On July 1st 2017, Jina Choi, the founder of Friends with Music passed away after battling cancer. When she was first diagnosed over a year ago, the doctors told her that it was an incurable type of cancer. However, this only made Jina a more positive and energetic person than she already was. She told others that she did not dread her death because she had lived every moment of her life with no regrets.

 

Despite being ill, Jina continued teaching and directing Friends with Music. She set goals and planned for the future for both herself and her students. Jina even started Friends with Music Junior, an ensemble comprised of younger musicians. Not even her terminal illness could stop her from spreading joy and living her life to the fullest. During the hardest moments of Jina’s life, she always had a smile on her face, and she continued to spread love through her passion for music. Although Jina’s job was simply to teach us violin, she has left everlasting impact on many of us.