In early July, Camy and her family were fortunate to have the chance to attend the Suzuki Institute at Ithaca College. It was their first time of attending an institute. Camy shares some of her thoughts with us below.
Reflections from the Performers: Book 4&5 Recital – Hermione and Isabel
The preparation for this recital specifically was a little stressful because I had to manage my time with practising the many pieces while also being able to study for school exams. Despite all the crazy emotions I felt during the past month preparing for the recital, I was mostly super excited to play all of the pieces in front of some people who have watched me play the violin since day 1 and people who’ve barely seen me play. I was still a bit nervous as the most challenging parts such as managing time, playing the harder pieces (e.g. Vivaldi g minor) and trying to get all of the pieces to my expectation got me on a emotional roller coaster. But overall, I am extremely thankful because I got an opportunity to show my skills that have developed over the years and had enough support to get me through this challenge.
Thinking back to my book 4/5 recital, I think that it was relatively well done. I feel like a worked really hard on it, practicing a lot both individually and with my partner Hermione. Now that it’s over, I am kind of glad, because the week leading up to it was extremely nerve-wracking. During the recital, I was even more nervous-if that was even possible, but after a few pieces, I started to gain more confidence and it became more enjoyable. I would like to thank Ms Diane, Ms Susan, and Ms Sonomi for helping both me and Hermione on this book 4/5 recital, because without them, it wouldn’t have been possible.
Reflections of the Performers: Book 1 Recital ~ Elise and Hanson
Dear SMAHK
Thank you for teaching me and helping me with my Book 1 Recital. At first, I was really scared and nervous, but the more I practiced I got more and more comfortable with it. I thought the recital was very nice. It was nice to collaborate with someone I’ve never worked with. It was a wonderful experience for me, and for that I thank you.
Today is my first violin book recital. I usually play the piano with other people. This is the first time someone else has played the piano, and I am playing the violin. My partner is Elise, we didn’t play our pieces well together at first. After practicing in a few joint lessons, we got along better and better.
When I arrived at the school, I felt calm and confident because I had practiced so many times with Ms. Diane, Ms. Sonomi, Elise, and my mom. After we finished playing twinkle, I knew this recital would go well. Sadly, I was wrong. After Lightly Row, I started to make a few wrong notes and wrong bowings. I got more nervous. but I still kept going until the end. Even though I knew this recital was not 100% awesome, I still feel very proud of my first violin book recital!
Thank You!
Reflections from the Performers: Book 1 Recital ~ Isabel and Chloe
Isabel and Chloe collaborated on their preparations, and performed their Book 1 Recital together…their very first recital! Here are their reflections on the experience.
from Chloe
I liked the Book – 1 Recital on Saturday, because I played everything correctly. (Expect for the beginning of “Song of the Wind”, because I thought it was “Perpetual Motion”!)But there was something I forgot to do – in the middle part of “Allegro”, I didn’t have eye contact with my partner Isabel… For the whole recital, at first I felt a little bit nervous, but after the first three pieces, I started to feel really confident.
from Isabel
I think that the recital had gone well in my opinion and at the recital I felt nervous and ecstatic and because this was my first recital ever and it had gone better than I had expected.
And I think when I practiced at home I felt more and more proud of myself after each practice and when I practiced I felt more and more confident about my solos and the other pieces, also I felt I was getting something out of each practice.
SMAHK Students Join 4 Nations Virtual Concert!
On Sunday, 22 November, several of our students were wearing their concert best at the early hour of 7:30a.m. Their instruments were in tune, and they had their pre-recorded accompaniment ready for the sound check before the 4 Nations Virtual Concert. Sponsored by the Centro Suzuki Buenos Aires, SMAHK students were joined by performers from Argentina, Chile and Japan. Here are the students’ thoughts about the concert:
~from Annika
I think the concert was brilliant, special, and very well organised. It was nice seeing kids from different countries (that study the Suzuki method) play their pieces too. Since it’s challenging to see kids in person even from HK, it was super special to see kids from Chilé, Argentina and Japan on Zoom. The part I enjoyed the most was watching kids play pieces familiar to me as well as new pieces. I also enjoyed getting to share my piece which was Minuet 2.
~from Bianca
It was fun! I liked hearing other students play from other countries. They all sounded pretty. I feel proud about how I did my song.
~from Cecilia
Overall, I was proud of my performance for the online concert. I was most confident about my intonation. I was happy that I could match with the piano accompaniment almost all the time. The vibrato was also consistent. Although the thumb and elbow technique were the ones I practiced most, and were the ones that were most important about playing the piece, I could have really thought about it more in the process of playing Rameau Gavotte. I could improve by checking and paying attention to it from time to time. I could have also had more dynamic differences, making the music more interesting for the audience to listen to. even though I practiced the sweet tone for Gavotte 2 for a long time, there still was not a very sweet tone when I played it, making it sound like I was playing a straight line out of my violin with no emotions. I am very grateful that I was invited to the 4 Nations Virtual Concert Performance held by the Suzuki staffs from Argentina!
~from Charlotte
This was an interesting concert. It was enlightening to know how music can transcend ethnicities to express feelings. While hearing the performances, although they were played by musicians from different cultures, I felt a sense of connection over the feelings that were expressed. Music is universal!
A memorable part was hearing Suzuki pieces played on guitar. The notes had a special vibration to it, emanating a distinctive, warm feeling compared to the violin, viola, cello, and piano. It surprised me like when I heard the Cello version of Gigue by Bach (Book 7). It broadened my understanding of sounds and musical interpretation.
Thank you for this opportunity.
~from Shreyas
I really enjoyed playing in the Four Nations Concert. It was inspiring to see how the love of music can connect communities from all around the world. Especially in times like these, when we can feel disconnected even from our own communities, it was exciting to perform alongside students from Argentina, Chile, Japan and Hong Kong. Thank you to SMAHK for providing us with this wonderful opportunity.
