International Cello Day (minor update)

For International Cello Day, I thought I'd go back to where it all started at the age of rising 6: the Royal Academy of Music group string classes (violin and cello) where I first learned to play the cello. As you can see in this photo I'm not playing a full sized cello that would be ridiculous at such a young age! All children start on small cellos just as they start on small violins. I could have gone either way: violin or cello? Having already started the violin earlier, I decided to choose to study the cello there because I had been keen to learn the instrument years back but it didn't happen because my mother favoured the violin. It's also a better instrument to begin with when you are little because they make tiny sized violins and Suzuki lessons were easier to find for that instrument locally 🎻. Here I am aged 3, practising the violin at home:

In the background you can see my first drum kit for kids and my astronaut suit hanging up on my playhouse, behind my bow hand. 

Before all this, I was already annoying my mother by insisting on playing her piano 🎹 instead of her 😂 when still a baby 👶. Here's a photo of me in action:

My mother taught me piano 🎹 until I went to school and so, aged 4, I started piano lessons there with an opera singer who taught music, especially at the senior school. So by the age of 6, I was playing all three instruments (and singing) as my main instruments. However, I was also still happily playing percussion instruments and the recorder for fun, alongside these four. 🙂🎵🎶🎵

So I'm passionate about children learning musical instruments. I am concerned about how much music education has suffered over the last two years, as well as the opportunities to meet up to play music or sing with others. 😒 All my singing studies have been undertaken in a group, initially with children of around my age then later with adults (men and women). 

Kids are never too young to start learning an instrument, in my view. It doesn't mean they have to become musicians, classical or otherwise, although I always wanted to be a musician, especially a cellist. But regardless of what the child chooses to do, it does enrich their life and help expand their concentration and learning capacity in subjects other than music as well.

I love music. I can't really imagine life without listening to music 🎧 or making music 🎼🎶🎵🎶🎵🎹🎻🎸💖💖💖💖💖💖

Here's a short extract from the Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No.1 which I initially recorded as a music accompaniment to a ballet YouTube Short I choreographed and performed (available to view on YouTube here). Obviously, Saint-Saëns didn't intend this concerto as ballet music - I put the two together. For International Cello Day, I've posted it on SoundCloud as a sample track from my new cello album I'm working on, 'CelloRealm'. As the subtitle to the playlist for this album states, all tracks will be short extracts as tasters of the full version to be released at a later date. 

Saint-Saëns: extract from CelloRealm

#WorldPianoDay and Music Education

I know this blog is about the cello but I did say I'll stray into talking about other instruments, especially ones I learnt to play. I wish I played the piano like Barenboim or Edna Stern but that's not going to happen. Nevertheless, I did start the piano before either the cello or the violin since my mother plays the piano. I was very good at it. I could play contrary motion by the age of 4. Then my mother brought home a keyboard. She was Head of Music at the time so when I had a spare moment I'd play it. I enjoyed playing with all the features on it! My mother wasn't keen on me playing it because I'd become less interested in the piano. She had a point. I do prefer the keyboard because I can use it for arranging music in different styles/genres. However, I'm so used to having a piano around that I take it for granted. My mother lives in vain hope that one day I'll practise the piano with as much passion as the cello. But I prefer string instruments, so that's unlikely, but I think I should work at it more because here I am preaching about how all children should learn the piano while I'm not putting in the hours myself!👍

On Facebook today, I posted the following:

🎹🎼🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵💖 The piano is a beautiful instrument. It enhances any room.  Moreover, learning to play the piano is fundamental to classical music in various ways: music theory, aural skills, singing, accompanying other musicians/singers, composing and, of course, becoming a pianist. However, the piano isn't just for classical musicians. Jazz piano (Norah Jones) is one such example (I've done courses on jazz piano although I'm classically trained); pop/rock/soul/hip hop/R&B stars can play the instrument e.g. Freddie Mercury, John Legend, Carole King; Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga; Alicia Keys (learned to play Beethoven and Mozart!); comedians can also play the piano e.g. Victor Borge, Victoria Wood. It's a versatile instrument. 

The good news is now it's possible for most people to learn this instrument because you can buy a roll-up piano for a reasonable price (£15-30) and it doesn't take up much room. Lessons are expensive so we need schools to teach whole class piano which is possible with the roll up piano! So let's get kids playing piano!🎹