I am a self-taught pianist.

Since age 10, I have played for benefit concerts and school choirs, and now I play for the Torrey
Pines Jazz Band. I started my own YouTube channel to spread the music I play, and I continue to
dedicate my time each day to practicing piano. My passion for piano started as a personal
project, but has developed into an extension of my personality.
Learning piano was a personal choice, so I refused to let my parents dictate what I played, or
worse yet provide me a teacher to watch over my shoulder. As a self-taught pianist<- redundant, I
took the first step in making piano a part of my own personality by selecting the music I played.
Uncharacteristic of my peers<- sounds like youre describing peers, not yourself, the pieces I
learn and treasure are not of classical merit. Sonatas and Etudes were touched upon, but my
piano bench contained music books ranging from jazz icons Gershwin and Joplin to soundtracks
of movies and games.
During high school, I joined the jazz band where I was introduced to the technique of
improvisation. Improvisation opened a whole new aspect of piano that required creativity,
confidence, and an understanding of theory. I applied it to the music I played at home, and I
eventually was able to learn songs with an ease and swiftness I had not thought possible.
Yet through all the training I underwent, I always felt most attracted to the music of YouTube
pianists like Animenz and Ru0o0ka they took soundtracks from popular games and anime, and
added classical or jazz elements to the songs. The music they played was wholly original, and
with these pianists in mind, I strived to establish my own style of piano playing, and I wished to
share that music through my own YouTube channel.
I know how to capture the essence of a song, improvising ways to fill in the gaps missed through
sight reading. With this combination, I am able to play songs with the main melody but with
additions of my own.
This is my own style of playing.
Sitting on my piano bench, with my left hand naturally falling onto a C major chord with 9 and
13 extension, and right hand attacking the piano with the fervor to compose and create, I fully
comprehend the extent to which I rely on the piano: for meditation, for expression, for release.
Any depression I face is washed away by the music resounding from the polished black frame of
the Grand. Any joy is bolstered by uplifting tunes and jazzy rhythms. And any boredom is cured
by the eventful task of composing and practicing.
Piano playing is an expression of my true self. I am proud that I have stuck to my musical
interests and have not let others influence how or what I play, and. it offers me a level of
introspective comfort, knowing that the music I play is a product of my creation and design.
Through my YouTube channel and through any performances I may hold, I hope to inspire others
to pursue music in the hopes that they too can find their own form of expression.