(no subject)
On Saturday, I went to the Winners' Recital for a competition that I placed in. I only had to play one piece, and I didn't play my hard piece (Liszt's Funerailles), so my performance wasn't a big deal. Anyways, the competition was divided into age groups and there were two instruments: piano and violin. I'm not nearly as good at violin as I am piano, but I still like to think I'm competent at violin.
The program switched between piano and violin, so when the first violinist came up, a little girl who might have been in fourth grade, I thought to myself, "I wonder how good she'll be." Then she started playing her piece, which included many rapid-fire notes that climbed quite high up on the violin. Her sound wasn't the most beautiful thing ever, but she was using a small violin, and she was what...nine? That piece was far beyond my skill level. This girl placed second in the elementary violin division, so you can imagine how the rest of the violinists were.
It turns out that all the violinists who won prizes come from one of two teachers that dominate violin competitions in Seattle. I hear that other teachers don't even bother sending students, because they can't win. My violin teacher doesn't send anybody. Piano competitions, on the other hand, always have plenty of different winning teachers, which seems much more normal. Anyways, I got $60 for my second place in my age group. I actually got more than first place did in my group, because there was a first-place tie, which means the winners split the money alloted for first place, which was probably 80 bucks.
The program switched between piano and violin, so when the first violinist came up, a little girl who might have been in fourth grade, I thought to myself, "I wonder how good she'll be." Then she started playing her piece, which included many rapid-fire notes that climbed quite high up on the violin. Her sound wasn't the most beautiful thing ever, but she was using a small violin, and she was what...nine? That piece was far beyond my skill level. This girl placed second in the elementary violin division, so you can imagine how the rest of the violinists were.
It turns out that all the violinists who won prizes come from one of two teachers that dominate violin competitions in Seattle. I hear that other teachers don't even bother sending students, because they can't win. My violin teacher doesn't send anybody. Piano competitions, on the other hand, always have plenty of different winning teachers, which seems much more normal. Anyways, I got $60 for my second place in my age group. I actually got more than first place did in my group, because there was a first-place tie, which means the winners split the money alloted for first place, which was probably 80 bucks.