From an early age, I was forced into music. I was enrolled in dance classes, and later beginning-band, in spite of my persistent pleas to quit music entirely. For me, music didn't really click at first, and it wouldn't for a couple years. I came from a very musical family however, and it seemed as if I had no choice in the matter. My dad was a band and theater kid through high school, my Uncle is a professional freelance musician, and my cousin is an actor and singer in Chicago. As a middle school student, I would have much rather been outside kicking a ball and running around, as opposed to staring at lines and dots on a sheet of paper, and learning Italian words for "moderately fast" and "loud". But middle school was also a time of uncertainty. The friends I had known for years seemed to be growing into different people, and there were many days I would go to school not knowing the people I had known for years. I felt like an outcast, and for the greater part of a year, had no true friends to surround myself with. Around this time I met Mark Thompson, my trumpet instructor. My mom and dad reasoned with me to begin private lessons for my instrument, and after much refusal, I finally agreed to begin lessons with Mr. Thompson. Mark was a middle school band teacher at a nearby school, and we began reading lines of music together every Sunday. Mark was very intimidating to me at first. It quickly became apparent that he was an incredible musician, and I later found out that he had been a freelance musician for many years in the Chicago area. But despite his superior skill, he was like a friend to me almost right away. He introduced me to jazz and classical music in a way I had never seen before, and it peaked my interest right away. It was like a spark ignited in my mind, and from those first few lessons onward, I wanted nothing more than to play just like he could. My progress as a player from then on was rapid. I placed into the highest band at our middle school the next school year, and met some of my closest friends. When high school came, I earned a spot in the highest band the district could offer: the Grand Ledge High School Wind Symphony, as well as the high school marching band. The teachers were excellent, opportunities were all around me, and I began to enjoy jazz and classical music as a hobby, all while making beautiful music with my friends. It's at this point in my music career that I realized where my dad was coming from. He had made memories to last a lifetime through his music, and music had helped shape him into the loving and passionate father I knew him as. Without people like him and Mr. Thompson, I may never have known what a world music had to offer. Music gave me a talent and a purpose to carry with me through my life. It gave me friendship, love, and passion like no other. It gave me beautiful performances, countless road trips, and the happiest of tears. Music has shaped my life, and looking back on it, I wouldn't have it any other way. Now as I approach college, I want to give people around me this same feeling. Looking forward, it would be the highlight of my life to give my passion for music to those eager to listen.