Harvard University

When I was three, my mother started me in piano lessons. While I may not have appreciated it at the beginning, the fourteen years of lessons and consistent, hour-a-day practicing that followed has made music an integral part of my identity, something I can’t imagine living without. I’ve played in state competitions, sung in state choirs, and even helped direct youth choir groups. I’ve seen a third-grade girl I mentored hit every note in a performance. While playing piano on vacation, I’ve cried openly with a total stranger after learning that her father continued to play for her even after…