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This piece is dedicated to Mr. Bob Isaac, who taught me not to settle, inspired me to be comfortable with myself, believe in myself and follow my passion no matter the odds.
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Reflections is a collection of music I wrote in 2020. I wrote these pieces at a time in my life where I’m trying to look back at the past with positivity. I’ve always focussed too much on the negatives in my life, and I want to focus on all the good things. This project is being completed in many forms, such as printing photos and putting them into albums, playing old pieces I haven’t played in years, and more.
Each piece in this portfolio represents and is inspired by some of the best aspects and influences throughout my life. Each piece is dedicated to the particular person that was the primary influencer of the piece.
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The idea behind The Meadow came from a funny moment during my GCSE music class. One lesson, the teacher stated that the name of a piece is important, and how one shouldn’t use a random name such as The Meadow. This resulted in every time he asked for ideas for another pupil’s piece, someone would suggest The Meadow as a joke.
This piece therefore has two roles: the piece’s simplistic nature intends to reflect the innocence and tranquillity of a meadow. However, it also represents the simplicity of life when I was in school, as well as the support and influence from that teacher.
Another funny moment involving that teacher was that they would constantly talk about Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, and used it in many examples, which was very helpful when by pure coincidence it appeared in the final exam. As another nod to the teacher, the composer has included some subtle references to the fanfare.
This piece also reminds us that as happy as the journey through school can be, eventually it has to end. But despite this, the story never ends...
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I had the same music teacher from Year 9 all the way through to Year 13. At our very first parents evening, he asked me if I knew what I wanted to do with my life, and I responded saying I wanted to be a secondary music teacher. He stared at me for a few moments, and then said “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I think you would be wasted as a teacher.” This was the first time in my life anyone had said anything like that to me. He was the first teacher to ever really believe in me, and for the next six years he continued to encourage me, but never tried to change my dream.
In our penultimate lesson of Year 13, I was the only student to attend. He and I had a long discussion about what was next, and he told me that he had seen a growth those past six years, not just in my musical knowledge but whom I was as a person. He could see that I had become more comfortable with myself, choosing to dress the way I want rather than what was common, doing things not because there was some strategic value in them but because I enjoyed them. He encouraged me to continue to do that later in life, and that is what I have tried to do.
He was, and still is one of my biggest inspirations, and so this piece is for him.
- Genre
- Classical