By Clara Chalmers
Lily Yan, a dedicated violinist and pianist, commenced her musical career goaded on by pure, unvarnished sibling rivalry. Like most children locked in that familiar unabated competition to win their parent’s affections, or outstrip, through any means possible, the other, Lily, with the additional incentive of being the youngest, loved to triumph over her older sister. Her instrumental prowess served, thus, as an opening to garner superiority, particularly as both the Yan Family and Lily’s previous school harboured a deep passion for music, much to the dread of her sister, who was known to return home from piano lessons sobbing. She continued playing primarily for the pleasure of being the “better,” or at least, more complacent child, but soon developed a immense pleasure for all instruments and, sibling competitiveness aside, adopted the violin into her repertoire. Lily then continued to hone this craft, improving year by year not solely out of continual practice, but the obtainment of other, unrelated experiences.
According to her, a good musician successfully conveys the emotions of a given piece, an ability better expressed as one undergoes and begins to understand a wider range of feelings, influenced by, as she says, “everything.” Tapping into her emotional faculties and performing for appreciative friends or family always precipitates much merriment, and Lily is prone to pick up the violin just to play or intersperse tedious homework with some fashion of festivity. The violen’s sole purpose, however, is not just to divert; Lily has also secured much pride from her accomplishments. Besides completing the prestigious ARCT piano exam a couple of years ago, she has also managed to take her evident talent and use it for philanthropic intents. In 2010, Japan underwent a devastating tsunami, news that affected grade two-ers Lily and her friend deeply. Unlike most girls their age, the two girls were determined to “do something” about this remote tragedy and promptly hosted a concert to raise money for UNICEF. The initiative collected a impressive sum of $3000, and continues to rack up vast donations each year, amounting to, as of the annual 2017 concert, $50,000.
Lily Yan, a dedicated violinist and pianist, commenced her musical career goaded on by pure, unvarnished sibling rivalry. Like most children locked in that familiar unabated competition to win their parent’s affections, or outstrip, through any means possible, the other, Lily, with the additional incentive of being the youngest, loved to triumph over her older sister. Her instrumental prowess served, thus, as an opening to garner superiority, particularly as both the Yan Family and Lily’s previous school harboured a deep passion for music, much to the dread of her sister, who was known to return home from piano lessons sobbing. She continued playing primarily for the pleasure of being the “better,” or at least, more complacent child, but soon developed a immense pleasure for all instruments and, sibling competitiveness aside, adopted the violin into her repertoire. Lily then continued to hone this craft, improving year by year not solely out of continual practice, but the obtainment of other, unrelated experiences.
According to her, a good musician successfully conveys the emotions of a given piece, an ability better expressed as one undergoes and begins to understand a wider range of feelings, influenced by, as she says, “everything.” Tapping into her emotional faculties and performing for appreciative friends or family always precipitates much merriment, and Lily is prone to pick up the violin just to play or intersperse tedious homework with some fashion of festivity. The violen’s sole purpose, however, is not just to divert; Lily has also secured much pride from her accomplishments. Besides completing the prestigious ARCT piano exam a couple of years ago, she has also managed to take her evident talent and use it for philanthropic intents. In 2010, Japan underwent a devastating tsunami, news that affected grade two-ers Lily and her friend deeply. Unlike most girls their age, the two girls were determined to “do something” about this remote tragedy and promptly hosted a concert to raise money for UNICEF. The initiative collected a impressive sum of $3000, and continues to rack up vast donations each year, amounting to, as of the annual 2017 concert, $50,000.
As increasing academic strain bears down upon Lily, her daily practice regime fluctuates, and competition attendance declines. However, her dedication, luckily, has remained immune to stressful workloads, and she emphasizes, for the sake of prospective musicians, how important remaining attune to your instrument is. A short break can lead to a massive setbacks, demonstrated when Lily returned after three weeks to her violin and immediately acquired sore fingers. Although she does not plan to pursue her skills professionally, devotion is evident in all her interactions with both instruments. In Lily’s own words, “both violin and piano have been such a big part of my life for so long that I wouldn’t be able to imagine myself not being able to play.” This relationship can also be spotted in a motley assemblage of “viola jokes,” a collection only a true musician would have:
Q: How can you tell when a violist is playing out of tune?
A: You can see the bow moving.
Q: What’s the difference between a violist and a vacuum cleaner?
A: You have to plug in the vacuum cleaner before it sucks.
Q: What is the one thing a violinist can do better than a violist?
A: Play the viola.