I remember that it was a fall morning when the orchestra teachers came into Miss Newell's third-grade classroom. “You have hands for the viola (中提琴),” Miss Ciano told me. I was excited because my hands were finally good for something. I told my parents I wanted to play, and naturally, they agreed.
Since I first touched the viola, I haven't been able to put it down. Ignoring the difficulty, I am pulled closer to it each day.
Classical music is truly my best friend. It is the trusted friend of every man, woman and child. Various feelings are expressed in classical music. I discovered that when I was eleven and played a Bach cello concerto (大提琴协奏曲) in a competition, the first movement was joyful, but the second movement was mysterious and full of pain. From that piece, I learned that music expressed not only feelings, but also sudden mood changes. By listening to classical music, I know that someone else share these feelings. Since I am lucky enough to be able to play classical music, I am comforted when I am upset. It gives me a way to escape from my problems for a short period. Classical music can express my joy, sadness and anger.
Now look at that fall day and think how gullible I was for believing that anyone, even music teachers, could tell if hands were perfect for a certain instrument. I'm certain they told me I had “viola hands” not because they were fortune-teller, but because there was a lack of violists in our district. Classical music is one of the best things that ever happened to mankind. If you get introduced to it in the right way, it will become your friend for life.
