*Click on any photo to see this in slideshow mode
![Mallika Kodavatiganti, Playing the Violin, Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)](https://pro2-bar-s3-cdn-cf.myportfolio.com/dd2503b0-1d69-4726-a625-07bde0e24f9b/1563ab63-7268-492e-bc6e-61275bed9e0c_rw_1920.jpg?h=457048b7746fc0db67a4fc0c0c782108)
Mallika Kodavatiganti, Playing the Violin, Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)
![Aubrey Kordelski, Playing the Piano, Philadelphia, Summer 2018](https://pro2-bar-s3-cdn-cf.myportfolio.com/dd2503b0-1d69-4726-a625-07bde0e24f9b/850b8347-9ba7-493e-ae05-0139849863f8_rw_1920.jpg?h=44d3b9ab9ac54f2695725583da59c80e)
Aubrey Kordelski, Playing the Piano, Philadelphia, Summer 2018
![Evelyn Lemma, Playing the Flute, Philadelphia, Summer 2018](https://pro2-bar-s3-cdn-cf6.myportfolio.com/dd2503b0-1d69-4726-a625-07bde0e24f9b/7502a19f-a777-4eb0-82db-096917918c5e_rw_1920.jpg?h=b2579d4b3cd4d8989280cbd587094766)
Evelyn Lemma, Playing the Flute, Philadelphia, Summer 2018
Aubrey
"I remember being very very young playing at a nine foot concert grand in a music hall at Chestnut Hill College.
I don’t remember the piece I played or why I was invited there, but I remember it was such a beautiful piano and
the acoustics of the stone building made my (terrible) playing sound even better. It’s one of the main reasons I
continued playing for so many years after that."
I don’t remember the piece I played or why I was invited there, but I remember it was such a beautiful piano and
the acoustics of the stone building made my (terrible) playing sound even better. It’s one of the main reasons I
continued playing for so many years after that."
![Sameer Parihar, Playing the Guitar, Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)](https://pro2-bar-s3-cdn-cf3.myportfolio.com/dd2503b0-1d69-4726-a625-07bde0e24f9b/4db41ea3-e0b9-4afd-8775-588034dd6f8c_rw_1920.jpg?h=ded8b44fea2d530d1384ce682ecf9fb2)
Sameer Parihar, Playing the Guitar, Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)
![Michael Osborne Jr., Playing the Guitar, Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)](https://pro2-bar-s3-cdn-cf2.myportfolio.com/dd2503b0-1d69-4726-a625-07bde0e24f9b/32eb054c-ff6b-45c0-9805-112ce98913ad_rw_1920.jpg?h=be161898ea3918d3027442f5cc02ac49)
Michael Osborne Jr., Playing the Guitar, Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)
Michael
"Music has helped me through hard times, family losses, and mental health struggles. Playing music has given me confidence to experience my life the way I want to. All life's worries, problems, and stresses go away when I play guitar, sing, or play piano for others. I love music and what it has done for my life. I wouldn't be who I am without it."
![Ellie Wydra, Playing the Ukulele , Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)](https://pro2-bar-s3-cdn-cf.myportfolio.com/dd2503b0-1d69-4726-a625-07bde0e24f9b/8fc408e3-5e25-44bc-8fe9-bda431554f57_rw_1920.jpg?h=0dc6dfd2bca7c870fbfe7b3b823dbb49)
Ellie Wydra, Playing the Ukulele , Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)
![Julia Coleman, Playing the Cello, Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)](https://pro2-bar-s3-cdn-cf3.myportfolio.com/dd2503b0-1d69-4726-a625-07bde0e24f9b/efe48f06-00e6-4ebf-99b6-6d9ba1bb2f81_rw_1920.jpg?h=fffce404594e48597f56674c02c451e0)
Julia Coleman, Playing the Cello, Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)
Julia
"I was too lazy to be a violinist so I chose the Cello instead. I have f-holes tattooed on my arms because orchestra in high school was such a pivotal experience for me. I made friends I consider close as family and I learned so much."
![Tanner Abbott, Playing the Guitar , Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)](https://pro2-bar-s3-cdn-cf1.myportfolio.com/dd2503b0-1d69-4726-a625-07bde0e24f9b/c3bea4cc-a3af-4bdc-9490-749d8a43dfef_rw_3840.jpg?h=49961325fb26988a04ed9f297eae0853)
Tanner Abbott, Playing the Guitar , Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)
![Keith Colon, Playing the Violin , Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)](https://pro2-bar-s3-cdn-cf3.myportfolio.com/dd2503b0-1d69-4726-a625-07bde0e24f9b/e90109fc-c864-40e1-bdc9-1a691f8437b2_rw_3840.jpg?h=eacee30129275a495f194a52bb433f37)
Keith Colon, Playing the Violin , Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)
Tanner
"I suppose I ended up choosing to play guitar out of pure coincidence and curiosity. When I was ten, I remember discovering an old guitar in the closet when that was my brother's when he was younger. He ended up putting it away and forgetting about it and I decided to pick it up and give it a few strums. It was battered and busted and the strings were covered in rust. I was asked by my father if I wanted to learn and I said yes, though I was very reluctant to keep up with practice at first. A year later, I got my first guitar which is the same one in the picture that I play today."
Music is crafted by the Hands of Skilled Musicians
When talking about such an intricate craft, artists are only as skilled as they train themselves to be. When I was completing this photojournalistic study, the story felt incomplete without the addition or the closeups of the musicians playing.
![Julia Coleman, Playing the Cello, Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)](https://pro2-bar-s3-cdn-cf1.myportfolio.com/dd2503b0-1d69-4726-a625-07bde0e24f9b/2eff8f76-66ca-4c98-a4dc-68f9ec57059d_rw_1920.jpg?h=8117d15851890e40a14110680780a36d)
Julia Coleman, Playing the Cello, Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)
![Keith Colon, Playing the Cello, Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)](https://pro2-bar-s3-cdn-cf6.myportfolio.com/dd2503b0-1d69-4726-a625-07bde0e24f9b/a051ba03-f5ad-444d-86b4-476cbf5bb1f8_rw_3840.jpg?h=ce136f5de9364102595dc2ff0d76f56d)
Keith Colon, Playing the Cello, Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)
![Michael Osborn Jr, Playing the Guitar, Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)](https://pro2-bar-s3-cdn-cf2.myportfolio.com/dd2503b0-1d69-4726-a625-07bde0e24f9b/da0773f7-2f36-4917-8818-8e7fc5745c72_rw_1920.jpg?h=863420342cf058f146c0554083ab51d3)
Michael Osborn Jr, Playing the Guitar, Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)
![Aubrey Kordelski, Playing the piano, Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)](https://pro2-bar-s3-cdn-cf4.myportfolio.com/dd2503b0-1d69-4726-a625-07bde0e24f9b/5afd31f7-e977-482e-9ce8-0b0d26533d90_rw_3840.jpg?h=58ea59a57db1b51bdf776c0d0d0d7751)
Aubrey Kordelski, Playing the piano, Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)
![Michael Osborn Jr's mementos on guitar , Philadelphia, Summer 2018 (AP Photo/Courtney Mattson)](https://pro2-bar-s3-cdn-cf.myportfolio.com/dd2503b0-1d69-4726-a625-07bde0e24f9b/8b4e281b-e260-4371-849c-72846854a583_rw_3840.jpg?h=aea8b7c79c80f352bf3c2174001bf0f6)