9-Year-Old Boy with Piano Has an 

Unforgettable Story to Tell Before His 

Performance at New York's Carnegie Hall

 

On February 20th, New York, USA brought an inspiring news to Xi'an Liangjiatan International School: Simon Yang from XLIS P4C, won the first place in the youth category of the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition, and was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York on December 24th, 2023.

As an outstanding benchmark in the international music industry, Carnegie Hall has always been a place of longing for artists around the world. It is remarkable that a 9-year-old boy like Simon will successfully take the stage at Carnegie Hall. One can't help but wonder what kind of family education could cultivate such a talented young pianist."

When meeting with Mrs. Jia, Simon's mother, her gentle demeanor and deliberate narration give the impression that she doesn't have grand ambitions for turning her son into a world-renowned pianist. Despite the fact that piano has become a part of Simon's life now, the origin of learning piano began by chance.

Simon’s Performance on Silk Road Music Competition at XLIS

Five years ago, Mrs. Jia and her family lived in Kuala Lumpur. Regretting not having the opportunity to learn a skill from a young age herself, she wanted to create more opportunities for her child's growth and thus chose piano for her son.

Initially, it was just a trial, but 4-year-old Simon was immediately captivated by the sound produced when he tapped the keys with his small fingers. Although the sounds were random and lacked structure, they had a unique appeal to little Simon, and thus began his relationship with the piano.

Five years of practice have passed in the blink of an eye. Since the day Simon started learning piano, 40 minutes of daily practice has become an unbreakable family routine. While interest is the starting point of learning the piano, it takes more than just liking it to become skilled and proficient.

Daily persistence and hard work are essential. The tedious music theory, difficult parts of new pieces, a playful and restless nature, and occasional emotional setbacks can all be stumbling blocks on the path to piano mastery.

In such situations, Mrs. Jia doesn't force Simon to sit at the piano, but instead loosens the reins a bit, allowing him to play and have fun to adjust his mood before practicing.

"Guiding is more effective than commanding," says Mrs. Jia. Over those 1,800 days and nights spent with the piano keys, the moonlight was not the only companion for Simon, but also his mother's unwavering presence.

Simon's diligence paid off. In 2021, recommended by his piano teacher in Kuala Lumpur, Simon participated in the prestigious IMAA International Youth Art Competition China Finals.

He passed each round with flying colors and ultimately won the first place in the final held in Dalian, China. Recalling the experience, Simon's mother, Mrs. Jia said, "Due to the quarantine requirements during the pandemic, I carried a 25-kilogram electronic keyboard across the ocean to ensure Simon could continue his practice.

Although it was challenging, I knew that not playing the piano for even a day might not show much difference, but after three days, there would be a noticeable gap. I wanted practicing the piano to become his habit." Winning a top prize in his first international competition boosted seven-year-old Simon's confidence, and he became even more dedicated to practicing.

Piano playing not only helped him improve his skills but also enhanced his coordination between hands, brain, and heart, as well as his focus, patience, and character. These daily practices quietly molded Simon's character.

“Shy but not introverted, Simon is a gentle boy.”according to Mrs. Jia's evaluation of her son. Through his piano practice, Simon has developed enduring focus and a tenacious character that have transferred to all aspects of his academic learning.

In 2021, Mrs. Jia and her family moved from Kuala Lumpur to Xi'an, and since Simon had already received an IB education in Malaysia, they chose Xi'an Liangjiatan International School without hesitation to secure a seamless continuation of his education.

Mrs. Jia believes that the most valuable aspect of the IB curriculum is its student-centered approach, where teaching and learning start from the students' interests and teachers need to understand their students' cognition and thoughts about things rather than just directly imparting knowledge.

Additionally, the IB program's curriculum may seem to only have an outline but actually demands higher requirements for students' comprehensive abilities."

"The inquiry-based learning unit has sparked Simon's keen interest in natural science. When encountering unfamiliar questions, he is accustomed to searching for answers on his own, watching all three seasons of the Serengeti Nature Reserve documentary and patiently trying to solve problems independently, truly embodying the student's position in exploration," Mrs. Jia added.

Simon's transformation is not only reflected in his learning but also in his interactions with teachers and classmates. Mrs. Jia still remembers when Simon first started kindergarten, he would cry every time he entered the school gate and would not say a word when he returned home from school.

Now, he looks forward to going to school every day, not only getting along well with his classmates but also becoming good friends with some older students. On the way home from school every day, he cannot wait to share his campus life with his parents."

When asked about any excellent parenting experience to share, Mrs. Jia said that Simon's current achievements cannot be achieved by family education alone. It is the result of joint education between family and school.

In particular, she mentioned that the school has been making comprehensive efforts since the beginning of this year, by holding a variety of informative and practical activities for parents to listen to their voices, solve their most urgent parenting concerns, and enable parents to bring the harvest back home and apply it in their family education practices, fostering a positive climate. "

The school has changed a lot in recent years, especially the Parent-Principal Coffees and Parent Open Day, which give me the opportunity to step into the campus, understand how the school operates every day, and see what my child is like at school every day. This can effectively eliminate misunderstandings between parents and the school and enhance mutual understanding."

Mrs. Jia is also a member of P4 PTA, and to be a good "sound tube" between the family and the school, she habitually checks school emails every day and hardly misses any information released by the school."

At the end of the year, Simon will embark on a journey to New York and step onto the stage that many great musicians dream of. It seems like a path towards the development of a new generation of pianists is unfolding before our eyes.

However, as a mother, Mrs. Jia stated that she has never planned any specific or concrete growth goals for her son because in her opinion, the purpose of learning piano is not to cultivate an artist, but to enable children to have the ability to perceive beauty and music from a young age. When he encounters setbacks in his growth, he can release and regulate his emotions through music, making music a lifelong companion.

Just like the excitement that Simon couldn't conceal when talking about his trip to New York, his journey of life has just begun, and there are more surprises and experiences waiting for him at the unknown corners. What kind of person he will become is up to him to decide.

即将登上纽约卡内基音乐厅的9岁男孩

与钢琴不得不说的故事

2月20日，美国纽约为西安梁家滩国际学校送来了一则振奋人心的消息：我校小学四年级C班学生Simon Yang在全美天才钢琴提琴竞赛 (American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition) 中荣获了少年组第一名的优异成绩，并受邀将于12月24日前往纽约卡内基音乐厅 (Carnegie Hall in New York) 进行表演。

作为国际乐坛的卓越标杆，卡内基音乐厅一直是全球艺术家们的神往之地，而年仅9岁的男孩Simon即将成功登台卡内基，不仅令人好奇，究竟是什么样的家庭教育能够培养出这样一位少年钢琴艺术家？

见到Simon妈妈贾女士时，她温柔的气质和慢条斯理的讲述给人一种先入为主的印象——对于将儿子培养成闻名世界的钢琴艺术家这件事，她似乎并没有太大的野心。尽管如今钢琴已经成为儿子生活的一部分，但学习钢琴的那个原点，却源于一个偶然的开始。

Simon在西安梁家滩国际学校首届丝绸之路古典音乐比赛中表演

五年前，贾女士一家还居住在吉隆坡，她遗憾自己从小没有条件习得一技之长，希望能为孩子的成长创造更多机会，于是就为儿子选择了钢琴。本来抱着试一试的心态，没想到4岁的Simon第一次用小小的手指敲击琴键时，就被发出的声音震撼，那些声音随机、没有章法，却对年幼的Simon有着独特的吸引力，和钢琴的缘分就这样开启了。

一练就是五年。自开始学琴那天起，每天40分钟的练琴已经成为雷打不动的家庭日常。喜欢是学琴的起点，但想要学好学精仅靠喜欢是远远不够的，日复一日的努力坚持必不可少。枯燥的乐理知识、新曲子中无法攻克的难点、贪玩好动的天性和偶尔的情绪化都是练琴路上的绊脚石。

遇到这种情况，贾女士也不会强迫Simon坐在琴椅上，而是适当松绑，先玩个痛快，把情绪调整好，再练效率会高得多，“引导比耳提面命更有效”，贾女士如是说。在那1800多个与琴键为伍的日夜，陪伴Simon的除了月光，还有妈妈从未缺席的身影。

勤奋的力量开始显现。2021年，在吉隆坡钢琴老师的推荐下，Simon首次报名参加IMAA国际青少年艺术展示盛典中国赛，并一路过关斩将，最终在中国大连举办的总决赛中获得第一名。

贾女士回忆说：“疫情期间入境需要隔离，临近决赛，为了不耽误Simon练琴，我背着一台25公斤重的电子钢琴漂洋过海，尽管很辛苦，但我知道，钢琴一天不弹也许看不出什么，但是三天不弹就会有明显差距，我想让练琴成为他的一种习惯。”

首次参加国际大赛就取得傲人成绩让7岁的Simon信心倍增，练琴更加刻苦，在之后的两年中，钢琴最让他受益的地方绝非仅是日渐纯熟的技艺，手、脑、心并用的协调性，对事物的专注度和耐心也都有很大提升，性格的塑造就在这样看似平淡的日常潜移默化地完成了。

有点腼腆，但不内向，是一个内心温柔的小男孩——这是贾女士对儿子的评价。而Simon通过练琴培养的持久专注力和坚韧的品格也会转化在学术学习过程中。2021年贾女士一家离开吉隆坡，搬到西安定居，由于Simon在马来西亚就曾一直接受着国际文凭教育，为了和之前的学习内容实现良好衔接，综合各方面因素，她最终毫不犹豫选择了西安梁家滩国际学校。

贾女士说，她最认可国际文凭课程体系的一点就是，一切的“教”和“学”都以学生为中心，从学生的兴趣点出发，比起直接教授知识，老师更需要了解学生自己对事物的认知和想法。此外，国际文凭项目课程看似只有大纲没有教材，实际上对学生的综合能力提出了更高要求。

“探究单元的学习激发出他对自然科学的浓厚兴趣，遇到不懂的问题，他已经习惯第一时间自己去寻找答案，把塞伦盖蒂自然保护区的三季记录片全部看完，耐着性子试着独立解决问题，真正做到了学生在探究中的主体地位。”

贾女士补充说，儿子的变化不仅体现在学习上，更体现在与老师和同学的相处中，她犹记得在Simon刚上幼儿园时，每天一进校门就哭，放学回家一句话都不说，而现在每天都很期待去学校，不仅和同班同学相处融洽，还和部分高年级的学生成为了好伙伴，每天放学回家的路上，他都会迫不及待和父母分享当天的校园生活。

当被问到作为父母有什么优秀的育儿经验可以分享时，贾女士说，Simon目前取得的成绩，仅靠家庭教育是办不到的，这是家校合力共育的结果。尤其她提到，今年伊始学校就开始全方位发力，通过举办形式多样、干货满满的家校活动来倾听家长声音、针对家长痛点解决家长最迫切的育儿焦虑，让家长把收获带回家，并转化在家庭教育实践中个，实现正向循环。

“近几年学校改变确实很大，特别是校长咖啡晨会和家长课堂观摩活动，让我能有机会走进校园，了解学校每天是如何运作的，孩子每天在学校是什么样子的，这样可以有效消除家校误解，增进彼此理解。”贾女士同时也是小学四年级家委会成员，为了做好家校间的“传声筒”，她习惯每天检查学校邮件，几乎不会错过校方发布的任何一条信息。

年底，年仅9岁的Simon就要启程前往纽约登上许多伟大音乐家梦寐以求的舞台了，似乎，一条关于新一代钢琴家的艺术发展之路正在眼前铺就。但作为母亲，贾女士坦言她从未给Simon规划过任何定向的或具象化的成长目标，因为在她看来，学习钢琴的目的并非是为了培养艺术家，而是让孩子从小有能够感知音乐和美的事物的能力，在成长中遇到挫折时，可以通过音乐来释放调节自己的情绪，让音乐成为和自己相伴一生的朋友。

就像Simon提到纽约之旅时掩不住的兴奋一样，他的人生之路才刚刚展开，未来还有更多惊喜和体验在未知的转角等着他，将来会成为一个什么样的人，只有他自己说了算。

文章转载自：【XLIS 西安梁家滩国际学校】