What should I do....very confused.?

Question

I've been playing cello for about a year, and I honestly am now questioning if I want to anymore. I don't find any enjoyment or fulfillment in playing it. I never feel as though I want to play it, I feel like I have to. By no means am I a quitter, and I don't want to stop playing because it's too hard. I'm pretty good at it but I just don't think my heart is in it. I've tried two instruments before this (violin and trumpet) and both mastered and quit them because of the same reasons. I mean, I want to do something in which I actually look forward to doing it. I think I've mostly done music because I don't do sports. How should I tell my parents..what are your opinions? I mean, I simply do not enjoy it anymore. I don't enjoy lessons, practicing, concerts, anything. I just needed to vent this out. What do you people think.

Answer 1

Tell your parents that you are willing to sell the cello and buy another instrument for you to play.  

Answer 2

I don't know why I never felt this way with cello, but I joined chamber groups and youth orchestra. Even though I dreaded practicing and got in a lot of fights with my parents over the topic of practicing, I never could bear the idea of quitting. I think it was because I had a lot of good friends in youth orchestra, and I actually had fun during orchestra rehearsals.

Plus, I found out about the cello greats, such as Yo-Yo Ma, Mstislav Rostropovich, Jacqueline du Pre, and Pablo Casals. Watching their performance clips on TV, or nowadays Youtube, made me want to play cello like them. Keeping a high ambition really did wonders for me because I would always end up apologizing to my parents and practice for hours while thinking, "I want to be a great cellist one day".

You need to set your goals in life, and do all the things necessary to achieve them. If you don't want to be a famous musician one day, then maybe there is another extracurricular you are interested in. If you do, tell your parents how you really feel, and hopefully they'll be understanding. However, think back to why you started cello a year ago. Did you want to play music for the enjoyment of audiences?

Best wishes to your decision!