Jakarta's child musicians relax classical conventions<\/p>\n
By Yenni Kwok<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The classical music performance suddenly lost
\nits usual stiffness.<\/p>\n
Little children smiled, trying not to giggle on stage. Even
\nthe older audience, mostly parents of the young performers, could
\nnot help smiling as they watched the children show off their
\nmusical skills. Laughter filled the air when a little boy and a
\ngirl entered the stage, holding hands.<\/p>\n
For the second time, Erasmus Huis, the Netherlands Cultural
\nCenter, collaborated with the Yayasan Musik Jakarta School of
\nMusic to display the talents of the school's youngsters. Last
\nFriday, 22 young performers, from six to 21 years old, braved the
\naudience to give their best instrumental performance.<\/p>\n
The first recital was held last year, when Erasmus Huis
\ninvited the school for a concert as well as a try-out of the
\ncultural center's brand-new Yamaha piano.<\/p>\n
Most of the 19 performances were piano pieces. Some were
\nsolos, a few were duets. There were also pieces combining piano
\nwith other instruments: piano with violin, piano with recorder,
\nand piano with cello and recorder.<\/p>\n
The string instruments were the hardest for the children. In
\nthe piano-cello-recorder trio performance, 10 year-old Anthony
\nJaya struggled with his cello, playing H. Purcell's Gigue. But
\nhe excelled while playing Purcell's Rondeau on piano, performing
\na duet with recorder player Hanne Widjaja.<\/p>\n
Young violinists Mona Ariane and Anna Tamboto, who played a
\nduet with the piano also stumbled while performing their
\nclassical pieces.<\/p>\n
\"The string instruments are difficult instruments. There is no
\nspecific spot to hit the desired note. If we miss half a
\nmillimeter, the sound will be different,\" said Dr. Kuei Pin Yeo,
\nthe founder-director of Yayasan Musik Jakarta School of Music.<\/p>\n
Another reason is the children's lack of experience. The
\nchildren who played the violins or the cello have only played the
\ninstruments for about one year.<\/p>\n
\"But, after watching their performances, they were not too
\nbad, were they?\" Dr. Kuei asked.<\/p>\n
Despite the mistakes, the children kept playing, maintaining
\ntheir serious faces. And, the audience clapped encouragingly for
\neach performer, no matter how good or bad they played.<\/p>\n
It was not a night of perfection. However, it was not meant to
\nbe. As Dr. Kuei said, \"We just wanted the children to enjoy
\nmaking music.\"<\/p>\n
Simple<\/p>\n
To avoid a far too serious night, most of the performed pieces
\nwere fun and simple. Even the classical music pieces the older
\nstudents played were fun, uncomplicated ones.<\/p>\n
For example, 14 year-old Shirley Hilsen played Frank
\nSchubert's Impromptu Opus 90 No. 2, while Prajna Indrawati
\nKurnia, 16, entertained the audience with Chopin's Fantasy
\nImpromptu.<\/p>\n
Impromptu is a light piece, with only one movement. It is not
\nvery complicated, but still contains a fantastic emotion. As a
\npiece from the Romantic era, which was usually performed for a
\nsocial gathering, an impromptu was the right choice for this
\nlaid-back atmosphere of this concert.<\/p>\n
Amidst the dominance of western composers, 15 year-old Ferius
\ngave an Indonesian touch with Mochtar Embut's Kamajaya. The
\npiece, strongly influenced by Sundanese music, brought a romantic
\nand sweet mood to the audience.<\/p>\n
The star of the night was Sri Wiyanti, a 19 year-old college
\nstudent, who closed the performance with Ravel Ondine. Learning
\npiano since she was six years old, Sri's piano technical skills
\nwere superb, and her interpretation of the song was outstanding.<\/p>\n
Her promising talent brought both proud and sentimental
\nfeeling to Dr. Kuei, who herself is one of the top pianists in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
\"Sri has studied music at the school since she was little.
\nShe had played music even before she knew how to read letters. It
\nis a satisfying feeling to see what she has become now.\"<\/p>\n
Since Dr. Kuei founded Yayasan Musik Jakarta School of Music
\nin 1983, it has taught music to children as young as three years
\nold. Currently opening in four locations in Jakarta, the school
\noffers lessons in various musical instruments, as well as teaches
\nsinging lessons to children and adults.<\/p>\n
Raising good, professional musicians, however, are not their
\nultimate goal.<\/p>\n
\"We do not expect everyone to be a professional musician. We
\nhope that we are building educated listeners, who can support the
\nexistence of the classical music in Indonesia,\" Dr. Kuei said.<\/p>",
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