My Music Career

I was raised by a single mother who taught me that the only way to make a living was to work a formal job. My mother was a staunch opponent of extracurricular activities and a staunch supporter of education. As a kid, I was so focused on doing well in school and achieving my mother's goal of working for one of the country's top companies. After finishing high school, I enrolled in college, where my life took a turn for the better. I met a group of friends in college who later introduced me to football. I shifted my focus from academics to field events as a result of peer pressure. Although mom still had reservations about the game, she was forced to accept the circumstances as most of my friend were team members. Consequently, mum came to love football with time. Indeed, from time to time she could turn up at the field and watch a live game. Lucky enough, I was among the best players in the team and rarely did I disappoint.
During my second year in college, I started realizing that I had a special interest and possible potential in music. As time moved on, I felt the urge to quit football and join music, but I had no idea where to start. Moreover, could not even imagine mum’s reaction on receiving such information. After a year of internal conflicts, I decided to try music. The first step was to establish friendship with a group of students who were well known as musicians in the college, trending under the tag “The Sharks”. The initial reception was not the best, but indeed heartbreaking. In more than one occasion, I was ignored by ‘The Sharks’ members and told to stick to football. The feeling was disapproving, but I still had the desire to continue. The next step I decided to take was to approach college music teacher.
It was on Friday afternoon, when I was to meet the music teacher. Mrs Coon was known as one of the most welcoming and exciting teachers in the college everyone would like to associate with. On this day, I felt nervous as I approached her office, knowing that she was my last hope in joining music. In the previous night, I had spent a couple of hours practicing and reciting one of my favorite songs, just in case she demanded I present one. After a cordial welcome in her office, she lowered her glasses and looked at me. For about a minute, there was a moment of silence between us as if something bad has just happened. Mrs Coon was first to speak, only to say that she was aware of my perfect performance in the field. There was no further discussion between us, as Mrs Coon insisted that I was too good in football to try music. I went home frustrated but decided not to give up.
Three weeks down the line, I met Cate, a young music artist who had just joined the college. After narrating my story, Cate accepted to offer support to kick-start my music life. Considering the fact that I had no instrument, I could use her guitar to practice as she played the piano. I was so dedicated and interested in music to the point that I could spend all my free time practicing. In fact, I still remember that night my mum found Cate’s guitar hidden in my wardrobe and I could not explain. After continued practice, my attention started to shift from football to music. Despite being the team captain, I could miss a number of sessions, a state that made the coach very furious. My friends were also not that kind to me as they could repeatedly remind me that I was a footballer and not a musician. However, despite the intense criticism, I was still focused on giving music a try. Cate support was instrumental, and the more the condemnation intensified the harder I trained.
My first attempt to perform in public surprised everyone. I learnt about a function that would be held in community social hall, and upcoming artists were encouraged to perform. Consequently, I forwarded my formal request to perform. The initial idea was to sing together with Cate but decided to go all alone. On the event day, most of the performers did exceptionally well and set the mood. After my turn came, I felt like I would not be in a position to perform but Cate encouraged me not to give up. On pulling to the hall dais, the first thing to note was my mum, Mrs Coon, and all my football team members in attendance. Looking at the audience I virtually heard all these people telling me to stick to football. As a started playing my guitar, a shiver run through my spine but looking at Cate, she had that facial expression insisting I go on. As I began singing, I just closed my eyes and focused on performing. On completion, the hall broke into celebrations, everyone clapping and cheering. No one could believe I was that good in music and this was the start of my music career life.