MY STORY:

• Utah musicians discuss struggles for work and appreciation from residents

MY BLOG:

When considering topics for my enterprise story, I was inspired by my car radio. In search of a good song on my way home from class, I was led to a classical music station. Listening to the genius of the professional musicians brought peace to my mind after a stressful day. It was then that I realized I wanted to write about professional musicians in the state of Utah and their careers.

Research was tricky as I needed to find high demand professionals around the state of Utah. With the help of friends and family, I was led to three sources. One source was a performer in the Tabernacle Orchestra at Temple Square and private violin teacher. The other was the owner of her own after-school music program and studio. The last source was a world-famous violinist in the Utah Symphony.

The interview I was most excited about was the Utah Symphony musician. But difficult encounters came up during my interviewing process. The world-famous musician from the Utah Symphony became suddenly unavailable due to travel demands of the orchestra at that time. Although this came as a surprise, I did find a third source. Instead of interviewing another professional musician, a Utah mother of six musical children agreed to speak with me. I would discover later that she played a crucial role in my final article.

As I started to gather information and quotes, I quickly realized that my story seemed to be writing itself. Each individual I interviewed had such a different opinion and voice that my story became a discussion between each of the sources. I was worried at first that my piece would turn into an argumentative piece, but the voices fit together perfectly to construct a final article.

I was surprised that my final story didn’t turn out the way I had first envisioned. I had walked into this assignment with a very specific idea and process for my story. But the people I interviewed seemed to write the story for me and lead me along a journey of discovery and curiosity.

ABOUT ME:

Music has always filled Natalie’s heart.

Natalie Zullo was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, with a deep appreciation for the violin. She is a Spring 2020 University of Utah graduate studying strategic communication and violin performance. She currently is the owner of N-Z Violin String Studio and works as a dental assistant in Murray. In June 2019, Natalie married the love of her life in the Salt Lake City Temple and currently lives in Draper.

In her spare time, Natalie can be found on the nearest running trial, skiing with her husband and baking sweets in the kitchen. She writes and arranges music in her spare time and loves gatherings with her friends, family and sweet husband.

Natalie plans to continue developing her violin studio in the future and work as an event planner.