It started with a coin toss.

The music teacher at the Minneapolis grade school I was attending had a mid-year vacancy in the orchestra’s cello section. He came to my third grade teacher asking for recommendations to fill the vacancy.

My teacher recommended me and another student, partly because we were both a little tall for our age and the student selected needed to be big enough to play the full-size cello provided by the school. The other student and I met briefly with the orchestra director. After trying out the instrument, we both indicated our interest. A coin was flipped to determine who got the nod, and I won.

Over the next year or so, several significant events occurred: I acquired my own cello, I began taking private lessons, and I played in my first few concerts. I was hooked

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