Hello everyone! I am an up and coming senior (Asian female) and I’m starting to get worried about what exactly I want to write about for college. I have pretty strong stats (2360 SAT, 800 Math 2, 790 US history, 790 Korean, 730 Physics) for reference. I have a few topics in mind, but piano is something that I am considering writing about for one of my essays, considering I’ve been playing for a good number of years and competing in competitions (and winning) for two years…I would probably write about my experiences competing with a duet partner( instead of focusing on an individual experience) and how I had to let go of my perfectionism to have enough confidence to play. At this point the scatterings of the idea haven’t fully coalesced into something coherent just yet so bear with me :)…I realize that this subject may seem overdone to the Ivy League schools (and colleges in general) and also it may seem very trite since I’m not like a concert pianist or anything, so I was wondering–should I go for it or avoid it like the plague?
Any topic you feel strongly about that will tell admissions something about yourself is a good topic.Don’t overthink it.
Piano is not common if you incorporate yourself into it. Don’t write about Piano, write about how Piano has affected you, that will make it unique in it of itself.
Just don’t let the essay be a rehash of your awards-- that’s a big Zzzzzzzz… The kiss of death for an essay is not a common topic, but putting the admissions reader asleep.
Any topic can work if it’s very well executed. The Asian/piano hazard is real, though. Maybe try this one and another topic and see how they both come out?
It’s more about how you write about a topic rather than what a topic is. I’d encourage you to write about this and also keep a few other topics in the wings in case this one becomes too trite or you don’t think it’s good enough. At least that’s what I’m planning to do 
You’ve clearly set yourself a challenge when you chose a topic that you and admissions knows is part of the Asian stereotype. Make it your own - funny, insightful, painful, unique - and it works. But the risk is higher than usual for essay topics. Try it. Then you get someone else (an English teacher perhaps?) to critique it with an eye to avoiding the stereotypes.
High achieving kids apply in droves to the top schools. The distinguish factors they’re looking for are maturity, thoughtfulness, empathy, curiosity, initiative, willingness to engage, sense of community, true leadership, self reflectiveness, humor, social awareness. Do multiples of these come screaming out of your essay?
Your “letting go of perfectionism to have enough confidence to play” means WHAT to anyone else? Whom does that serve besides yourself? Consider this hypothetical: how would “letting go of perfectionism” enhance the life of your future Stanford roommates? Or another piano player? If you told them this story as you have it planned, what would be their reaction? Conversely, what if you told them the same story but with self-deprecating humor and anecdotes? I’m not saying be humorous simply to be humorous (it’s tough to pull off in an essay format). But the impression you leave would be much different, IMHO.
Basically, you’re discussing how you’ve grown from point A to point B. But it’s still rather internal, in my opinion and may not establish yourself in the strongest light.
Any kind of essay can be too cliche depending on how you write it. If you do choose to write an essay about piano, make sure that the essay is one that could have been written only by you, and not one that anybody with similar accomplishments could write.
I actually wrote an essay about piano (and some other things) and turned it in for the optional area of the common app that asks if there’s anything else you want admissions to know. I did this because most of my awards were academic and without the essay, piano would have seemed like just another EC, which it wasn’t. I’d say I was fairly successful during college apps, accepted into 2/3 HYPSM schools that I applied to, and one of my admissions officers at those schools actually remarked on how much he’d liked my optional essay and how thoughtful it had been.
I wouldn’t change your topic. Like everyone else said, the way you write the essay determines how it is perceived. Piano sounds like it has had a big impact on your life, so I would go ahead and write about it. Incorporate yourself into it, though. Add your own twist to your essay to help make it unique. Make sure that you avoid writing about all of your achievements and awards you have won from piano. I also wouldn’t include any possible stereotypes that involve your topic (like you mentioned). The college essay is supposed to tell a story, so show admissions officers how piano has affected you as a person. Ask friends, family, teachers, guidance counselors, etc. to read your essay to see if it is too cliche. It wouldn’t hurt to think about a couple of other ideas that are important to you as well, just in case you don’t like the way your essay about piano is turning out.
One caveat: your family may urge you to write an essay that emphasizes your piano competitions and awards, as opposed to an appealing and interesting anecdote.
I’ll be honest: I think there’s a big risk of this being a cliché essay topic. Other parts of your application will reveal that you’ve won piano competitions. You don’t need to write about how important it is to you. Indeed, unless you’re a potential piano performance major, it’s probably better to emphasize other things that are important to you (as long as they aren’t tennis or shadowing your uncle, who is a doctor).
If you do (as it is “considered” a cliched topic), focus on the way you’ll execute it. The subject matter does not matter too much, unless it’s something in the extremes, as long as it is presented well in a genuine and authentic way.
Wow such helpful advice and comments from everyone! Thank you! And I was definitely not planning on rehashing my piano accomplishments through my essay…I know how bad that would turn out haha 
My older sister is actually strongly opposed to the piano idea because of the all too common Asian link it has, but I’ll definitely try this topic out to see if I can make something out of it…
It’s not the topic of piano that might be seen as cliched as much as the topic of perfectionism. My son wrote what I thought was a humorous yet insightful essay on his tendencies toward perfectionism, but during one of his interviews the interviewer told him that unless you knock it out of the park, that topic is viewed as cliched by admissions. Since that was an EA interview, he wrote a different Common App essay for the rest of his applications. Not sure if he really had to do that–I guess we’ll never know–but the suggestion that essays touching on perfectionism were considered cliche was enough to have him start from scratch!
I think it’s okay to write about piano. Don’t try to de-asianize yourself if it’s truly what you love. However, I think the amount of piano that you’ve done or your skill level might matter a bit. Do you ever do national competitions like MTNA? You obviously don’t need to have won the Junior Cliburn in order to write about piano, but make sure you are qualified to some degree and have noticeably devoted time to piano, otherwise admissions officers might downplay the significance of piano in your life, especially since there are so many competitive Asian female pianist applicants.
Would showing how being part of a duet forced me to build my self-confidence be too related with perfectionism? At first, I had been too scared to make a mistake for fear of dragging my partner down…I had been primo and she had been secondo so, technically speaking, I had to be the “leader.”
There are so many pitfalls to avoid here…but focusing on the teamwork part and the challenges involved in working together, it could work.