Here is my short essay for CU Boulder.
Growing up, I was very lucky in the fact that I had many influential people involved my life that I could look up to. If I had to pick just one person that had the biggest effect on me out of all the people that have influenced me, I would pick my piano teacher, Mr. English. I started taking lessons from him when I was 7, and right away I could tell that he wasn't going to treat me like I was a cute little girl who needed coddling. From day one, he related to me as if I was an adult, capable of working hard, forming my own opinions about music, and meeting his expectations. Many of the things he taught me during piano lessons translated into everyday life, even if I didn't realize it at the time. When I would whine about having to play scales, he would say "Well, sometimes in life you just have to suck it up and do things that you don't want to do." Thanks to Mr. English, I can handle stressful situations with a smile, both in performance and in life. Mr. English has had a huge effect on my life, and is the reason why I want to be a piano teacher. I just hope that I can be just as important in my future students lives as he is in mine.
Thanks in advance for any comments!
