"Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?"
Hearing the melodious music flowing from its body and feeling the light weight of the keys under my fingers, I continued to play music that I have grown to love. Playing the piano has always been something that I took pleasure in. As a child, my parents encouraged me to pursue an activity that I would enjoy and continue with as a grew older. Learning the piano became my first choice. Its exquisite appearance and the distinct and pleasant sound it produced immediately drew me in. Even when I was young, I wondered how such an object could produce an enveloping sound that brought about feelings of ecstasy and yet, still be capable of breaking a heart. In my young and innocent eyes, the piano was simply perfection. Soon enough, I began to take private lessons from a teacher, who introduced me into the world of music. It became a large part of my life, that for a period of time, I considered making it my career. However, due to circumstances, such as my move across the world, and the subsequent events, I was forced to cut my studies short and eventually stopped playing the piano.
Years passed, but my feelings never changed. Whenever I heard music playing, I would imagine my own fingers creating it. The distinct sound of the melody supported by the deep bass still had a significant effect on me. When I finally had the chance to continue my studies, I jumped at the first available opportunity. However, many years had already passed and I was forced to start from the beginning and relearn mostly everything. One thing that I was thankful for was that I did not completely abandon music for I learned how to play the violin, which kept my mind fresh and enabled me to understand music notation. Despite the long and difficult road that laid ahead of me, I did not let my positive attitude falter. In my opinion, it did not matter whether I was a beginner student or an advanced student because the main reason I played the piano was for my own enjoyment. It was something that I was proud of, not due to my skill level because honestly, those trained 6 year-old piano players most likely play more complex pieces than I do, but instead as a way to relax. I play during my free time, or whenever I get too stressed about school. This instrument became something to turn to when schoolwork or other problems were too much. Just playing a simple song definitely helped me feel better, and nothing was more marvelous than the feeling of accomplishment that overcomes me whenever I learned a new piece.
Although I never became the concert pianist I dreamed of as a child, I did not let that deter me. I continued my lessons and I was involved in several piano recitals and performances. I even took part in the annual piano certification of merit tests in my area. This was my way to make my parents proud but more importantly, it was also an effort to prove to myself that I was actually successful in fulfilling my dream of learning to play the piano. This certainly made me feel like a better person because it instilled the trait of persistence and patience. By knowing that not everything can be perfect at first try, I learned not to be too hard on myself. Instead, just rise up, keep my chin high, and try again. Even though my dream did not play out the way I intended it to as a child, it was by no means, a failure. I merely took a different route in life, and it has taught me to dream big because no matter what happens, everything will eventually come together and work itself out.
I would appreciate any comments and suggestions. Please and thanks!
You have an excellent story! This paper is well-written, and the words flow nicely. I cannot find any obvious grammatical errors. I would suggest this: "tie in" your story with the short-term and long-term goals of your life. You don't need to write a lot about that, but the college wants to know that you have a plan for life (and your discipline with the piano is a great quality!)
