Ariana Barrios

“I really don’t think I would be the person I am today without music. I started playing violin when I was three, so I’ve been playing now for thirteen or fourteen years. When I was younger, Songcatchers was really my second home. My house wasn’t really the nicest place to be, so I would come here almost every day for a different instrument. I remember I had Sister Beth as a teacher when I was little. She was probably the kindest person you’d meet. It didn’t matter what you did. You could have played the scratchiest E on the violin and she would have still called it beautiful. As a teacher now, I try my best to be like her. I don’t force my kids to do something they don’t want to do. I’ll try to find songs that fit them and understand them because they are people, too. I love to teach because it helps me grow along with my kids. Seeing my students improve makes me want to improve for them. I used to not like to read music, for example, but when I became a teacher, I realized that I had to get better at it to help my students learn. Now, in college, I want to study to become a music teacher. I seriously don’t think I could ever stop playing. ” - Ariana Barrios