This blog is about a girl who likes playing music, has talent in music, and excelled in it as a result. Her name is Elva, and she’s been learning the piano since her kindergarten years, where she tried out a few other teachers at first and ended up with me from 2021 onwards.
2021 was the year she started her music exams journey. She enjoyed it very much! She diligently learnt and practiced the concepts being taught to her after every lesson, helping her advance rapidly. Grades 1 and 2, which were meant to be done in the duration of a year or even a year and a half each, were both completed in the duration of around 8 to 9 months in total. This included all other aspects like scales, arpeggios, sight-reading, aural, and music theory.
She went on to embark on her Grades 3 and 4 journey in 2022, completing both with distinctions! Her family and myself were so proud of her. She has also always received praise for how well she played music.
Nonetheless, nothing is always as easy as it seems. As the pressure builds up in preparation for Grade 5 and beyond, she has had times where she felt strained and worn out, even falling sick while finishing up on her Grade 4 recordings.
In spite of that, she continues to have interest in learning new music and improving after every lesson. She has learnt a few famous pieces to date, pieces like Fur Elise, River Flows in You, Salut d’Amour, and Moonbeams. She would proudly perform these to her friends and relatives for the fun of it. To expand on her list, she is even undertaking Mozart’s Turkish March.
Elva’s talent, interest, hard work, and also equally as important - her supportive family, has brought her this far in her musical journey. As she reviews her past year and a half of fun and hard work, my hope is that she would feel inspired to get through all the pressures and tough times that the higher grades may bring. And for you, my reader, I hope this glimpse into her journey could inspire you to progress in your own journey as well.