During this transformational journey, the desire to be busy with music developed from a trickle to a mighty current. What was I created for?

I let my fingers slide over the rough texture of the certificate. It is printed in gold: “Trinity College London”. “Elize Swart is awarded Level 3 Certificate in Graded Examination in Music Performance - Grade 8 Piano”, stares at me in black letters. The next two words humbly proclaim “with Merit” in smaller print. Really? Is this it? For my entire adult life, I have longed to have this certificate in my hand. The first time I did this exam to get hold of this sought-after ce

“Singer-songwriter and piano teacher”. These words are bursting with more meaning than you would ever know. For some, it may be insignificant, simply a reference to a career. For me, it symbolises a major breakthrough and a homecoming. Let me explain. My career path took me on a journey of statistics, teaching mathematics and science, and later in programming. I spent only one or two years on each of those careers but several in studies and training, and I was very frustrated