Dear Mr T,

I am writing to tell you that even though you told me I wasn’t good enough, I did it.

I started playing the piano when I was 7 years old. I was never very good but I kept trying and progressed through the grades. My main problem, as usual, I am lazy. I was too lazy to do much practice. But I had perfect pitch and a good sense of rhythm. I could, and still can, hear a tune once and then play it on the piano.

When I was 16, I was teased at ballet for being fat. I wasn’t fat, but I wasn’t super slim like the others. I danced because I enjoyed it, I didn’t want to be a professional. It knocked my confidence and I gave up. Instead I decided to learn the saxophone. Within 2 years I had passed Grade 8.

I wanted to do music GCSE but you told me I wasn’t good enough. I ignored you, took the GCSE and got an A grade. You told me I wasn’t good enough to go on and do music A-level. You were the teacher, you wore me down, I didn’t take it. I flunked my other A-levels.

When I was 17, I auditioned on the saxophone and was accepted into a band at the local Saturday music school. I progressed at a very fast rate and spent several weekends performing at various locations in London in a successful saxophone quartet. We were good. I even travelled to Cornwall to have some saxophone lessons with a famous saxophonist and composer (he wrote the theme music to the tv programme Silent Witness 🙂 )

I decided to take and gap year and study for my music A-level in one year instead of two at the local sixth form. In that year I passed the music A-level with a grade B. I wished I had never listened to you. I was accepeted into University to study a teaching degree with a specialism in music.

During my degree I excelled at musical composition and had extra lessons with a well known composer. I had the world premiere (sounds posh but that’s what they call the first performance of a new composition!) of my work in London. I passed my degree with a 2:1, scoring a 1st for my music composition element.

So Mr T, I have been wanting to tell you for a long time that you were wrong. I was good enough and I have gone on to achieve a lot with my musical talent. I am proud of myself, I didn’t give up when you told me to. I did it.

This post was written as part of the writing workshop hosted by Josie at Sleep is for the Weak using the prompt ‘Tell us about something, or show us something that you do really, really well and are proud of.’