I have always had a passion for music. Ever since I was 4 years old, I started teaching myself how to play the violin, piano, and the Thai hammer dulcimer. Following that, I was involved in the music program at every school I went to, from violin in elementary, to cello in middle school, and saxophone in high school. The saxophone really stuck with me as I joined the marching band, jazz band, and concert band in high school where I played the alto saxophone and did regular gigs at bars and coffee shops around town. Although I developed a love for the saxophone, I didn't want my passion for the cello to fade away, so what better way to keep in touch with an instrument then to teach it? I began giving private cello lessons to a little girl out of my own home. It was a very eye opening and rewarding experience as it sparked a flame to my love for music education that I didn't know that I had. Now, I am a freshman at Northern Arizona University studying music education with an emphasis in saxophone performance. I am taking private lessons on the saxophone with the world renowned performer Jonathan Bergeron. Along with my studies in music education, I perform in the NAU saxophone orchestra as well our concert band and our marching band. With this, I am going to get my bachelor's degree in music ed and immediately begin teaching in the classroom! Post-graduation, I would like to teach band and orchestra to children in middle school and/or elementary school. I feel passionate about he arts and what they can bring and I would like to give them a good foundation at a young age. Music is a very important aspect in our lives, especially in the lives of children. You never know what they have going on outside of the classroom but sometimes, music is their only outlet. Music can comfort them, inspire them, and be there for them when no one else is. You put a violin or a clarinet in the child's hand and suddenly they realize that they have a passion for something other than video games and Tik Toks. I would't be where I am today without music, in fact, I would probably be quite lost in the world. Music and instruments open doors for people that otherwise would be forever closed as it is much harder to learn instruments and develop a musical ear as adults. Keeping music in the grade school curriculum is extremely important for the wellbeing and futures of these children, as it was for me!