Penn State graduate student finds peace in playing the piano

Story posted March 10, 2013 in News by Elise Brown

Kelly Patches' life focuses on two things: agriculture and playing the piano. She grew up on a dairy farm and began playing piano at a young age, but sometimes, she wonders how her two passions can coincide.

Patches comes from a musical family, as her parents both sang in the church choir and her father plays piano. She began taking lessons after her mother saw her poking out a melody at home when she was in third grade. She started taking lessons then and continued until her sophomore year of college, accompanying several groups along the way. While she does not own a piano, she seeks one out in places like the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on the University Park campus.