[Music]
music has been important to me in my
life because I love music so much and
it's sort of like another language to me
that I can express myself through
[Music]
I'm really here because of music in the
schools
I started playing cello when I was a
fourth grade and I can remember very
clearly some teachers walking into my
classroom with a violin a cello and a
double bass and I thought what is this
if it hadn't been for you know this
opportunity in my public school I really
would not be the musician and person
that I am today school helps me because
it helps me to learn new instruments and
new musical techniques and it's a way to
also interact with other classmates
because it doesn't just help me but it
also helps other kids in my school and
especially because you get to form new
relationships and bond with other
musicians as well
[Music]
musicians were always working together
in groups where we're always making
music together and how we make music
together really shapes who we are as
people it becomes a really core part of
our identity and I can really think of
those early years in my school as being
essential to creating the person that I
am today I'd like to ask you how does it
feel differently when your voice is
surrounded by the voices of your
classmates and your friend I think it's
had a great influence after all I've
taken what I've learned at PS 11 and I
enhance it here and it not only allows
me to write my music and enjoy it for
myself and I get to perform it and have
other people hear and experience the
same joy as either
[Music]
[Applause]