LANA

When I tell people I am the oldest of 7 kids, I usually leave out the part where we all have played classical instruments since we were in kindergarten. This part of my life was so ingrained in who I was, that it would have been like telling strangers what I had for dinner every day of the week. But I have learned that there is so much more to growing up with music that as a child I was not fully able to realize.

I started playing piano when I was 4 and continued to finish all 10 Suzuki piano levels by age 16. I studied under master teachers while attending the George Washington University in Washington, DC. I graduated with my Bachelor’s of Arts in History cum laude in 3 years, and accepted a position as a kindergarten teacher in San Antonio, with Teach for America. My experience teaching piano under my mother’s tutelage served as the foundation for my passion for education in the public school classroom, and I couldn’t help but open a little piano studio of my own here in San Antonio.

My journey into music education has definitely not been conventional, and is nothing like my mother’s.  But I cannot imagine doing it another way, and would love for others to see a different perspective- one that lets you do everything. I’ve always been a “jack of all trades” person, finding something I’m passionate about in everything I do. It made choosing a major and a career extremely exhausting for me, and looking back I’m grateful the decision for me to study piano was made for me.

I am currently pursuing a degree in Biochemistry and applying to medical school, so I can imagine the confusion as to why I would be blogging about my experiences with music. “Why bother with music if you’re not going into it for your career?” Well ain’t that the question of the year. As a teenager I would berate my mother for having me spend so much time practicing when I “knew” that I wanted to be a diplomat when I grew up.

Even though my love of science and math had yet to present itself and inform my actual career decision, my point still stood. Why music? Why so structured and “intense”? It took a good deal of reflection, introspection, and maturing for me to realize the benefits of studying music throughout my formative years, and believe me when I say that I would not be where I am today without it. This blog will detail the impact music has had on my life, and illustrate the less conventional paths on which music can take your life.