Yamaha Piano Competition - Music school level

Yay...2nd place   :-)

Last Saturday, unlike any other Saturday or any other long weekend that we normally have (meaning...driving off somewhere to have a 3-day-city-break)...we found ourselves woken up early and quite nervous. Yes...last Saturday was my oldest girl's first piano competition. Yamaha, annually conducts piano competition which started from the music school level, regional, up to international level. Early of this year, her new private piano teacher encouraged her to try herself. It was quite difficult to 'force' her to join the competition (my oldest has never had any initiative to participate in any event ‎​=.=! pheω...‎​⊙﹏⊙) . But after some encouragement...persuasion...threatening...bribing (with US$60 Lalaloopsy doll if she could pull it)...you name it...finally she agreed to join it. Her teacher didn't elevate our hope...no sugar coating here. She just merely pointed out that this competition would give her an experience and hopefully provide her a motivation to do more - since she had the capability for it (*crossing fingers*). She fell into Junior B category for 9-11years old children. The teacher also told us that her fingers' strength aren't enough to produce the required sound. For crying out loud...my girl is only bone and skin and yet I wondered...should I ask her to practice weight-lift on her finger? Anyway, that didn't prevent me to keep encourage her...to push herself (I remembered my yelling and hand gesturing so that she could press the key louder and harder...power girl! Give me your power! More! Man...other who didn't see me would have thought I was teaching weight-lift "̮˚°◦♡ώκωķ(∩_∩)◦°˚"̮ )...watch her practice...praise her when she did it perfectly and of course scold her when she played lousy.

The sole winner in Senior category

The winners in Junior C category

For 3 whole months, she had been dedicating her time (even for only 10mins) everyday to practice this song, regardless her-piling-homeworks or other-extra-classes or even her-demanding-monthly-exams. For 3 whole months, she didn't learn any new songs from her new level-up-book of Forte 8 (she even hasn't completed the last Forte 7) while her classmates have been playing the new pieces. Still I encouraged her...I said: it doesn't matter...since she has an ability to play new piece in nick of time (but not master it). She only took 3 days (in total not more than 90mins) to fully memorize the 3-page-composition for her competition...quite an accomplishment for me :-) But she took longer to master the song, to play it according to the required tempos, the dynamic markings and any musical signs and marks on the composition perfectly.

The winners in Junior B category

The song chosen by her teacher is Doll's Dreaming and Awakening of Theodore Oesten (1813 - 1870) or known as Doll's Dream. The composition has 3 different parts, which started with an andante and low sounds as the doll is starting to sleep. The music will be dimmed slightly at the end of the first part, indicating that the doll is fast asleep. Then the notes start to pick up its speed to moderato tempo while the doll is dreaming (apparently, a Ħªppy dream) The second part will end with louder and faster sounds until it hits the vermata when the doll is awaken from its dream. Then the third part is played lively in allegretto tempo, fast and hypnotic tunes while the doll is dancing...making its dream coming true. Hope...expectation...dream are all expressed within the most difficult part of the composition, rising higher and higher...going faster and faster...louder and louder. Until the end when the doll is stop, the fleeting tunes from high notes to the lower ones before it hits the final vermata.

Participation certificate

From my amateur eyes and ears, this is a hard song, especially the last part. My girl had difficulty in expressing herself with it...where she had to play fast but yet produced the loud and clear sounds...where she had to play faster and produced a light continuous twinkling sounds. Sometimes I was amazed seeing her finger danced on the keys not elegantly like the pros but it looked pretty awesome for me. She had tried her best (I knew it)...she gave the best and I knew perfectly that she had won. She won because she defeated herself (her shyness to perform in a solemn and intimidating atmosphere of a competition)...because she tackled this song...and because she kept trying and practicing (even when her parent didn't expect her to bring home a trophy)...and because she braced herself to play (regardless her cold feet). So for all these, she deserved my-standing-applause. Bravo girl!

The music score

Congratulation for winning the second place for Junior B category girl...уσυ rock!
Click here to watch her playing (on YouTube)