Artist Statement:

It was Labor Day. My family went to a Staten Island park to visit some friends during the pandemic. We were packing up and as I went to look for my siblings, I spotted something orange in the grass. I nearly stepped on it. When I looked down, I realized it was a monarch butterfly. I was puzzled why it could not fly; and I realized that it was missing the top right portion of its wing. I was worried that it was not going to survive in the cold weather. I decided to take care of it and nurse it back to health. Riley bonded with me immediately. I would place her on my shoulder while taking a stroll outside. I tried bringing fresh flowers for her to climb on. I tried feeding her Gatorade every time, but she always preferred warm honey water. I usually let her wander around the house in the mornings before my class begins and take her out as much as possible before the weather turns cold. Riley always made attempts to fly even though she was missing part of her wing. Even though she could not fly she never stopped trying. Her resilience inspired me to make a song about her. I remember I was inspired by my music teacher in second grade for playing the piano during music class. During my third-grade summer break, I got a chance to play piano at one of my grandma’s friend’s house. She asked me if I wanted to learn to play piano, and she introduced me to my piano teacher. Not long after I learned to play piano, my teacher discovers that I have perfect pitch and good memories of music. I could easily recall songs that I listened to and play it on piano relying on memory. I have been learning the piano since third grade up till the beginning of the pandemic. All these years , the technical skills that I learned has helped me to compose my own music starting in my junior year. My family encourages me to create my own Youtube channel to share my music with others. I started my own Youtube music channel during my senior year. I really enjoy sharing my music passion with other people.