Piano students from the School of Music in Beacon Bay excelled in their recent Trinity College music exams, walking away with scores of above 80% in their different grades.
Gabriel du Toit, a Grade 8 pupil, scored 89% on his Grade 3 piano exam, matric pupil Shuoyi Chen achieved 83% on her Grade 8 piano exam, and Zhiqi Chen scored 83% on her Grade 6 exam.
Their teacher, Widor du Toit, was thrilled with their results, especially as all three performed advanced pieces beyond their age level.
Gabriel, who only started playing piano about seven months ago, said while doing the exam had been daunting, he hoped that with more practice and exposure he would feel more confident in the future.
Teacher, Widor du Toit said his students did not have enough opportunities to perform in public, and the school intended to host more concerts next year.
Shuoyi will progress to the advanced exams next year and said her ambition was to sharpen her sight-reading skills.
She hopes she will eventually be able to play a piece effortlessly without having to rehearse it.
Zhiqi said playing the piano had taught her to be more disciplined and to bring her own interpretation to the works of classical masters.
Gabriel said he had a new appreciation for the arts since having taken up piano.
“It’s a skill you can use afterward and when you understand how much hard work has gone into someone’s composition, you appreciate it more.”
