When I was younger, my dream was to be in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. All I ever did in high school was play my flute and go to PMEA events. I advanced all the way to the State level and was first chair in the orchestra. When the time to choose what college I wanted to go to and what my major would be came around, I knew I wanted to go somewhere with a phenomenal music program.

My dream school was the University of Michigan. What could be better? A bit far from home, but not a day’s trip in the car to go back. They had a stellar marching band and an amazing football team. They also had one of the largest football stadiums and a bitter rivalry with the Michigan State Spartans, which always made football games more entertaining. However, I wound up not getting accepted to UMich, which was okay, because I attended Duquesne University and was a flute performance major there instead. It was nice because home was only an hour away and the teacher I was taking private lessons from was teaching there already, so I didn’t have to adjust to a new teacher.

However, after only a semester of being at Duquesne, I realized that music was definitely not my major. As much as I loved music and performing, I couldn’t do this as my major. Many people say, “If you really love music, don’t have it as your job.” Locking myself in a practice room for hours on end and playing only scales and arpeggios ruined the experience of playing the music. I created that muscle memory that let me focus on the expression and the playing of the notes on the page instead of where my fingers had to be at what time. That muscle memory helped the music flow freely from my flute, and I think that’s why my playing was so good. I had a passion for music that was so great that it got in the way of my career goals.

I finally realized that I didn’t want to do music anymore, and I also realized that that was okay. Many people change their majors, and I was no different than anyone else. In order to keep my passion for music burning, I had to realize that performance was not meant for me. If I wanted to be this passionate about music, I had to do my best to make sure that music and performing arts programs were still in schools. I had to advocate music to the best of my ability by telling my story of how music changed my life for the better. My story may have taken some negative turns, but I needed those to realize that music needed me more than I needed it.

Unfortunately, arts programs are experiencing a rapid extinction in the United States. Studies have shown that music makes people smarter; it teaches people how to work in a group, and makes people better at math due to subdividing beats and constant counting. Music also provides a healthy outlet for expression. Many people turn to alcohol or drugs or self-harm when they need an outlet to express their feelings; music provides a safe alternative to any of those options. Musicians are truly a gift to society: people go to a concert and leave feeling so much better than when they got there. A concert is a cathartic experience: next time you go to a concert, let the music flow in to you, and realize that the music is helping you through whatever you’re going through. It’s masked by having a good time and swaying to the beat with your friends and smiling and laughing, but that’s what’s making you happy.