Violin 26 (Vijay Playing & Interview)

[♪ violin music ♪] [♪ violin music continues ♪] [♪ violin music continues ♪] [Vijay Gupta] My name is Vijay Gupta, I play the violin, and I started playing the violin just before my fourth birthday. [♪ violin music ♪] My very first teacher lived on an apple farm, and her name was Mrs. Crist. And she used to have this giant basket of really small McIntosh apples, and she used to hand them out like candy after lessons. And it's just a sweet memory to think about now. A very personal one. [♪ violin music ♪] Music, for me, isn't about passion. Music, for me, is like oxygen. It's like a language that can never lie. It's a conversation that can happen between people without one word. Music, for me, is beauty. It's ecstasy. It is worship and the highest blessing I can imagine in my life. Music, for me, is all about joy. [♪ violin music ♪] [♪ violin music continues ♪] I was very lucky growing up to study with some of the greatest teachers out there— teachers at the Juilliard School in Manhattan, at the Manhattan School of Music— and we exist in a time now where we are painfully aware of the lack of music programs in public schools— the active cutting of these programs— and also, at the same time, the lack of access to the kind of world class music education that only exists in specific places on the planet. And I think that a project like this, and why I chose to become a part of a project like this, is to change that narrative about how people have, and which people have access to music. I feel that music plays a fundamental role in bringing people together in our society. What better way to teach someone about empathy than to give an instrument— an instrument that can never lie— put an instrument in their hands and teach them about discipline and integrity. It is such a joy to be part of this project, and I so look forward to the very bright future ahead of us. [♪ violin music ♪] [♪ violin music continues ♪]