I feel the air move through my body to be pushed gently through my flute and I feel my fingers moving swiftly over the keys. I can feel myself sway to the delightful and melodious tones that drift around me and the others in the room. As I continue playing, I get lost. I get lost in a wonderful maze that is full of so many different emotions. The happiness and joy at the beginning of the piece is obvious because of the brightness of the music. This strain is filled with lots of harmonies and beautiful major chords. Then, in next strain, the music is still happy but the sense of confusion is clearly evident in the minor chords that are now present. Then almost suddenly, it is very dark and mysterious. The music is not disharmonic, but the sadness really comes through in the low tones that are played with lots of warm air. After that, the sadness and confusion slowly clear up and lead to a kind of happiness that can only come from understanding the darkness. In a way, this piece of music, this work of art represents life. It starts with innocence, then moves on to the introduction of knowledge and awakening and after that it leads to acceptance and understanding of what the real world is like.

Every person I have ever known has gone through these stages in life, including me. Especially me. I have gone through so much in the few short years that I have been alive. I have had to move many times and I have lost a lot of people. There have been many changes in my life and even in the little things I move through these stages. Innocence is always at the beginning and then you start learning. You can struggle, that is a natural thing. Nobody is perfect at everything the first time they try it. After that, you become better at it and even if you do not like the task, you accept it for what it truly is.

The thing that gets me through every time I struggle is music. Music has the ability to calm and focus me. It gives me strength when I am weak and it can bring me down from the peak of despair. My music really is my lifeline. It is my personal guide through life. In tough times, I like to think of Beethoven and his struggles in life and then I think of his symphonies that are so wonderfully amazing that they just fill you with amazement and wonder. When I get sad, I may listen to some jazz instrumentalists like Billie Holiday and sometimes even Ornette Coleman. They are so sad but they make me feel like somebody is commiserating with me and then I do not feel so alone in life. When I get happy, I love to listen to any kind of music or even play some music on my flute. Music invokes so many emotions and so when I get lost in life, I use music to center myself. I would love to continue with music in my life. I want to grow and learn and experience all that there is in music and that is what I will do for the rest of my life.