I was 11 years old when I asked my mom for piano lessons in 2010. We were in the economic crisis. She said a polite “no”.

That didn’t stop me. I searched the measurements of a keyboard, drew the keys on a piece of paper and stuck it on my desk. I would click notes on an online keyboard and “play” them back on my paper one—keeping the sound they made on the computer in my head. I spent six months playing without touching a real piano. Once my mom saw that I was serious, she borrowed money and bought me 10 lessons.

I still remember the first one. I was struck by how real the sound of the piano was. I sat my grade one after eight lessons. Once I started secondary school, we couldn’t afford lessons again. I passed grade three, and then grade five, practicing only on my piece of paper.

One evening, when I was about 13, my mom said she had a surprise for me; it was an electronic keyboard, bought with more borrowed money. It was the first time I’d played for her. She was in shock.

My school didn’t offer music A-level. I found the Purcell School for young musicians. But I had to pass a difficult test. Some of the questions involved an evaluation of the composer or when some piece was written. I felt overwhelmed. To my amazement, I was offered a place.

At the Purcell School. I spent two years working as hard as I could, performed to raise money and saved enough to buy my first piano.

When I left the Purcell School, I was awarded the senior piano prize and senior academic music prize. I am now at the Guildhall School in London. I feel proud—it’s been 10 years since I drew my paper piano, and I’m at one of the world’s leading music schools.

The irony is that I continue to do a lot of my practice away from the piano--what we call mental practice. The paper piano helped arouse my curiosity about how music works and the building blocks that form the pieces.

When Wuilly Arteaga was younger, he often visited a local Internet café to learn how to play music. The café owner made a deal with him; he’d give Arteaga some cash if he helped around the business. Arteaga then used that money to buy a cheap violin. His parents, however, prevented him from playing the violin. At age 15, Arteaga decided to leave home and practice his music on the streets. “From then on, my music school has always been outside, ” he said.

In 2017, he moved to New York City. Arteaga was afraid of being unimportant in a city of so much talent (人才) and so many cultures when he first arrived, but later he became comfortable thanks to the subway, other musicians and with his violin by his side. One of his favorite places to perform in the city is Times Square. “There, it’s as if I’m playing at Madison Square Garden, where concerts are usually held. People scream and applaud (鼓掌) and dance like they’re at a concert. They make me feel like a star,” he explained.

The energy and joy from his performances were posted online in 2018 by a social media influencer who goes by the name Junebug. As Arteaga performed a hip-hop song in Times Square, Junebug and others partook in the fun with practically every dance possible to show their excitement at hearing Arteaga’s violin. The video was titled, “When New Yorkers hear a violin,” and it received over 320 thousand likes and was forwarded 120 thousand times.

Many people have recognised Arteaga’s gift for violin. “I don’t regard myself as a gifted player. I just keep my love for the violin and enjoy the pleasure it brings,” he said. “Here, day by day, I am learning its true meaning. ”

When she won the first ever season of American Idol 11 years ago, critics believed she had little chance of staying on top. Too “girl next door”, they said. Not stylish enough. Not thin enough, either.

But Kelly Clarkson, 31, has proven them all wrong with her string of worldwide hits, from Because of You to the recent Catch My Breath.

Being the first Idol winner in the US was not easy. In the past decade since that victory, Clakson has had to deal with the media’s scrutiny of her weight and personal style. “Everyone’s like, ‘You’re a pop star. You should be smaller’.” Clarkson told People Magazine. “But I’m the pop star. I’ll make the rules.”

Since middle school, Clarkson has been aware of the power of her voice. She first joined the school choir (合唱队) at age 13 when a teacher heard her singing in the hallway and demanded that she join. “Singing gave me confidence,” Clarkson told the Orange County Register, a newspaper in California. “Friends at school were nervous because they didn’t know what they wanted to do with the rest of their lives, but I had a peaceful feeling inside, because I knew. ”

Despite her enormous publicity, Clarkson has remained true to her down-to-earth personality. “The reason some winners fade away is that they’re trying to model themselves on somebody else. If we already have the original, why would we need a copy? You need to be offering something new, something that’s uniquely you, ”she told the Daily Mail. Around her rib cage (胸腔) is her new tattoo (纹身), indicating how strong she has become from all that she’s been through. It reads: “What doesn’t kill you.”