Therapy

With all of the added stress of school this semester and no breaks to be able to stop and breathe, it is important to have an outlet to relieve this built up stress. One of my favorite activities to do when I am stressed and or feeling anxious is to play piano. I have been playing the piano since I was nine. My mom put me in lessons and I didn’t really know what to expect. For a while, I really enjoyed playing. However, as I got older and continued to live a busier life, I found it hard to find the time to practice. There was a period of a few years where I wanted to quit because I didn’t think I was good or where I just was tired of playing and wanted the time that I spent practicing to be doing something else. My mom wouldn’t let me quit though. So, I kept playing and I played all of the way up until the end of my senior year of high school. When I was looking at where to go to college, I made the decision to minor in music. I auditioned at Wittenberg University for vocal music as well as piano. I received scholarships for both, however, I decided to choose voice because I had never had any professional experience or training in that department and wanted to try something new. It was okay and I definitely learned from the experience. However, I wish that I would have continued to play the piano. I ended up transferring to Ohio Northern my freshman year of college and didn’t ever pick music back up, which was hard on me because I have played piano and sang my entire life. My parents ended up getting me a keyboard for Christmas and now I play it all of the time when I am at school. Whenever I used to get stressed out in high school and whenever I get stressed out now, I play piano. I think I really enjoy it more so now than ever because I can choose what I want to play. It isn’t all classical music. I love finding songs that I really like and I learn the chords so I can sing and play along. It is fun to try to come up with my own way of playing the chords in a way that may be different from the original. It is my creative outlet that helps bring me back down to earth in the times that I need it the most. I guess I should thank my mom for never letting me quit taking piano lessons because the skill that I have now is priceless.