A sudden group drawing. As the commotion rises, Mr. Alberto calms the class.
“I expect there will be many complaints. However, this is the board’s policy to bring some changes to the music concert, which has been conducted in a similar format every year.”
While the stage for general students is free, the second act has always been a classical feast performed by music scholarship students.
The level is high because they prepare with great effort as if it were a competition, but this year, it was decided to create an environment where they had to choose a more diverse range of genres in line with the times.
“If we form teams like this, the preferred music genres would be different, and the level of handling instruments would vary. Compromise will be necessary. I expect creativity from the participants.”
“Hmm…”
Groans can be heard here and there.
“The intention is good, but… we are the ones who have to suffer. Who will do the arrangement to match the level? My head already hurts.”
“Oh, please. I hope I end up with someone who knows how to play an instrument.”
“At least they should have some music sense.”
Music scholarship students could hardly hide their anxiety.
“Still, didn’t the Goldstein siblings learn quite systematically?”
“Maybe not Jessie, but Kyle can play the guitar a bit? I think I’ve heard him singing surrounded by girls all the time.”
“Hey, where would you use a guitar? I can’t even think of a proper classical piece.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to collaborate than with someone who is completely lacking in skills?”
“…I guess. I don’t like either, so I’d rather do it alone.”
They were already strategizing fiercely, putting their heads together.
“Right, Sasha. What about you?”
Then one of them suddenly turned to a boy sitting at the back.
“What the heck. He’s looking at sheet music alone in this chaos.”
“As expected, a competition winner is different. He’s the kind of guy who finds his center and plays music even in a storm.”
Sasha, with his neat golden pomade hairstyle, was humming to himself while looking at sheet music. He seemed so absorbed in his own world that he didn’t even notice a few people were staring at him.
“Sasha?”
Only when someone tapped him on the shoulder did light return to his eyes.
“Hmm? Did you call me?”
“You were planning to participate with a piano solo piece this time, right? What are you going to do now?”
“You’re totally screwed in your senior year. Whoever you team up with, the skill gap will be severe.”
Despite other students’ concerns, he remained calm.
“It’s okay. There are many ways to harmonize any sound. If the other person can only produce single notes, I can fill in the rest to create rich music.”
“…Ah!”
Being exceptional students, they gained a lot of insight even from Sasha’s simple words.
“There was a way like that. Even if you teach them just a simple melody, you can cover it well enough as a duet!”
“Whether two people participate or several teams combine for an ensemble, if we divide the parts clearly, it won’t be too noticeable.”
“On the contrary, we might stand out more by comparison. Awesome.”
They were already excitedly exchanging various ideas. It seemed they had forgotten their worries about the concert.
‘It’s also fun to work with beginners.’
Sasha, who simply loved music, was happy regardless of who he worked with. He already felt stuck in a rut with the same routine and interactions with similar scholarship students.
‘Will this give me new stimulation?’
Sasha refocused on his sheet music.
‘This piece is quite difficult.’
In fact, what mattered to him was not the school’s music concert but his mentor’s assignment piece. The performance itself required significant skill, but following his mentor’s interpretation of the piece had kept him occupied for weeks.
“…”
Sasha was so engrossed in the world of musical notes that he didn’t even realize Mr. Alberto had approached him.
“Alright, Sasha. The student with the same number on their slip is your partner.”
He unfolded the slip without much thought.
[7]
‘Who could it be?’
He quietly looked around.
Some kids looked happy to find their partners, while many others seemed barely able to hold back curses.
‘Well, most of the kids here handle instruments to some extent for extra points for college anyway.’
Sasha, with eyes full of curiosity, looked for his partner.
Just then, a very famous Asian student in the school approached him first.
“Number 7?”
As soon as he heard this, a flicker of confusion crossed Sasha’s gentle eyes.
‘No distinct features on his fingers?’
Sasha had sharp observational skills. He could usually tell with high accuracy what instrument someone played just by looking at their hands.
‘This is unexpected.’
In his standard, a ‘beginner’ was someone who hadn’t professionally learned music but had at least consistently played one instrument.
But no matter how he looked, this kid was a blank slate. Whether they had taken a long break or didn’t know music at all, it was challenging.
“My name is Hyun. You’re Sasha, right?”
Deep in thought, Sasha finally bumped fists with his partner.
“Perfect score on the level test and a basketball team member. Aren’t you a master of two very different fields?”
“Not a master.”
He smiled sheepishly. It didn’t seem fake, which was surprising.
‘When someone is that good at something, they usually show off. He seems to have a good personality more than I thought.’
Sasha’s impression of Hyunsoo improved significantly.
“Have you learned any instruments?”
“I learned piano until elementary school.”
“Can you read sheet music?”
“Hmm… I can still read Czerny and Hanon. I like learning, so I’ll study hard.”
“Haha, I see.”
For a moment, Sasha’s shoulders dropped.
‘A complete beginner. A rare case even among general scholarship students.’
It’s not that he looked down on Czerny or Hanon books. They had continuously been revised to address their long-criticized weaknesses, and building any kind of foundation was commendable.
‘It means he played the piano just as a hobby.’
However, such books were mainstream methods in general academies to teach groups efficiently, and from Sasha’s perspective, they didn’t even count as proper teaching methods.
Each person has different hand shapes and inclinations.
Even though it’s the same piano, the person playing it is different, so to establish even the ‘basics,’ it was crucial to have a skilled teacher constantly correcting posture and adjusting the pace to the student’s development.
‘This is going to be tough.’
Sasha thought for a moment and then forced a smile.
“Then, should we meet once this week to plan together? We can discuss which piece to play and whether to collaborate with other teams.”
Even if he didn’t care as much as other students about the concert, he couldn’t just do it half-heartedly. It was also a matter of reputation, and his mentor might attend.
“Sure. I’ll practice hard and come.”
Still, Sasha liked Hyunsoo’s enthusiastic attitude.
“I’ll look forward to it.”
‘Since his attitude is good, maybe I can teach him a bit this time.’
“…You’re in the same team as Sasha?”
For some reason, Kyle, who was following Jessie, seemed particularly wary upon hearing that Hyunsoo was in the same group as Sasha.
“He’s a real genius, isn’t he? He even appeared in professional magazines as one of the world’s top 10 prospects. He learned from Daniel Baum since he was young, so he’s on a different level. He’s already a competition winner.”
“Why? Do you feel like you’ve already lost?”
At Jessie’s taunt, Kyle waved his hand.
“Lost already? I’m just worried about you. Even if it’s a group performance, it’ll be embarrassing if there’s a big skill gap. …You’re not good with instruments, are you?”
“Me? I was pretty good at piano for an elementary school student.”
“And you stopped after that?”
When Hyunsoo nodded, Kyle’s complexion visibly brightened.
“You’re going to have a hard time. Music students are very sensitive… If there’s anything you don’t know, ask me. I’m good with various instruments.”
Jessie chuckled.
“You speak confidently for someone who can’t play any of them properly.”
“Well, we’ll see about that. Then, the musical genius will be off first. Try your best.”
With a much more relaxed face, Kyle drew a V and left first.
“I’m a bit sorry…”
Once the crowd thinned, Jessie cautiously started to speak.
“Why would you be?”
“I suggested we take the class together. You said you wanted to learn an instrument again, so I recommended it. It’s more fun to practice with a goal like a concert. It also motivates you.”
“You’re right. And I agreed too.”
“But originally, I recommended it because it was supposed to be us general scholarship students participating. If we did a collaborative piece with several people, it wouldn’t be too burdensome, and we could practice fun.”
Hyunsoo patted her shoulder, signaling her not to worry.
“I think this will be fun too. When else would I get a chance to perform on stage with someone like Sasha? If he becomes successful later, I can brag about it. I once stood shoulder to shoulder with the best pianist.”
Jessie couldn’t help but laugh.
“That’s a good way to think. If you need anything, let me know. As the student council president, I’ll approve the scholarship funds right away. Even if not, my house has a variety of instruments, so it will be helpful.”
“Thanks. I think I’ll get a keyboard this time. Can I use the scholarship funds for that?”
“Of course. With Mr. Soderman no longer interfering, anything related to you is almost a free pass. Just send me the link to the model you like.”
“I’ll send it today. Thanks.”
After parting with Jessie, Hyunsoo stopped by the library before heading home and borrowed as many piano-related books and sheet music as he could.
He also visited a bookstore and bought any books that caught his interest.
‘This is unfortunate.’
With his backpack about to burst and both hands already full of books, he had no choice but to head home with a regretful face.
“It’s sad to be a weak human.”
As much as he wanted to dive into the world of books, he had to eat first.
It was a time when even a falling leaf made him hungry. No matter how focused he was on reading, within a few hours, he would lose to his appetite.
Having to forcibly stop in the middle of being deeply immersed is as disappointing as having to cut short a gratifying experience after a month of constipation.
‘Shall I start in earnest now?’
After eating a moderate six servings, Hyunsoo looked over the pile of books with a satisfied face.
‘This brings back memories.’
He couldn’t help but love books.
For someone who couldn’t move much, new ‘experiences’ meant indirect experiences through books.
Even if he wanted to learn many things, he couldn’t try them directly, so he had to learn theoretically. After that, he lived a life of vicarious satisfaction through videos.
‘Books are still the best.’
Even in his healthy state, he enjoyed learning through books.
His brain worked faster, and his thoughts became clearer, making his reading depth unique.
Once he read something, he remembered the entire text, and the second time he read, he understood everything.
‘I’ve read more books than I thought.’
He first recalled the related books he had read in the past.
The textbooks he had seen in elementary school were of an elementary level, and he had read quite a few piano-related general knowledge books.
‘It’s like a library in my head.’
Hyunsoo had learned a lot about the mindset and values of pianists through their lives as depicted in these general knowledge books.
Especially their passion for the piano, which met the frustrations latent in his inner self, causing a fierce chemical reaction.
‘I really want to play the piano.’
His fingers itched intensely. He was tormented by a fierce desire that was hard to endure.
But since he hadn’t even ordered the piano yet, he decided to comfort himself by studying sheet music for now.
‘The pitch is surprisingly vague.’
He thought it would be easy since he had revived his elementary school piano experience… But without perfect pitch, he couldn’t grasp exactly what notes were just by looking.
To establish a solid system, he started learning from scratch again.
First, he searched the internet for the most basic do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-si-do sounds.
-♩♩♩♩♩♩♩
Even though he could figure out the interval between notes by looking at the sheet music, if the reference notes were shaky, it was useless.
Hyunsoo calmly listened to and memorized each note.
‘This isn’t hard.’
Once he got the pitch, reading sheet music became much more enjoyable.
The notes started to ‘sound’ when he saw them.
-♩♫♪
He could really hear the exact notes in his head just by looking.
‘A new world.’
Hyunsoo excitedly opened the beginner’s textbook he had brought from school.
The first page of the level 1 piano textbook for beginners was Bach’s [Minuet in G major].
Hyunsoo ‘read’ the sheet music and heard the music.
The Minuet in G major played in his mind.
At first, the tempo was sometimes off, or the pitch wavered… But whenever that happened, he retraced his memory to recall the sense of rhythm and corrected the pitch.
He even watched videos of the piece being played to narrow the gap between what he played in his mind and what he saw.
‘This is so fun.’
Hyunsoo wore a faint smile.
Reading text was comprehending words, but reading sheet music made him hear music.
‘I should have tried this kind of reading sooner.’
Even though he had lived with books in the past, he was experiencing this level of music reading for the first time. If he had known this kind of reading was possible, his life would have been a bit more enriched.
The world of music was that enjoyable.
Hyunsoo put away the level 1 textbook, which contained several pieces by Bach, and immediately proceeded to level 2 and then level 3, reading them sequentially.
“Hmm.”
The pieces gradually became more complex. But since he was already used to reading sheet music, applying it wasn’t difficult.
However, there were parts that bothered him like a thorn in his throat.
