The beauty of music is the pleasure of sharing not just the rendition, but also the significance it brings to a person’s life. Today, I came up front and shared with the class a piano arrangement that has lightened up my darker days. It was my sister who had me fallen for that song. She played it so beautifully that I told myself this one piece is a must for me to dance my fingers on the keys with. River Flows in You by Yiruma indeed is a breathtaking song. It travels the corners of my emotions in ways that it revisits the joyful memories, thus the reason it is played whenever I feel down. The repetitive phrases tell me that the many times I fall down it is not impossible to get back up. When the rhythm moves gradually faster it tickles my heart and assures me that in time I will see the silver lining.
My exposure with music began at the tender age of six when I was introduced to a melodian at kindergarten. I got so excited when the time came for music lessons. It amazes me how blowing through a nozzle to produce sound can be such a joy. I was always on the front line. Be it performing the melodian or dancing to a musical sketch, I would steal the limelight as the protagonist. Perhaps it was my enthusiasm, which drew the attention of my music teacher to suggest that I enroll into a piano class. I was indeed lucky that my parents were supportive of the whole idea. So there I was every Saturday morning attending piano classes. Before I knew it, I had been attending classes for nearly half of my life. It is fair to say that piano has been the door to my discoveries of wondrous musical journeys.
The first piano book that I had consisted of mostly nursery rhymes; Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Mary Had a Little Lamb, and Row, Row Your Boat. But it was in this book that brief introductions about masterpieces were taught to me. Ode to Joy by Beethoven was printed in an abridged version. Nonetheless, it encouraged a curious child to explore the colorful world of music. It was definitely something to be proud of when other kids were humming nursery rhymes but I was tapping my feet off to Beethoven. This realization however, surfaced later on when I learnt the history of musicians. I did not just attend classes to learn the music notes, but I also sat for exams to challenge my skill of playing. On top of that, I took theory exam, which challenged my understanding on the technical part of the music. Over the years, my piano grade upgraded parallel with my school grade.
My participation in musical performances increased throughout the years that I attended piano classes. The school where I attended the lessons would hold a concert each year. My teacher would suggest a number of performances that I could participate in. So there I was either practicing for my keyboard performance or jumping my heart out to the beat of the dance. This initial participation has helped build my confidence to share my love for music at school. Malaysia’s education system does not emphasize on music, therefore music lesson is regarded as luxury rather than necessity. It is by own effort to scout for external music class if an individual is interested to learn to play a musical instrument.
Nevertheless, the school did encourage students to show off their talents. Talent show was held each year at my school and by the end of my high school year I had already participated in a number of competitions. Moreover, with the music background that I have, I was elected as the conductor of the school choir. But off the record, I played the keyboard for my friend’s band and we performed a contemporary song Look What You’ve Done by Jet. I even played the piano for a senior who wanted to sing a local song and I had to improvise the basic chords that she gave me. In addition, I braved myself to sing a couple of songs on stage with a few friends. That was when I realized I actually have a knack for singing. Well it is nothing compared to Mariah Carey but I am definitely not tone deaf.
When I got into college, my schedule became more hectic. I was still attending piano lessons and it was really hard finding a time to practice. It was the wrong timing to sit for my final grade piano exam. Playing Piano Sonata in C, K. 545 by Mozart became impossible each day. Because of the length of the piece and the time constraint, I did not pass that exam. It was a huge jump transitioning from grade 7 to grade 8. It was devastating to me because I passed with flying colors in most of my exams. However, that did not stop me from playing. It was the piles of school assignment in which I was drowning in paused me from playing the piano. Furthermore, I did not even participate in any musical performances throughout my college days. Well I suppose math people do not see the joy in music, thus the lack of interest to expose their students. But I was already channeling my kin for music to a different level.
I became interested in orchestra. My first viewing was An Evening of Opera performed by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra featuring Elizabeth Connell as the voice of soprano, which was conducted by David Giménez. It was truly astounding. The whole ensemble just swoon my evening away. It was also exciting because the featured works were by composers whom I have either learnt of or played their pieces; Verdi, Bellini, Mascagni, Puccini and Wagner. That evening forward, I would keep an eye on the upcoming orchestral events. On the contrary, when I am not into instrumental music, my ears are tuned into contemporary music. Like any other youth, I went to see live bands and concerts. My jaw literally dropped when James Morrison stood in front of my very eyes. In fact, jumping to the music of Switchfoot was so much fun.
I owe it all to my piano lessons. It was a beginning to spectacular journeys. Some people find cooking a way to escape the real world, some find it relaxing to paint, well I find my escapism in music. Especially when I play the piano. I am hoping to recollect my memories of learning about great musicians through this class. Ever since I arrived at Iowa City, I can count by fingers the number of times I play the piano. Just by listening to the songs included in the CDs, I am smiling ear to ear. It gives me a sense of belonging, because this math course I am enduring is giving me a constant breakdown. Therefore I find solitude in music, and it wakes me up to a world without boundaries.
Excuse my grammar flaws, too exhausted to proofread it. Posted especially for Syahira :)
My exposure with music began at the tender age of six when I was introduced to a melodian at kindergarten. I got so excited when the time came for music lessons. It amazes me how blowing through a nozzle to produce sound can be such a joy. I was always on the front line. Be it performing the melodian or dancing to a musical sketch, I would steal the limelight as the protagonist. Perhaps it was my enthusiasm, which drew the attention of my music teacher to suggest that I enroll into a piano class. I was indeed lucky that my parents were supportive of the whole idea. So there I was every Saturday morning attending piano classes. Before I knew it, I had been attending classes for nearly half of my life. It is fair to say that piano has been the door to my discoveries of wondrous musical journeys.
The first piano book that I had consisted of mostly nursery rhymes; Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Mary Had a Little Lamb, and Row, Row Your Boat. But it was in this book that brief introductions about masterpieces were taught to me. Ode to Joy by Beethoven was printed in an abridged version. Nonetheless, it encouraged a curious child to explore the colorful world of music. It was definitely something to be proud of when other kids were humming nursery rhymes but I was tapping my feet off to Beethoven. This realization however, surfaced later on when I learnt the history of musicians. I did not just attend classes to learn the music notes, but I also sat for exams to challenge my skill of playing. On top of that, I took theory exam, which challenged my understanding on the technical part of the music. Over the years, my piano grade upgraded parallel with my school grade.
My participation in musical performances increased throughout the years that I attended piano classes. The school where I attended the lessons would hold a concert each year. My teacher would suggest a number of performances that I could participate in. So there I was either practicing for my keyboard performance or jumping my heart out to the beat of the dance. This initial participation has helped build my confidence to share my love for music at school. Malaysia’s education system does not emphasize on music, therefore music lesson is regarded as luxury rather than necessity. It is by own effort to scout for external music class if an individual is interested to learn to play a musical instrument.
Nevertheless, the school did encourage students to show off their talents. Talent show was held each year at my school and by the end of my high school year I had already participated in a number of competitions. Moreover, with the music background that I have, I was elected as the conductor of the school choir. But off the record, I played the keyboard for my friend’s band and we performed a contemporary song Look What You’ve Done by Jet. I even played the piano for a senior who wanted to sing a local song and I had to improvise the basic chords that she gave me. In addition, I braved myself to sing a couple of songs on stage with a few friends. That was when I realized I actually have a knack for singing. Well it is nothing compared to Mariah Carey but I am definitely not tone deaf.
When I got into college, my schedule became more hectic. I was still attending piano lessons and it was really hard finding a time to practice. It was the wrong timing to sit for my final grade piano exam. Playing Piano Sonata in C, K. 545 by Mozart became impossible each day. Because of the length of the piece and the time constraint, I did not pass that exam. It was a huge jump transitioning from grade 7 to grade 8. It was devastating to me because I passed with flying colors in most of my exams. However, that did not stop me from playing. It was the piles of school assignment in which I was drowning in paused me from playing the piano. Furthermore, I did not even participate in any musical performances throughout my college days. Well I suppose math people do not see the joy in music, thus the lack of interest to expose their students. But I was already channeling my kin for music to a different level.
I became interested in orchestra. My first viewing was An Evening of Opera performed by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra featuring Elizabeth Connell as the voice of soprano, which was conducted by David Giménez. It was truly astounding. The whole ensemble just swoon my evening away. It was also exciting because the featured works were by composers whom I have either learnt of or played their pieces; Verdi, Bellini, Mascagni, Puccini and Wagner. That evening forward, I would keep an eye on the upcoming orchestral events. On the contrary, when I am not into instrumental music, my ears are tuned into contemporary music. Like any other youth, I went to see live bands and concerts. My jaw literally dropped when James Morrison stood in front of my very eyes. In fact, jumping to the music of Switchfoot was so much fun.
I owe it all to my piano lessons. It was a beginning to spectacular journeys. Some people find cooking a way to escape the real world, some find it relaxing to paint, well I find my escapism in music. Especially when I play the piano. I am hoping to recollect my memories of learning about great musicians through this class. Ever since I arrived at Iowa City, I can count by fingers the number of times I play the piano. Just by listening to the songs included in the CDs, I am smiling ear to ear. It gives me a sense of belonging, because this math course I am enduring is giving me a constant breakdown. Therefore I find solitude in music, and it wakes me up to a world without boundaries.
Excuse my grammar flaws, too exhausted to proofread it. Posted especially for Syahira :)
