We are pleased to present the 2023 MusicLink Senior Award of Excellence to Emily Fong, a piano student of Maureen Spranza of San Leandro, CA. Emily has taken MusicLink piano lessons for six years with her teacher, explaining that “she has made much musical progress in theory, technique, sight-reading, ear training and repertoire. Emily has shown her creativity through composition and improvisation and participated in the MTAC Improvisation Honors Recital at their annual convention. She has received the Senior Award through the MTAC Certificate of Merit Program. In addition to these many musical achievements, Emily shows great academic achievement in school by taking AP classes and achieving high grades throughout high school.” The MusicLink Foundation provided Emily with a baby grand piano for her studies. 

Emily explains the role music plays in her life in her submitted essay: “Music naturally became my guide and my main source of happiness, comfort, and joy. Afterall, studying is no fun with no Chopin playing in the background - my all-time favorite study pal. Music provided me with a sense of comfort nobody else but my family could provide. 

Alongside my continuing passion for music, I also developed a curiosity driven by interests in black holes and quasars in my early teenage years. I am proud to say that I have been accepted into the Astrophysics program at UC Berkeley and plan to work on space studies for the next four years. As I walk through the UC Berkeley campus with a STEM major, I plan to keep music strictly as a source of relief and comfort.“