For some people, a spark for their passion can start with a moment: a point in time when something speaks to the soul. For Monroe Cranston, that moment was when a guest musician played “Carnival of the Animals” on the viola in elementary school.

​Monroe remembers like it was yesterday — white walls, new floors,  sitting crisscross applesauce. That’s when a man came up to the stage and played the song. That single moment lit a flame for her passion. Monroe describes the performance in a singular word: “marvelous.”  

​Monroe Cranston, a 9th grader at Eastern High School, continues her passion for viola in her school’s orchestra. She’s passionate about performing for a crowd, and the spark always comes back to one moment: the faithful moment when the mysterious man played.

“I wish I knew who that man was — he encouraged me to go far and beyond with my instrument,” Monroe said. “I hope this message goes out to him in some way.”

​Through her journey into loving her instrument, many teachers supported her in keeping the aspirations alive. One teacher in particular stuck out to her: Mrs. Howard.

​“Her class was just absolutely amazing. If you don’t even know how to play an instrument, she will teach you from the bottom up,” Monroe said. “And she is so inspiring, too.”

​The spark that drives us towards our passion begins small and grows into something much greater. For Monroe, it was a musician they saw in elementary school. For others, it could be being introduced to an instrument at a young age, which was the moment for Daniel Ernest,  a Sophomore at a male high school.

Daniel describes the drums as a part of himself, and this connection with music  just  “clicked” for him.

When an elementary teacher introduced him to the steel pan.

“Since when I was in elementary school, my teacher got me into steel pants,” Daniel said,  “and that kind of started on.”

This opened up the realm of music and drumming. His brother, who briefly played bass drums for a year and played timpani for three years, introduced him to the world of Marching band, and he followed in similar footsteps his freshman year by joining, where he gained friends who supported him even when he had hard times.

“There was a senior last year. I didn’t really remember.” Daniel said  I didn’t really acknowledge him, but he’s been one of the biggest things that’s been keeping me through a marching band this year.”

Daniel describes this mysterious senior  as “the best person that’s ever been in a band,” and getting to perform alongside him has pushed him forward with his dreams and aspirations for the future.

One of Daniel’s biggest goals with the drums is to become a part of DCI, an organisation that holds huge competitions and performances.

Even though he’s not there yet, he has big passions and  bubbly ambitions, and continues to thrive in the marching band and the Louisville orchestra.

Sparks for what we love don’t start out of nowhere; there comes a moment, a specific time, place, or period in our lives that introduces us to the stepping stones of our dreams. For Monroe and Daniel, it was a moment when they were young, being introduced to an instrument; for others, who knows? It could be a song playing on the radio that introduces someone to singing, watching a good play that inspires someone to become an actor, or reading a good book that inspires someone  to be an author. The possibilities are endless, and moments are precious, so live in the moment and find your spark in life.

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