As Riad Kudsi, Director of the Emirates Youth Orchestra introduced guest musician Elli Choi, an 8-year old child prodigy, violin virtuoso from Korea, at the 6th Emirates International Peace Music Festival, he said to the audience, “A year ago when I asked Elli what she wanted to play she told me Symphony Espagnole for Violin & Orchestra.”
He continued very solemnly, “It’s a very difficult piece that requires the years of experience of a very mature musician.” He smiled down at her, smiled out at the audience, and with that he started the orchestra.
After the introductory notes were played, with a fierce look of concentration she began. Elli’s fingers flew up and down the neck of that miniature violin with perfect pitch and the precision of a seasoned professional.
What is a Child Prodigy?
According to ScienceDaily.com “a child prodigy is a master of one or more skills or arts at an early age.” Typically these tendencies begin to show at around 11 years. Elli has a headstart as does Eljin Yoo, a young musician in the orchestra and son of Mimi Yang, who helped coordinate the festival. Eljin started playing violin at the age of 6.
As one of the organizers of the event, Yang was obviously bursting with pride that was equally dispersed among the visiting musicians, her son and the entire orchestra. She says that in the beginning it was her idea for Eljin to take violin lessons to balance the other activities he was involved in. He wasn’t particularly interested in music but his enthusiastic performance as an orchestra member at the Peace Music Festival that night showed he had come a long way in a short time.
“In the beginning I had to ask him to practice. He really liked playing violin but was not that passionate about it,” says Yang. “But when Mr. Kudsi put him in the orchestra as a third violinist, it changed everything. I still remember his first concert. He played his solo piece on the stage and played several orchestra pieces. When he heard for the first time the full orchestra performing live he was amazed that each different part together can make such beautiful sounds. He fell in love with the Hungarian Dance #5 by Antonio Brahms that day and a year later he was able to play that piece and was so happy that he could learn and play it!”
Music has been scientifically connected to higher brain function and Yang has seen first hand that introducing music early in children’s lives makes them progress faster academically than other kids. She has also witnessed a little healthy competition.
“He gets really challenged by anyone who plays better than him,” says Yang. “He watches videos of young violin virtuosos and asks Mr. Kudsi for the music sheets and asks him to teach him. Mr. Kudsi is very amused by the fact that he can discuss with Eljin famous violinists and specific composers.”
There are multiple benefits to the children of playing in an orchestra. Without even realizing it Eljin is honing his research and study skills along with his analytical skills that go hand in hand with reading sheet music. Yang feels that another benefit of being part of an orchestra is that it gives children like Eljin and Elli the motivation to get better when playing next to other musicians.
“The others are older and better and they play the most interesting parts of the music. Eljin is the youngest one, so for a boy it is natural to want to be like the older boys.”
Eljin started playing the violin when he was 6 years old and in a little more than a year he made second violinist. He’s is now dreaming of becoming a first violinist.
Whether it’s innate talent, a love of music or the joy of competition, nurturing a child’s musical talent (prodigy or not) can have lifelong benefits to both the child and music appreciators everywhere.
Anne O'Connell - Anne O’Connell has been a public relations professional since 1990 and has been working as a freelance writer and trainer since ...
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