A patient highschooler led me around the huge orchestra room as I tried to find my fit. When I saw the endless racks of cellos, I was hooked by the flaming patterns on the back and deep, rich browns of the scrolls. The weight of the bigger cello bow was perfect and my hand fit perfectly around the neck and fingerboard. I fell in love right there, and my love has only grown in the past six years. Playing the cello has changed my life.
I’ve met so many people and learned so much. Classical music is delicate and violent, and those who perform it channel that and are the catalysts for every emotion it encompasses. The dedication of my peers inspires me to push, practice, and improve my playing. There are so many brilliant prodigies, but everyone can appreciate the art of music and learn how to be amazing. The history of music, composers, and instruments really started to interest me as I began my freshman year. Music theory is complex-chords and scales seem simple on the surface, but took me a long year to fully understand.
I slowly began to memorize the major and minor keys, diminutive chords, and key German and Italian words used by composers decades and centuries before that brought the music to life. Understanding all that went into the creation of music brought a new light to my playing. Every bow stroke between the strings, almost being able to feel the rosin catch in between the titanium wrapped strings to vibrate them and eventually hearing the rich wave of sound flowing out had a new light.
Leaning into crescendos and swaying back into grounding diminuendos connected my cello and I, and brought my voice out in a new way. Being able to effectively bring out the most in a piece renewed my love and pushed me further into the world of music. My opportunities and development in the orchestra have made my life exponentially better in countless ways.
