Music Is a Blessing

by HuiYing Stradiot

When I was four years old, my mom heard about a demonstration that The Music Settlement was hosting—all the teachers would come and play their instruments and kids could come and ask their questions. That was when I decided that cello was the instrument for me. That was also when I met Rachel Bernstein. I really enjoyed being with her and she became my cello teacher.

The Music Settlement is unique in the way it teaches people how to understand music. Students start by just listening. That’s where it all begins. Just the fact that you’re listening and you’re retaining—it’s a huge part of it. After the Listening Stage, you learn about the instrument. You learn to respect it and to love it, and you go from there. That is how The Music Settlement trains their musicians to love music rather than making it something you have to do. This makes a big difference.

Music means a lot to me. It has always been there for me. It’s been something consistent, and it’s something that I can rely on.

Learning to play an instrument taught me about dedication and consistency. Music pushes you to keep going. It’s consistent and it’s hard work. My teacher, Ms. Rachel, constantly pushed me. She knew my capabilities. She would always say, “Okay, that was good, but it needs to be better and here’s how we get it there.” She taught me that music can be more to me than just something I play. It can be something I give as a gift. It can be something that blesses others. It can be something that helps me relax.

Once, when I was babysitting my younger siblings, they spilled their drinks all over the family computer. I started to panic, thinking, Oh my goodness, my parents are going to freak out. We’re going to be in so much trouble. Then I remembered Ms. Rachel teaching me that when I’m nervous, when I’m freaking out, to pick up my cello and play something. It can be the most random thing—just play whatever you want. And I thought, Okay, I’ll give that a shot.

I picked up my cello and started to play. Within a minute, I was completely relaxed and everyone calmed down. We knew we were still probably getting in trouble, but we were no longer anxious and we were no longer freaking out. That event changed the entire dynamic of how I related to music.

When I was graduating high school, my senior thesis was about music and the brain and it all stemmed from my background with the cello. Every story I had in that thesis was about how anxiety and stress can be resolved by playing music, whether it’s “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” or a sonata. Music can play such a pivotal role in learning to cope with different anxieties, different stressors, and simply living life. It is something you can fall back on that takes you to a whole other place, and it’s very relaxing.

Music also opened many different doors of opportunity. I was able to participate in the Contemporary Youth Orchestra, where I played with many, many excellent musicians in an orchestra—which is a whole other way of learning music. Learning to play with a hundred other students is very different from playing by myself or with a few other people.

I also had the opportunity to go to Chicago and become certified to teach Book One of Suzuki. I admired and respected Ms. Rachel immensely, and I thought, Oh! I might like to be a teacher as well. When I was old enough, I went to Chicago and earned my certification. I like being a teacher because I get to impact someone on a very fundamental level. I hope to keep getting further certifications in more Suzuki books, because for me, teaching music is a gift I can give to others.

I also played in a trio with some friends for a few years. Playing in the trio might have been the most enjoyable moments of my musical career. In an orchestra, it’s amazing because everyone comes together to create something spectacular, but in a trio or a quartet, you form a closer bond. You get to come together and give your own input and thoughts, and then when you perform, that adds to the atmosphere that working together is already cultivating.

Music is extremely enjoyable for me because you reach a point where you can just pick something up and play it. That’s the big obstacle for any musician: first you have to learn about music, and then you have to try to play the music. And it doesn’t sound great at the beginning.

That’s just how life is.

You need to get over the obstacle of, ‘Okay, it doesn’t feel like I’m making progress. I don’t really want to do this.’ If anyone tells you it’s easy, they’re lying. It’s not. Learning to play music is very difficult. But once you get past a certain point, you reach the place where you can play whatever you want. It’s fun, it’s enjoyable, and that’s where my friends and I were able to be in that trio. We could pick up whatever we wanted and have fun as a group.

When you come to The Music Settlement, you know that you’re going to get a serious musical education and that you are going to walk away with the ability to understand, to be able to play, and to be able to bless others with your music.

Share Your Music Story

We all need stories that move us. To help others recall their own stories and inspire them to share those stories. We need stories to invite others into our community of people transformed by the power of music. What is your music story? How has music changed you?

Share Your Music Story