"The music never stops, the metronome keeps ticking on" it's a great line and I'm afraid I'm going to steal it if you don't mind HAHAHA
I believe firmly that education is something you never finish, there's always something new to learn everytime, I agree with you.
I hold very dear my instruments and I'll be really sad to leave this cello, I develop some irrational feelings for my instruments and I see them as something more than just an object.
It's like saying goodbye to someone important, you know?