Find your sound.

Why? I bid farewell to my lessons. My teacher wasn't a bad instructor. She followed the same routine she had probably taught to countless students before me. In her defense, she was simply teaching the same traditions passed down by her own mentors. But, I was bored. And so uninspired. Years later, I found myself immersed in the vibrant world of a high school choral program. This wasn't just any choir. It was a top-notch ensemble led by two incredible directors holding Ph.Ds. Their passion for music burned brightly, and their teaching was nothing short of electrifying. Both now, college directors, very fitting. I was captivated. The lights. The stage. Fast forward, to a top 20 music conservatory and university. The only freshman in the top choir, 40 INCREDIBLE voices becoming one. It was magical. Singing in languages from countries I had never heard of until I clutched the music in my nervous hands. It changed my life forever. That passion eventually took me around the world, onto some of the grandest stages I could have imagined. But somewhere between the applause of thousands, presidents, and "feeling like The Beatles while signing autographs" amongst the dazzling lights, I realized something: **The stage wasn't where I belonged ** Teaching on Skype my babies back in the US while on tour, was. The joy of imparting knowledge. The relationships. The transformation. The connection. My studio held a different kind of magic. And then something happened that I didn't understand for a very long time. Very particular students gravitated towards me. And they stayed. Five years. Ten years. Fifteen years. Sometimes decades. Multiple decades, they'd reappear. I kept wondering: **Why me?** Was it the sparkle? Was it the sparkle that matched theirs? Because eventually I realized the bond was stronger than music. Stronger than notes learned. Stronger than rhythms. Stronger than learning a skill. My students didn't just learn music from me. **We learned life together.** I had students in their 13th year of piano who could genuinely outplay my fingers. I'd tell their parents, they need a concert pianist teacher, and they'd cry and say they were going to quit. No me, no piano. I was honored. There is more to be taught. And you know what? I loved that. Because my goal was never to create students who needed me forever. It was to help them become more fully themselves. What we shared was trust. A genuine love for growth. Mentorship. Connection. The kind of relationship where music becomes the doorway—but **life is what we're really learning.** From EACH OTHER. They were teaching me too. And then life taught me some things I couldn't have learned in a classroom. I was diagnosed late in life with Autism and ADHD after 24 years of being misdiagnosed. For much of my life, I wondered why do the medications make me feel worse and worse. Compliant regardless of doctors never listening. I experienced mental and physical health struggles, grief beyond what most people my age rarely experience, and the loss of too many people I loved far too soon. And then I nearly died. Not once. Twice. I woke from a four-day coma in 2025 a completely different understanding of life. My near-death became my redirection. My falls became my rise. My pain became my purpose. The very thing that nearly became my demise became the thing that drives me today to serve in a way I never have before. I finally understand why those students had found me. Maybe they weren't looking for another teacher. Maybe they were looking for **a place where they could be completely themselves.** And maybe that's what I had been looking for, too. A song I love says. "It takes getting everything you ever wanted, and then losing it, to know what true freedom is." So this is what I teach now: **Freedom.** Authenticity. Bravery. Being unapologetically yourself. I have said this to hundreds and hundreds of students: **“If they don't like us?”** And they know the answer: Even if they are nonverbal. “They have poor taste. And they missed out.” Imagine a 5 year old on the playground responding to a bully with that? LOL Because it is not your job to be liked by everyone. It is not your job to be loved by everyone. It is your job to show up. Fully. Just you as you are. Loveable....you. And say: **“This is who I am.”** If you accept me, that's wonderful. But if you don't love me, I'm not changing the recipe I've spent my whole life perfecting just to appeal to you. Not everyone likes strawberries in their smoothies. I happen to love them. So go find someone who doesn't have them in their recipe. I'll find the people who appreciate me for exactly who I am and what I stand for. And that takes courage. It takes a brave person to stand up in the world of music and say: **We belong** Autism belongs here. ADHD belongs here. Mental illness belongs here. Disability belongs here. Every ability Every race. Every religion. Every identity. Every one discriminated against. Every person who has ever been told they were too much, not enough, too different, too difficult, or simply didn't fit. **You belong here, with us at H2** If that statement resonates with you... **Welcome home.** You have found your safe space. You have found your people. Maybe that's what I've been teaching all along. Not just music. Not just notes. Not just songs. Freedom. This therapeutic music school built me. A phenomenon I couldn't explain. I spent 20 years wondering why these particular incredible students kept finding me. Once I finally understood myself, I understood them. Welcome home, Fam. XOXO, Ms. Kara