Feature Image from mfiles.com

This event occurred during the last few weeks of the school period.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from life under lockdown, its that it’s up to my own initiative to identify my own strengths and develop them towards areas of growth. My passion for the violin is one of these aspects that has not left me during these months. It has been a challenge without the usual school activities like Concert Band where I have that opportunity to connect with others while I play the violin. I’ve decided that a way to fill this void could also come through developing new skills as I find new ways to express my appreciation of music. I planned a project in which I was able to create my own ensemble as I played three different parts of a piece and put them together in a video. I chose Mozart’s famous Eine Kleine Nachtmusik as it acts as an iconic small ensemble piece that I could recreate on my violin largely in three parts. I played the first, second, and third (viola) violin parts though, unfortunately, I could not play the cello part as it was not viable on the violin. Yet, I committed myself to this project, practicing all three parts and persevering through hours of practice and recording, re-recording, and putting it all together. Though this was a solo project, I learned to work within myself to create a performance that worked in collaboration with all the different videos and takes. I was inspired by undertaking this project as hundreds of musicians from all over the world have created similar ensemble pieces on video to show their neverending love for music and collaboration with others to make music. I think that my contribution reflects this overall trend and it has given a lot of people drive and purpose during a time of great uncertainty. I hope I can inspire others to put their commitment into projects they are passionate about regardless of a lockdown barrier.

Video was taken by Kenji Tan.