Pippa Letsky, a bluegrass musician living in Columbia Missouri, explains her passion for music, and how playing the violin is her lifeblood.

Letsky plays the violin, the mandolin, piano, guitar, and the upright base. Not only does she play instruments, she is also an Italian teacher at the University of Missouri and a freelance editor.

She has not always lived in Columbia, but after many moves and life experiences throughout the world, has settled down in the heart of the USA. She enjoys the soul and roots in Missouri, and has made many friends throughout her years in town.

Letsky is also a single mother. When her daughter was growing up, she would use music to unwind at the end of the day. After she got her daughter to bed, she would get out her instruments and play music and sing songs to relax.

“When playing instruments,” said Letsky, “you really have to concentrate in the now. You're so immersed in the now that all other problems drop away you're just not conscious.”

Music, Letsky says, is like a drug. She gets so involved in the rhythm and the harmony that the world falls away and she enters into an entirely different place.