My name is DeShawn Thompson and I’ve been playing the violin for my school's orchestra for eight years now. I have always had a love for music, so when I got to the sixth grade I knew that I wanted to learn how to play some kind of instrument. My only musical “experience” prior to then was playing the recorder in elementary school. During that first week of school in sixth grade my class along with several others were given a tour/showcase of each of the fine arts my middle school had to offer. There was a chorus, band, and orchestra. The first one we went to was the band room and I really enjoyed listening to the director play the saxophone and percussion instruments. I had no preference going into this process, but after the demonstration, the band was at the top of my list. I really wanted to play the saxophone because I loved listening to jazz music. The second room we went to was the orchestra and that's where I fell in love. Mrs. Craft played multiple modern songs and some classical pieces on her violin and cello and they resonated with me deeply. I was immediately drawn to the cello because of the unique, rich, and deep tone it gave off. Unfortunately, my class was never able to go to the chorus room for behavior issues, but I had seen enough and was ready to make my choice. Due to my asthma, my saxophone dreams were sadly knocked out of contention. But I was happy and excited to choose the orchestra where I would get to learn a new instrument. In the sixth grade I was around 4’11, which was too short for the cello, so I opted for the violin instead. I named him Kevin and we’ve been together ever since. I’ve gotten to play hundreds of pieces and perform dozens of times throughout middle school, high school, and now continuing into college playing with UGA’s philharmonic orchestra. Music is a large part of who I am so without it I don’t know where I would be today.