Editing Arvo Pärt (section)

== Early life, family and education ==
Pärt was born in [[Paide]], [[Järva County]], Estonia, and was raised by his mother and stepfather in [[Rakvere]] in northern Estonia.<ref name=estonianworld>{{cite web|url=http://estonianworld.com/culture/sounds-emanating-love-story-arvo-part/|title=Sounds emanating love – the story of Arvo pärt | work= EstonianWorld.com | publisher= |date=11 September 2015|access-date=22 August 2017}}</ref> He began to experiment with the top and bottom notes of the family's piano as the middle register was damaged.<ref name="sinfinimusic">{{cite web| url= http://sinfinimusic.com/uk/learn/composers/arvo-paert |title= Arvo Pärt| website=sinfinimusic.com| publisher= Sinfini Music | date= | access-date= |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20130904212746/http://sinfinimusic.com/uk/learn/composers/arvo-paert/ |archivedate=4 September 2013}}</ref>

Pärt's musical education began at the age of seven when he began attending music school in Rakvere. By his early teenage years, Pärt was writing his own compositions. His first serious study came in 1954 at the Tallinn Music Middle School, but less than a year later he temporarily abandoned it to fulfill military service, playing [[oboe]] and percussion in the army band.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.allmusic.com/artist/arvo-p%C3%A4rt-mn0000929776/biography|title=Arvo Pärt – Biography & History|website=AllMusic|access-date=24 October 2017}}</ref> After his military service he attended the [[Tallinn Conservatory]], where he studied composition with [[Heino Eller]]<ref name="playbill">{{cite magazine| title= Program Notes | magazine= Playbill| publisher= [[New York City Ballet]]| date= January 2008}}</ref> and it was said of him, "he just seemed to shake his sleeves and the notes would fall out".<ref>{{cite book| first= P.| last= Hillier| title= Arvo Pärt| year= 1997| page= 27| publisher= | isbn= }}</ref> During the 1950s, he also completed his first vocal composition, the [[cantata]] ''Meie aed'' ('Our Garden') for children's choir and orchestra. He graduated in 1963.