She was forced as a young girl to play the piano. Given no choice, she had to start practicing at the age of eight, because of her parents. Freshman Lydia Mun now plays the piano for her church and for the praise team there. Along playing the piano, she also plays the violin and the flute. Mun says that being able to play these instruments makes her feel more unique.

“Playing these instruments helped me, because it makes me feel a bit different,” Mun said. “Many people in Southport are talented, and me playing these instruments make me feel a little talented too.”

Mun had a teacher named Irina Gorin for two years. Because of her, Mun says that she has learned a lot of what she knows about piano. She used to play two to three hours a day, however she only plays for an hour and a half stopped around the 8th grade due to simply not having time. She says playing the piano the first time was very difficult. She really didn’t like it at first, and she felt like quitting after a few days. However, as time went by, she started to develop an interest in playing the piano. She saw young students play at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and saw a boy named Oliver Shou. Mun doesn’t believe that she will be able to play like him, but she has the passion to play music just like him. With all the obstacles she faced such as wanting to just quit, Mun didn’t give up, she kept trying. She believes now, she’s really good at playing the piano and no longer stresses about her performance. Mun thought about majoring and having a job in piano, but she realized how silly that dream was. Mun believes there are too many people out there who are much better than her.

Another instrument Mun can play is the flute. She started playing the flute in sixth grade. To her, flute is not as important as piano, but she still loves it. She plans to keep on practicing it at home, but not during band class. Violin is another instrument that Mun loves playing, but it does not top piano. She then started playing the violin just last year. Her reason for playing the violin is her love of stringed instruments. She thinks the violin is beautiful and graceful and that was just a few of her many reasons to start playing it. Although it is difficult, she still loves to play it about an hour a day.

With juggling piano, violin, and flute, Mun is planning to play the cello and guitar soon. She believes that people should do something they want. Facing all the hardships, but not giving up will not make them regret it in the end.

“Do what you want to do,” Mun said. “If you do something you do not like to do, it will be very, very difficult to do because you may not have the will to do it. Once you find something you love, do it! It won’t be easy, but you won’t regret it.”