We spoke to Felix – a talented pianist – about his love for music.
At three years old I started to fiddle around on the piano as I liked to make the sounds. When I was about four-years-old, I used to sit at our piano and copy tunes that I had heard, teaching myself before I had lessons. At four years old I had my right eye removed and more chemotherapy. My treatment on my left eye continued until I was seven-years-old and I spent long days and nights in hospital. I would always take a keyboard in with me to play on. I started having piano lessons with a teacher at about five years old and still have piano lessons now at seventeen years old.
My favourite thing about playing the piano is enjoying making music and listening to the sound that I produce. I love how each note has its individual pitch. I enjoy performing and playing so other people can enjoy my music.
There have been multiple achievements. My greatest achievement so far with my music has been getting a distinction at ABRSM Grade 7 piano. I also got a distinction in my ABRSM Grade 5 music theory a couple of years ago, and last summer I passed my music GCSE with a Grade 9.
Only having one eye – and I can’t see very much out of that eye – means that I can’t see the music on the stave to read it. This means that I have to learn the piano by ear and memory. I have to remember all the notes, which fingers to use, dynamics, articulation and pitch. I have perfect pitch, so this really helps me know what key I am playing in and is very useful for my aural tests when working out modulations and cadences. Due to my music theory, I understand how music is notated, as I have learnt this all on a large stave; however, I can’t read the music to play from as my vision is not that good. I think that losing my vision has heightened my hearing and I can pick out the pitch of notes which is incredibly useful and a great advantage.
As a dedicated musician, I am looking forward to working towards my ABRSM Grade 8 piano exam. At the moment I am doing a two-year Music Performance Diploma at college and get to perform most weeks. At college I also enjoy composing jazz music for the piano. My future career will be music-related. I may become a performer, a composer or a pop artist.
