Marlins of Mercy: Sofia Rodriguez

Marlins+of+Mercy%3A+Sofia+Rodriguez

“I watched a lot of Disney movies with my grandmother and one film, Fantasia, has a [character] that stands between these two huge harps. That stuck with me because I thought it was really beautiful and I always wanted to do it. So, I started [playing the harp] when I was 10 because my mother told me that children under the age of 10 in the state of Michigan could not play the harp because there were too many cases of children getting crushed by them. This was, of course, false, but she thought it was just a phase. She thought maybe I would grow out of it, but at 10 I [asked her] if she had my harp teacher ready. Now, I practice every day for about 40 minutes. Last year, I rented a shed in the farmers’ market and I would play and get some cash that way. I also take some odd jobs occasionally— weddings, cocktail parties. [Playing the harp] is definitely an option for me to pursue as a career by joining an orchestra. Some nobility also have a personal harpist. If I get to that level that would be really nice.”