. Finally, the emotional outlet music provides, where an intuitive inner-self can express emotional messages to oneself and others, makes every performance a unique, valuable experience. These factors give me reason to improve my skills and share classical music with others- to bring about more exposure of how difficult and beautiful this fine art can be. Another purpose I find in music relates to giving back to my community. In looking for performance experience, I was eagerly involved in community service throughout high school. In this, I used my passion for music by playing in local hospitals. I performed pieces in lobbies and open hallways as a youth music therapist, playing for healthcare workers and patients who walked by. I observed the joy and relief people expressed as they listened to the live music and realized the potential power of musical messages. With every performance, from the stages to the nursing homes, I find purpose in using classical music to reduce stress and provide relief to anyone who listens. Finally, I hope to teach others how valuable arts education truly is. The world we live in today has shifted funding from the arts in education and professional schemes. The people of tomorrow are less exposed to classical music now more than ever, and I believe that every contribution made will help keep it alive. Whatever my future has in store, performing on national stages or teaching children how to play their first few notes, I want to make classical piano exposure and education accessible to my community. I yearn to develop my skills in teaching and performance to inspire the artists of tomorrow. My musical aspirations shape who I am as a person today and what I aspire to be in the future. There are bounds of undiscovered beauty within classical music, and it is my goal to share this aspect of the arts with the global community. In study, performance, and teaching, I aspire to pass on the torch to the next generation, so that appreciation for classical piano will live for many years to come.

It was just another normal day volunteering at the hospital. Throughout my senior year of high school, I volunteered at a local hospital as a Youth Music Therapist, spending my Fridays after school playing violin in hallways for anyone who walked by. Patients strolled through the hall as I performed, smiling and commenting as they passed. I continued my violin playing for a few hours, and when the clock hit five, I couldn’t help but think about going home. There was only half an hour left on my shift, and then I could finally sign out. As I started my next piece, a hoard of workers came out of the elevator. The people of scrubs and lab coats trudged by, eyes tired and void of color. Without a second glance, the majority of them left, the sun already set and the day long gone. I let my mind wander until a question stood out: What kind of work did healthcare professionals do to wear them out this much? I’ve always aspired to involve myself in public health. Being of service has been a lifelong priority, and healthcare was always a possible career path to travel down. Knowing that my knowledge could save another was huge, but the state of the workers caused me to second-guess myself. I couldn’t imagine living a life where you could help anyone and everyone but yourself. A bystander brought me back to reality. From her uniform, I could tell she was a nurse. She had gotten off shift with the rest of the elevator group but decided to stop and listen. I played for her, all the while watching her reaction. Throughout the piece, it was almost as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She closed her eyes for a second and breathed deeply- the stress of the day lost its hold on her. I finished my piece, after which she opened her eyes and finally smiled. It was then that I realized the importance of my service. I wasn’t helping people with knowledge firsthand, but my service could benefit those who were. Through my musical talents and skills, I could provide another form of service and relief to those who needed it most. I played for the nurse for nearly another hour. My shift was long over, but I continued. She thanked me once I finished, sharing that my playing did exactly as I had intended: I was helping the helpers, serving those who served. From that moment on, I committed to a life of using my talents and skills to give back to others in a unique way. As a piano performance major, I now hope to improve my playing every day in preparation for a life of service. I believe that music holds the power to provide relief from stress and bring joy to others whose lives are filled with tension. I plan to create new opportunities for my musical community at college and share this power with those who need it most, by co-founding a club of high-skill musicians to perform in nursing homes and hospitals around the Los Angeles area. I may not have the expertise to be of service to others as a nurse or a doctor would. I may never work in public health and serve others through knowledge of medicine. However, one thing that I know is my deep passion for music. I am devoted to using my ambition for piano and skills in the performing arts to give back to my community, relieve others of stress, and serve those who serve.

An issue I struggle with every day is managing my productivity. In today’s world, it’s easy to get caught up in the busyness and prioritize working over mental wellbeing. I consider myself to be a “workaholic”, and while I label this as being “intrinsically motivated”, it can be unhealthy at times. I’ve found that pushing myself to the limit can unintentionally lead to mental breakdown. Without taking the time to rest and recoup, it’s easy to succumb to the stresses of work and the weight that it holds over you. Music has been a constant source of relief for my busy lifestyle. When the world around me bustles and moves a mile a minute, music has been my emotional release. Music allows for self-expression and I’ve always found performing to be a reward; playing music has helped me take the time to focus on my emotional and mental health in my daily life. In today’s world, it’s normalized to prioritize the “work” aspects of life. I’ve fallen victim to this many times, but music has been my backbone. However, relief through music isn’t reachable for all. One of my goals is to help alleviate stress and provide comfort through music. In my future career as a professional pianist, I want to provide others an outlet from their daily stresses of life and remind them of the importance of the art of music. I strongly desire to share my experiences with an audience through music in hopes to provide even a few moments of relief from daily stressors. I want to use music to help others slow down and enjoy time for what it is at that moment instead of worrying about the future. My role as a professional musician will be to bring awareness of the importance of life balance to others. I hope to use my musical ability to influence the balancing of productivity and pleasure in life, as it can be so easy to forget sometimes. Through performing, I hope to send the message that taking time to unwind, especially through music, is healthy. I want to encourage an audience to seek out opportunities and experience life, whether that be through music, another art, or a hobby. More than anything, I want my art form to advocate that life isn’t just about productivity, and help teach others a lesson I’ve learned for myself. The world moves a mile a minute. However, with my experiences so far, I’ve realized that productivity only succeeds if people know when to prioritize themselves. Taking time to self-reflect through art will boost mental health and taking time to feel will relieve emotional stress. I plan to lead others to this realization through musical art and its vibrant expression. I will employ the musical abilities I have in hopes of making the world less work-focused and making life more enjoyable. Through piano, I will reach out to those who listen and call them to a life of balance.

One of the most influential abilities a person can have is the ability to tell a story. The weaving together of narratives that draw laughter as well as tears have a distinct way of bringing people together and creating community. In my life, the best storyteller I know is my father. An immigrant from the Philippines, the life story he has shared with me in bits and pieces has many moving parts- he has shared experiences about having strange pets, encounters within the military, and even his fame as a dancer on a popular television series. His journey has inspired and drawn me toward following a path of storytelling. As I continued to discover his ventures alongside him, I began to ask myself how I could bring about community with my own, unique form of storytelling. Blending inspiration with my ambitions and skills, I devoted myself to telling my story through music. I was introduced to classical piano at the age of five, and since then, every new experience has uncovered the piano’s true potential and beauty. As I grew, I developed a driven attitude and a fiery passion for piano and all of its intricacies. Around the age of thirteen, I committed to pursuing my path as a musician, and it has taken me far since. After the applications, competitions, and many hours of grueling practice, I was accepted into the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. I now study piano performance with internationally renowned pianist Inna Faliks and have seized every opportunity presented to me. Unlike many other forms of storytelling, piano performance cannot be written down or painted on a canvas. A narrative without words, music is an experience where storytelling is alive and interpersonal, shared and understood individually by every person who cares to listen. I believe that classical music is intrinsically unique in telling historic works from the past in a live, present setting for many to appreciate and enjoy. Every chance I get to perform, I become more passionate about playing the piano and ambitious to share stories with my community. My career and education revolve around this goal, which gives my life a unique purpose that incorporates my passions. I plan to make a positive impact with others by sharing my storytelling ability with others through teaching and performance. Classical music is an intricate and challenging art and requires a lot of motivation to share at a high skill level. I believe that this challenge, alongside the moving popular culture of today’s media, has made classical music accessibility and education restricted and minimal. As a pianist, my goal is to make classical music more readily available so as to share the same spark I experienced with my community, and pass the torch on to the future storytellers of tomorrow. I yearn to develop my skills in performance and teaching, so classical music and its unique form of narration is preserved and appreciated for many years to come. One of the most influential abilities a person can have is the ability to tell a story, and I believe in my purpose and contribution as a performer and educator and I am committed to sharing music as a storytelling device with my community. Video Performance Link: https://youtu.be/Q3Jv9MbKnqc?si=oDYR-n3USjI2rgpY

Piano performance is a vital part of my identity and holds an irreplaceable space in my heart. I was introduced to music when my parents enrolled me in a local piano studio at the age of five. With little ambition to improve, daily practices were once a “chore” to me, with my only motivation being to please my parents. However, every new experience in the classical realm uncovered the piano’s true potential and the undiscovered beauty stored in every note. I began experimenting with the piano on my own time, developing a driven mindset and a fiery passion for music and all of its intricacies. Around the age of thirteen, I committed to pursuing my path as a musician, and it has taken me far since. Of course, my endeavors weren’t without their failures- performing in front of others proved to be a mental challenge. Alongside the technical difficulties of performance came the mental block of performance anxiety, the struggle of clammy hands, and my hesitance in wanting to share my skills with others. These weaknesses shined through when competition results illustrated that I wasn’t performing to my full potential. Still, my ambition and passion for piano led me to seek out other experiences to overcome this anxiety. I turned to community service, playing in local nursing homes and hospitals as a youth volunteer, and began to share my music more casually with people who needed it. I performed violin pieces in lobbies and open hallways as a youth music therapist, playing for the healthcare workers and patients who walked by. I observed the joy and relief that people expressed as they listened to the live music and realized how powerful a musical message can be. As I improved with my mental block, I began to take on higher-skilled challenges in regional and state competitions. I developed my technique and self-confidence to apply to music schools around California. After the applications, college essays, and many hours of grueling practice, I was finally accepted into the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. I now study piano performance with internationally renowned pianist Inna Faliks and have seized every opportunity presented to me. I played with the UCLA Philharmonia this year as an orchestral keyboardist, debuted as a concerto soloist after winning a school-wide competition, and played as a pit musician in the world premiere of a new opera, “The Grand Hotel Tartarus”. These experiences have only grown my fire for piano and for sharing it with others, and have fueled my ambition for as long a time as I can imagine. With every corner I’ve turned, I remind myself why I devote so much of myself to piano. Classical music is an intricate and challenging art, and requires a lot of motivation to share at a high skill level. I believe that this challenge, alongside the moving popular culture of today’s media, has made classical music accessibility and education less and less available. As a pianist, my goal is to make classical music more readily available so as to share the same spark I experienced with my community. I yearn to develop my skills in performance as well as teaching, so the beauty of classical piano is celebrated for years to come. My journey as a pianist has been a rocky one, full of struggle as well as accomplishment. However, through the risk and reward, my love for piano and hope in the possibility of sharing it with others gives me a reason to sit down at the keyboard again and again.

One of my greatest skills is the ability to reach others through music. This began in my childhood when my parents decided that I should learn to play the piano. At the time, I practiced without a care, treating music as just another chore to finish. However, my experiences with classical piano over the years built up an overwhelming sense of passion, and I discovered my true love for music. From that moment on, I realized how vital music would be in my life’s trajectory, and how it would lead me to find a purpose and life-long service. I’ve chosen to pursue classical piano firstly because of the challenges and beauties that it introduces to musicians. Throughout my childhood, every experience I’ve had within the classical realm has shown me the piano’s true potential. Everything about piano performance has inspired me to improve. The wide range of repertoire, from Bach to Debussy, tells stories that I yearn to preserve for the future generations. The unlimited technical difficulties and feats of great pianists of today make high-skill piano performance a challenge and an accomplishment to take pride in. Finally, the emotional outlet that music provides, where an intuitive inner-self can express emotional messages to oneself and others, makes every performance a unique experience. With personal skills and development in my studies, I chose to pursue piano to continue sharing classical music with others, in all of its joys and difficulties, and enjoy all of the beauty that it brings. Another purpose I find in music is to give back to my community. In looking for more performance experiences to ease my stage fright, I spent my high school years working in community service. I used my passion for music by playing in local nursing homes and the hospital where my parents worked as a youth volunteer. I performed violin pieces in lobbies and open hallways as a youth music therapist, playing for the healthcare workers and patients who walked past. I observed the joy and relief that people expressed as they listened to the live music and realized how powerful a musical message can be. With every performance, from the stages to the nursing homes, I hope to make classical music readily available to all. Another goal of mine is to teach others how truly valuable arts education can be. The world that we live in today has shifted focus and funding from the arts in education and professional schemes. The people of tomorrow are less exposed to classical music now more than ever, and I believe that every contribution made can help keep classical music alive. Whatever my future has in store, whether it be performing on national stages or teaching young children how to play their first few notes, I want to make classical piano exposure and education accessible to my community. I yearn to develop my skills in performance and teaching so the beauty of piano is taught and appreciated for years to come. My studies in piano performance have shaped who I am as a person today and what I aspire to be in my future. There are bounds of undiscovered beauty within classical music, and it is my goal to share this aspect of the arts with the global community. In study, performance, and teaching, I aspire to pass on the torch to the next generation, so that the fire and passion of classical piano will live for many years to come.