2018-05-12

【Aiden in English】

        I can’t seem to fathom how far I’ve taken piano. At the start, I was pretty certain piano had literally no use in my life other than a skill that my mom can brag about at parties. Then again, come to think of it, I’m also pretty certain other kids feel the same way at first. Once the initial phase is over, you enter the period where you are good enough to play actual songs near profession levels with the help of a teacher. At this point, I begin to expand my playing styles, from the original classical music to movie scores and jazz. This continues to fuel my interest.

        Simultaneously with piano, my skill on the sax grows correlatively. I join the Pennbrook Jazz Band and experience for probably the first time what it feels to sacrifice so much into a group contribution. It was hard since my jazz background was minimal, and I didn’t have anyone to go for help other than during jazz practice. However, I think that this year was pretty successful, obtaining Superior at every jazz festival we went to. 

        On the contrary, I’ve never won nor received honors in any piano competition other than the Golden Key Music Festival since I started to play piano at age 7, which guarantees a prize pretty much no matter what the performance is. Now I suppose I’ve delayed enough, so here it is: I’m probably going to stop piano lessons after I pass the piano exams recognized by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM). I know, it feels like a waste to end it so suddenly after eight years, but it’s now or later, so I choose now. Homework is becoming a legitimate problem for once, and the out of school activities are picking up the pace. If there is a good time to quit, it would be soon.

        This is only a warning. I haven’t decided on ending it until around later this year. There are a bunch of horror stories about the tenth grade and the vamped up classes in North Penn HS, which partially influenced my decision. The other is that I know at some point I would reach the limit of skill. By no means, I am talented, which is somewhat why I’m surprised as to my progress. Recently, I’ve felt that I’ve taken enormous steps, much larger than when I first started. Maybe because I’m expanding my music collection or because maturity, but I don’t think these two factors will be enough to motivate me through the tenth or eleventh grade. While I may be stopping lessons, I’ll still use my skills in other events. 

        While this may soon be the end of an adventure, I will say life always goes on, but things you learn never leave. For the longest time, I felt as if getting rid of the piano from my mind would be nice, but recently, after experimenting on other music, I discovered how much fun exploring music on your own can be. However, perhaps this is a bit of my mom’s fault as well, but I practiced some songs for way too long. For example, a few years ago while I was still coming into the later years of elementary school, I practiced a basic Mozart piece for at least a quarter of a year in order to make a perfect pitch upon an upcoming piano competition. That was near unbearable, considering I essentially had the song down after three months (in fact, my level went down as I continued to play, probably because of carelessness). Furthermore, mom pressured me into extreme situations, including this one particular traumatizing moment when I was forced to play on the main stage piano in the lobby of the cruise ship. Just thinking about it makes me want to curl up in a corner. Moments like these really discouraged my overall enjoyment of music. As a matter of fact, they very much diverted me from enjoying classical music in general for about three years. What reignited my interest within was movie scores, with tender melodies and the ability to bring about emotions unlike any other type of music. Along with jazz, recent events have sparked quite a new burn for music.

        However, after this year’s Golden Key Fest, I’m kind of onto the final stretch of things. Maybe something along this line will change my mind, but the track, as of right now, is clear.

【紅霞譯文】

        我好像無法理解怎麼會與鋼琴結緣，原本以為除了在聚會上可以被媽媽當成炫耀資本幾乎別無用途，回頭仔細再想，其他同伴肯定也有同樣的感覺。一旦度過起步階段，在老師的幫助下琴技逐步達到足以彈奏高難度的音樂作品，我由此入手開始拓寬演奏風格，從古典音樂至電影插曲再到爵士樂，方才不斷培養出對音樂的興趣愛好。

        隨着琴藝日見進步，本人薩克斯管吹奏水平也相應提高，加盟賓溪初中爵士樂隊恐怕是我平生第一次樂意不惜代價，說來並非易事，畢竟在這方面自己底子薄經驗差，平常又無人指導，僅靠樂隊排練學點爵士技巧。就這麼一年光景，咱樂隊總是載譽而歸，逐個摘取爵士節桂冠。

        相反地，自打七歲初學鋼琴以來，我除了在“金鑰匙音樂節”上展露頭角從未拿過其它比賽名次，暫且不談個人演技如何，唯有音樂節保證讓我掛個名得塊牌，現在看來我過於優柔寡斷，這麼說吧：待英國皇家音樂學院考級結束我真有可能打退堂鼓，經過八年抗戰，突然告別鋼琴未免感覺前功盡棄，但該發生的事情終究要發生，不如就此打住，再說家庭作業極度加劇，課外活動越來越多，如果想找機會做一了斷，還得趕早不趕晚。

        這只是預警而已，沒準兒到了年底我才會拿定主意。高二需要嚴陣以待，而北賓州高中早已草木皆兵，多多少少左右我的決定，何況本人鋼琴技巧已發展到極限，腦子本來就不夠使喚，能取得今天的成績已然超乎意料。最近我進步很大，甚至比剛開始學琴時更加明顯，也許離不開音樂積澱，或者歸咎長大成人，但是單憑這兩個因素尚不足以激勵我走過高二乃至高三，好在即使停止鋼琴深造，我還會把這項才藝發揚光大。

        鋼琴生涯可能即將結束，但在我看來生活總要繼續，學到的東西永遠不會離你而去。長久以來，我巴不得把鋼琴拋到九霄雲外，直到最近因為接觸了其它音樂才發覺憑藉個人愛好去搞音樂該有多大樂趣，這不能不怪媽媽失策，我在某些曲目上耗費太多功夫。記得幾年前正值小學高年級階段，為了追求視奏演技完美，我至少花上一個季度反覆揣摩簡單明了的莫扎特作品，無聊到了極點，三個月下來這首曲子被彈得臭不可聞（可能因為練琴時心不在焉而殃及彈奏水平）。此外，媽媽還讓我困窘不堪，有回竟然強迫我在遊輪大廳演奏，我恨不能鑽進犄角旮旯，音樂帶來的精神享受頓時蕩然無存。之後一連三年我不再熱衷古典音樂，幸虧電影配樂別具一格，婉轉細膩的旋律和震撼心靈的魅力重新喚起內在激情，另有爵士一路相伴，近來學校活動給音樂注入了新的元素。

        然而，今年“金鑰匙音樂節”過後我要着手掃尾工作，期間也許想法還會發生變化，但到目前為止去意已決。

Today in History(歷史上的今天):

2014: In Memory of Glada Hurt(紀念哥蘭達赫特)

Crosslinks(相關博文):

2017 Golden Key in Carnegie Hall(2017年卡內基金鑰匙音樂節)

2016 Golden Key in Carnegie Hall(2016年卡內基金鑰匙音樂節)

2015 Golden Key in Carnegie Hall(2015年卡內基金鑰匙音樂節)

2014 Golden Key in Carnegie Hall(2014年卡內基金鑰匙音樂節)

2013年卡內基金鑰匙音樂節(2013 Golden Key in Carnegie Hall)