As I began reading the prompt for this essay, I sat and contemplated for a considerable amount of time about what I would write. It would be easy for me to make up some story about me seeing a pop star and being entranced by their presence on the stage. Although that is true in some regards, as I began thinking about the first time I really fell in love with music I found that I couldn’t pinpoint the exact first time. For all I’ve known, music has been as present in my life as my parents and friends, almost manifesting itself as an important figure in my life. Therefore, I had to ask the people that have known me since birth to really understand my history and relationship with music. Shortly after being born, my family did not have the expenses for a baby sitter and furthermore, did not have any other family in the area to watch me while my parents worked. My parents, who are both working musicians, did not have any other choice but to take me to their travelling gigs. There are photos of me as young as a month old sitting in green rooms or backstage areas while my parents performed, being watched by stage hands and other bandmates. Before I could even formulate my own words and sentences, I connected with the art of music and due to this, have identified with the creation of sound and its influence on humans. It wasn’t that I was randomly introduced to this art but rather, I do not know any other way. Therefore, I want to continue my music because of how it affects humans in life. Often we are bombarded by the political state of this world. This overwhelming environment is a main contributor to the epidemic of anxiety that has plagued this generation. But similar to the generations that have lived through experiences like these, a great source of expression to make sense of these conflicts is music. Personally, it has been a medium for political commentary as well as a source of comfort against the dread of the world. It offers me the opportunity to take in all of the problems of my daily life and create something beautiful that not only connects with me but anyone that relates to the problems that I am touching on. My future plans regarding music are to reach a big audience in the best way possible: becoming a recording artist. My goal is to polish my art and improve my skills to create records that truly touch the audience. In the future, I absolutely see myself playing jazz. I cannot imagine a world in which I do not play jazz as it is one of, if not the greatest art form to come out of America. Even if my musical career focuses on other genres, most genres share the same “DNA” of jazz, considering that many genres derive from jazz itself. Therefore, learning jazz music not only serves me as a jazz musician but also as an artist in any other form.