I vividly remember the time in kindergarten in which I first held my teeny, precious violin. My dad had just returned home from a business trip and the first thing I asked was '' What did you bring me?!'' It was a tradition that my dad would bring a souvenir for my sister and me after each one of his travels. Sometimes it was a stuffed animal, other times it was a brain puzzle, but this time, it was a 1/2 size Stradivarius. As I opened the case, I felt like a little kid in a candy shop. There were so many little compartments and a multitude of small white envelopes containing spare violin strings; I didn't know where to begin. I anxiously removed the Velcro latch only to reveal a gorgeous light brown violin that was so shiny I could see my huge smile in it. I erratically removed the instrument out of its case and started mocking Andre Rieu, an exceptional violinist, whom I always admired on Public Broadcasting Services. Even though I wasn't generating any sound, I still felt like a professional.

In October of 2003, the Corvallis Youth Symphony Association visited my elementary school to advertise their Elementary Strings program. For their demonstration, they brought three stringed instruments: the violin, the viola, and the cello. They performed songs I was very familiar with such as ''We Will Rock You'' and selections from Star Wars. As a third grader, I was beyond fascinated. I couldn't wait to get home and show my parents the bright orange flyer Elementary Strings had handed me. My parents were flabbergasted that I was already so passionate about music and they gladly agreed to register me for the classes. From that day forward, I dreaded not being able to create the beautiful sounds of noteworthy composers like Mozart, Beethoven and Bach. I couldn't wait for it to finally be October 18.

October 18 eventually arrived and that entire day, my eyes were fixated on the clock. 3:30 came and it was time for my first violin lesson. My teacher laughed when I showed her my instrument. The violin I had was pocket-sized compared to the size my arm span required. In addition, it was missing an extremely critical piece, the bridge, which elevates the strings from the resonating chamber. Unfortunately, I could not play that day, but I still learned the fundamentals of reading music and discovered that I had so many friends in my class.

As time progressed, I learned a plethora of vital musical skills. After the five month course, I was successfully able to read music, write music, and conduct basic pieces. Little did I know that all of my friends would cease to continue the Elementary Strings program. I was the one of the few students who advanced in the program through fifth grade and my teacher was quite impressed. At that age, playing the violin taught me that giving up is not an option. Laziness was the main reason why my peers gave up music during elementary school. Once middle school hit, students were quitting orchestra because they ''did not have time.'' This taught me that when someone is passionate about something, he/she can always create a time slot for it. Saying ''I don't have time'' is never a valid excuse. If one has time to eat/sleep, one has time to accomplish one's goals. Playing the violin also taught me that even if you don't like something, you have to learn to like it through practice. My middle school teacher had a saying: ''When you practice, you like it. When you like it, you practice. When you don't like it, you don't practice. When you don't practice, you don't like it.'' Not only has this saying helped me get through rigorous Shostakovich pieces, but it has also helped me in school. Although I may not enjoy American Government as much as I enjoy Chemistry, I still need to stay on top of both classes in order to surpass my goals.

To sum up, being a violinist has greatly shaped my character and work ethic. I treat all of my responsibilities the same way I treat starting a new music composition. I cannot imagine what my life would be like without this special attribute.