'the masters paid off' - my passion for singing

I had to redo this because I thought this was 1000 words instead of characters. :( help will be appreciated!! thanks in advance!!

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below (1000 character maximum).

The king of pop himself, Michael Jackson, once stated, "The greatest education in the world is watching the masters at work."

Music was always a big part of my life. My mother, a vocal performance major, started training me in piano at a young age. As time passed however, I noticed that my passion for singing was much greater than that for piano. Refusing to let her own daughter go down the harsh road of a musician, my mother continued to deny my request for lessons. Determined to satisfy my craving for vocal training, I turned to television and the internet for help. I carefully observed each singer that performed and picked up the techniques necessary to develop my own style. Eventually, observing the "masters" paid off and I was fortunate enough to become the lead vocalist for a church band, perform in many benefit concerts, and even gain my parent's support. I was able to realize that self-discipline and determination can be the foundation for accomplishing what you really want.

Very well written, I enjoyed it. Nice story arc in such a short space, there's really not much I would change. Maybe work the quote in somewhere in the middle, rather than at the opening? I've always heard it's better to start with your own words, and use someone else's to back you up. For nit-picky grammar issues...

Music has always been a big part of my life.

My mother, a vocal performance major, started training me in piano at age ___?(unless it's really not that young of an age, in which case keep it vague)

...my mother continued to deny my request for lessons. (You haven't established that you had asked for lessons, so how can she continue to deny? So maybe something like "my mother refused all my requests for vocal lessons" or something like that)

...perform in multiple benefit concerts,

Those are about all the things I would change, and that's really just me. If you think it sounds better the first way, feel free to keep it.

Thank you for your help!!