Viola

Although I started playing the violin in fourth grade, I switched to the viola in ninth. I was changing music teachers to one who was already teaching my younger brother (we're three years apart). The teacher told me that he didn't want two brothers playing the same instrument because we'd become too competitive. I was devastated; everyone I knew played violin and no one played the viola. Nevertheless, I was persuaded to switch and realized the teacher was right; my brother would have been way better than me on the violin.

I played in orchestras for almost half my life (about 10 years). I remember flying to Sacramento at the end of high school for a music thing. One of my friends was a cellist and had to buy an additional plane ticket for his instrument. The name listed on the plane ticket was "Cello Cello." That flight was soon after 9/11 and I was "randomly" chosen for a check at the gate (they've since stopped doing that). I was forced to open my umbrella and drink from a bottle of water I was carrying. Then they had me open my viola case, take out my viola, and show them that it was hollow inside. I wouldn't have been surprised if they wanted to hear me play something. But since then, I haven't really had any run-ins with airport security.