Choosing to Stay: The Unexpected Rewards of Persevering

My name is Dylan, and I am the president of Mementos Music Group.

I started playing Cello during COVID. The asynchronous nature during this time created a chaotic environment; however, playing piano and cello ensured my schedule had a structure, and provided me with the stability needed to manage and understand how my time was being spent. Although it’s been a few years since COVID, the time management techniques I learned during this time still continue to benefit me. 

The past year has been more harsh for me than COVID. I couldn’t help but feel a slowly widening gap between the technical ability of my friends and I. On top of that, as my left fingers approached the high notes of the fingerboard, I couldn’t help but notice a lack of clarity and precision.  

My harsh judgment caused me to anchor my playing towards measuring my quality of playing, rather than enjoying the music itself. Matter of fact, my blindness only caused me to perform worse and worse, making me feel discouraged.

I couldn’t grasp why I decided to continue for so much time, especially since I had heavy resistance. At this point, why not quit Cello? It’s not like I care about improving anymore.

This question plagued me for days, weeks, months. It wouldn’t let me go during school, tests, or when I was relaxing.

These moments forced me to reflect on my relationship with music over the years, and helped me realize my frustration wasn’t really about the Cello itself, but about how I quantified my progress and purpose. By the end of this, you will have a better understanding of the rationale I used to push through these hardships, and realize the positive effects of endurance.

I first thought of Cello as a “time suck.” I spend more than 4 hours on this a week– I could be doing something more “productive.” I could barely keep up with school as I was frequently leaving school and sometimes the state to go to debate tournaments for several weekends. I would come back drained, tired from arguing for several hours at the top of my lungs. And, I was supposed to go back the very next day to school and score good grades on several tests and quizzes.

But, is playing the Cello really a time suck? I’ve devoted 5.5 years on Cello. Will those 4 hours I get in the short term really outweigh the potential regret of not continuing to push through till the end of High School? I only have two more years.

A few weeks after I contemplated quitting, I performed for my school. There were upwards of 1,000 people during my performance. Seeing how touched people were was breathtaking, and, frankly, I probably wouldn’t have had this opportunity if I quit Cello. 

At this point, the purpose I had for playing Cello changed; it was now about helping people enjoy the environment they are in. I was able to anchor my passion towards enjoying the music.

Whether you’re a musician or somebody with a deep passion for a subject, I hope this post made it clear why you should continue to pursue something.