I sat at my desk brainstorming which direction to go in composing my first beat. I had discovered a new program called FL Studio - an audio workstation that allows amateurs to produce music - and I was hooked. My fingers were tapping, adding an imaginary drum stem to the composition. I worked tirelessly, playing with the infinite choices of instruments to create melodies. I settled on the piano and started to play. As I added drums to the beat pattern, I realized how much I enjoyed this newfound pastime. The instrument stems started coming together like a confluence of streams merging into a single, harmoniously melodic river.
That was the very first time I had ever tried to compose a song. Prior to that moment in freshman year, I was just a connoisseur on various kinds of music. Composing and producing offered a completely different form of expression; I was finally able to place myself in the shoes of the artists that I admired - I could make my own music. This went on to become a hobby that I invested much of my free time in - a creative outlet amidst studying, activities, and family time.
When composing and producing, I often put many hours and weeks of time and effort into just one song. One could say I am quite the perfectionist since I do everything possible to make my vision of a song complete. Once I reach that vision, I work even further to perfect the song because of how passionate I am about my music. After producing for a year or so, this work ethic started to influence other areas of my life, such as schoolwork.
This became especially true in the middle of sophomore year when I realized how vital it is to succeed it in school. I realized I have control of my own life's soundtrack. In large part, I have control over whether this