Imagine that you've spent weeks rehearsing together as an ensemble, fine-tuning your skills and playing in sync until you are in perfect harmony with one another... then the whole world shuts down and you can no longer meet up in person. Now, you suddenly have to grapple with new technology and try to replicate the ensemble experience online, as you deal with internet lag and audio problems.

That was the experience for the Orpheus Honors Quartet, which is made up of four high-level guitar students: Allen, Brandon, Mei Yin, and Michael, as well as their teacher, myself!

Together, we rehearsed virtually for many months, and learned some tips and tricks for how to collaborate effectively along the way. Our hard work paid off when we participated in the Southern Guitar Festival and Competition in May, where the quartet took home 3rd place!

Following the competition, we spent time preparing for the Southern Guitar Fest's showcase in North Carolina, and I truly believe all four members of the quartet could now be considered experts in working together online. I took the time to interview the Honors Quartet about their collaboration, and what advice they have for others looking to connect and make music with others virtually.
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​Stephen: Mei Yin, how did you feel the competition went? What was it like waiting for the results to come in after we had submitted our videos?

Mei Yin: I think the competition went pretty smoothly because it was online. We just submitted the video and there wasn't much, like hassle to it or anything. Personally for me, waiting for the results wasn't that bad. Like I don't find it as bad when it's online compared to in person, because in person you have to like, sit there through the concert before they announce the results. I personally didn't find it that nerve-wracking waiting.


Stephen: Brandon, how did you feel coming in third place, and how did you celebrate after we got that great news?

Brandon: It was very exciting when I heard that we received third place, when so many people participated in the competition. So I celebrated by being happy for around one to two hours.

Stephen: That's a great way to celebrate, it lasted one to two hours, that's it?

Brandon: Yeah, that's pretty long for me.

Stephen: [laughs] So two hours and then just back to normal?

Brandon: Mm-hmm.

Stephen: Gotcha.


Stephen: What's next for the Orpheus Honors Quartet, what are you currently working on and what's the next goal? Michael, maybe you can take this one.
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Michael: I know we're working on two pieces right now, I think “La Follia.” And then there's the Vivaldi one I think. There’s another one called “Quest.” And then we're obviously playing in [North] Carolina for the performance thing.


Stephen: You joined the group fairly recently in the last couple months. You had to learn a lot of music really fast. What was the process of learning all that music like?

Michael: I took it like how I take any new piece: I don't think about the whole piece, I think about just certain sections, like a few measures, play them really slow and try to make every single note perfect. And when I feel comfortable, I just speed it up. I repeat that for other sections and then eventually I put them together and then get them up to speed.

Stephen: Great. Those are all great practice strategies: doing slow practice, working in small sections, and just doing everything very gradually.


Stephen: The Quartet has played a few different styles of music. We’ve played Baroque music in “The Telamon,'' we've played some contemporary music in the “La Follia” and “The Quest.” What kind of pieces do you enjoy playing the most with the group?

Michael: Probably right now it's “La Follia,” just because I feel like it's different than anything I play. It kind of tells a story if you think about it, and then there's so many different types of textures. Just sounds really different, in a good way.

Stephen: Michael, I like what you said about it telling a story. That piece does kind of morph over time and change in beautiful and unexpected ways, like a story.


Stephen: Another one for you Michael. What aspect of ensemble music is most enjoyable to you?

Michael: Probably a little bit of everything. I've been in previous ensembles like a few years ago, they weren’t anything compared to this. All those other things were just like a few weeks, maybe a few months I think. But I mean we kind of just played and then kind of got it over with. There wasn't really any bonding. [Now] it's kind of enjoying what you play rather than just playing it to play.

Stephen: Totally. That is so cool.


Stephen: ​Okay, and this is the last question for everybody. The four of you were invited to perform live at the North Carolina festival called Southern Guitar Festival and Competition, after receiving a top prize in an ensemble competition. Is there anything that any of you are looking forward to in particular about that trip?

Mei Yin: I always like to travel for competitions, I think it's fun. Yeah I think it will be interesting to go to the festival as well, because I usually like going to other festivals and going to master classes and stuff and seeing other people.

Allen: I'm looking forward to just listening to the other people play, since they were extremely good at guitar, the ones that we competed against.
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​Klondike: So, can you just share with us some of the notable statistics about Postcards to Seniors?

Aylin: Yeah, so our concerts of over 100 students reached over 760 nursing homes in 26 U.S. states, four Canadian provinces, and three Australian states.

Klondike: It just blows me away. It's one of the most impactful initiatives we've ever had at Orpheus, and I just am so grateful that you did that. Not to undercut the amazing work that you've done changing the lives of seniors, but I also want to say, the students themselves that probably were just on their screens all day long-- they need a really good reason to feel like what they're doing has meaning. 

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Klondike: Can you talk a little bit about your experience changing lives, and then how it felt to see those wonderful videos from the other students?

Aylin: Yeah, so for me, giving back to my community through Musical Postcards gave meaning to my life. We're inherently social beings who crave social connections, and I think our communities can really give us courage, help us overcome life's challenges, and make the journey worthwhile.

So I saw that we could really alleviate social challenges by working together and uniting. And with the help of the Orpheus leadership, students, and teachers, we all worked as a team to put this together, and I think it brought out the best in people and enabled us to stay connected. And hearing the positive feedback from seniors was very meaningful. Many of them commented on how the concerts have brought a smile to their faces and sparked a memory of their own children playing instruments and performing in school concerts.

One senior, I remember he commented like, “I love this so much that I watch it every morning, it gives me hope and brings sunshine to this dark time.” And helping to bring joy to even one person is very meaningful and rewarding.

Klondike: Wow, again it just really touches me so deeply. You may not even be aware of this Aylin, but concurrent with the Musical Postcards, all the teachers and staff at Orpheus were kind of exploring what our deepest values are as an academy, and we decided to settle on “Collaborate, Play, Engage, and Create,” and I think that Musical Postcards-- You just hit on all of them. You came up with a great idea, it was very creative, and then you collaborated with the teachers, staff, and students, and also the people at the nursing homes, to get people playing and get the engagement up. So I’m just so proud of his project.

When Wendy and I started Orpheus like 18 years ago, it was mostly because, even outside of a pandemic, music lessons, classical music lessons particularly, can be a very isolating experience: “Practice by yourself, go to a private teacher, go home and practice what the teacher told you you did wrong, go back for another lesson.” And we wanted the opportunity for kids to come together and be able to be in group classes, and like you said, that experience of playing in ensembles was already really meaningful, and I think that you then took it to this whole new level, which is just so inspiring. 
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​Klondike: Well thank you so much Aylin, and I know you've already inspired so many, and you will continue to do so as you go out into the world and make a big, big difference. So thank you, thank you, thank you for everything you've given to Orpheus!

Aylin: I couldn't have done it without the Orpheus community, so thank you so much Orpheus. Thank you!
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​Georgia: Sophie, how old are you and how long have you been taking piano lessons?

Sophie: I'm 11 years old and I've been playing piano for six years, so I started when I was five with my mom and then I moved to you.


Georgia: What was the process of when you had to transition from in-person lessons to online lessons?

Sophie: Because of COVID I couldn't really see you, so I wouldn't see you every week in person. It's hard at home because there's a lot of background noises, because the piano’s right next to the kitchen.

But I'm really glad that we could still have Zoom.


Georgia: Sarah, what would you say was the most challenging thing about transitioning to online lessons?

​Sarah: I think for Sophie in particular it was hard for her not to get out of the house and be with people and to work on the Friendship Concerts. It's probably her favorite thing, is working with people, and so we've had a couple frustrating moments with trying to put duets together. 

But we learned from the process. There was a lot of back and forth, you know, there’s just a lag time. So we've learned, since we've been doing this for a while now, how to keep it simple. And do things like how you suggested. Like let's just make one recording that they both can play together with, so it's steady, and then we can work from there.

And then there's some video editing that has to go into it as well that helps, that makes us feel like, “Okay, this isn't too terrible.” [laughs] “It’s not too hard, it came together at the end.”

I think you have your similar challenges when you're in person too. I think that's one of the most challenging things about being a musician is playing in an ensemble, and when they get a little bit older it's so good for them. It's good for them to be challenged… You have to use your ears more, and you have to adapt, and you have to be flexible, and I think those are all things that we've learned a lot about this year.

Georgia: Well it's so funny, I've been working on a duet for the Faculty Concert that's coming up, and I'm playing the duet with myself, and even that is hard [laughs]. I go to the video editing and I think, “Okay, I played with the metronome for the first video, I played with myself for the second video,” and when I get to the editing software it doesn't line up! It’s like, "What happened?"

Sarah: Yeah. You have to let go of some perfectionist tendencies also and be okay with it, and say, “Okay, you know we did the best we could,” and I think people understand. It's not meant to be a perfect production, it's just, you know it's a new learning experience, so I think that's good for the kids overall.
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​Georgia: Sarah, how have you seen Sophie's musical ability specifically develop over time?

Sarah: Well she loves having lessons with you, first of all.

Georgia: Aw, thank you.

Sarah: A big part of it is you've been a good friend to her, as well as a teacher, and she just enjoys seeing you and so that's been a huge blessing.

I think being home too, just because she is such a people person, she wants to connect with people. She's had the challenge of setting some goals for herself like, “What can I accomplish in this next week?” or “How long will it take me?” Because we've learned, if we spend too much time just playing, playing, playing, and we don't really know where it's going, then we'll end up playing the same piece for eight weeks and it gets kind of tiring, and then it's hard to persevere through those things. 

So I think for her she's done better when she's found pieces she really enjoys, and then sets little goals for herself and says, “Let's accomplish this, let's finish this, and let's start a new piece in two weeks.” I think that's helped a little bit.

Georgia: Yeah definitely, and I think Orpheus having so many online events provides such a wonderful platform for people to share with each other and helps with that goal setting. It's like, “Well here comes Postcards for Seniors, let's do that. Oh, here comes Friendship Concert, let's do that.”

Sarah: Even just having a performance class, or just saying, “Your lesson is coming up, let's see if you can learn all the notes and rhythms up to this page for Tuesday.” Even little goals like that have been helpful.

Sophie: Mm-hmm.


Georgia: Being that connecting and collaborating with other musicians is so important to Sophie, when did you see this start to develop in her musical education?

Sarah: This girl takes the initiative, so she bugs me a lot if I'm not on top of things like, “Mom, did you text this person's mom? Mom, did you call her? Can we set up a time?” And so that helps. And I can tell what she's excited about, I can tell that she likes to work with people, she likes people a lot.

I think Sophie's at the age where she's been able to take some independence with accomplishing a goal and accomplishing a piece with somebody, and she's become pretty proficient with Flipgrid and things like that. That's been helpful because she helps her younger brother and sister a lot with Flipgrid also, and so I say, “Sophie, go!” [laughs] “Jeremy’s got to turn something in, so can you go help him take a video?”


Georgia: Would you have any advice that you would give for other parents in creating or finding safe social opportunities online?

Sarah: Everyone's got a different perspective on what's safe out there I guess, and so it's always best just to connect with the parents first and see how involved they want to be. I mean as parents we just know, “Okay our kids, in our minds, they have this goal. They need to accomplish this piece.” Or, “We've been told that they need to perform this together, so how are we going to do it?”

It's easy to put two kids on a device and say, “Go at it!” and then nothing really happens, or it's hard, and it can get really frustrating. And so I had to step in and just help a little bit, and help with the recording, and tell her what to communicate with the friend and say, “Let's just work on this part.” Or “Let's see if we can play along to this same recording and then we'll put it together for you.”

Of course, it just depends on how old the kids are and how much they want to do.
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​Georgia: Sophie, you have shown so much initiative in sharing and meeting up with other students. What advice would you give to a student who maybe wants to do that, but hasn’t figured out quite how yet?

Sophie: To give comments and advice to your partner, and don't be afraid to receive some yourself, or for your friend to correct you.

Georgia: Yeah, that is so important. I know, like when I was younger, I had it in my mind that anytime anybody told me any kind of constructive criticism I would take it really personally and be like, “Oh no, they think I'm not good.” So I love that you shared that advice about hearing other people's responses and feedback as an encouragement and a way to grow. 


Georgia: Sarah, what strategies would you say you've learned from this period of online lessons that maybe you'll take with you and keep doing even when life goes back to in person again?

Sarah: I think first of all, probably going back to the goal setting. I think when all of the normal activities start pouring in it's going to feel like we can't do everything again. So I’ve enjoyed the restful period where we don't— I'm not in my van all day, dropping kids off and picking them up. And we actually have time to practice.

So it's just being able to plan ahead and set some goals. I mean it's just like with anything, you know it could be a sport, it could be your dance, or whatever it is... 

Music is something that’s always going to be a life lesson sort of thing. I don't know if it's something they'll carry with them forever, take lessons forever, that's less important to me. It's more that whatever avenue they're learning, just to work hard and set some goals, and then being able to accomplish them and feel good about it. 

Jesse: Pieter, how long have you been playing the guitar?

Pieter: At least three years. 


Jesse: What’s your favorite part of playing music?

Pieter: I suppose it’s performing.

​Jesse: Does it make you feel a certain way, or do you like preparing for a big special event?

Pieter: I suppose I like showing off.

Jesse: Fair enough. You acquire a skill, you want people to see you show that skill off, so I understand that completely.


Jesse: What is your favorite kind of music to play?

Pieter: Music that I’ve played over and over and over again. Because it’s really easy for me to play.

Jesse: Yeah! Well so that means just about any style of music is fun for you to play once you feel comfortable, confident playing it?

Pieter: Yeah.


Jesse: What first made you interested in composing music?

​Pieter: I suppose it was just… I was shown it one time and I wanted to try it. I was shown a tool to make music and I suppose I just liked it.


Jesse: ​Is there a particular style of music or instrumentation or instrument you like composing for?

Pieter: Well, I generally compose pieces that have multiple different instruments in them actually.

Jesse: Yeah, what is it you like about that?

Pieter: Seeing how they might fit together, I suppose.

Jesse: Why do you like composing your own original music?

Pieter: I suppose it’s art!


​Jesse: How do you come up with your new ideas for composition? Or maybe to phrase it in the way you just stated, how do you come up with the ideas for your art?

Pieter: I just throw stuff together!

Jesse: Can you think of any other artists in any idiom, like painting, visual, that do the same thing?

Pieter: Yeah! Just, the flicking of a brush onto a canvas. Or maybe just a jumble of ideas like… just cutting up pictures, like a collage.

Jesse: So how do you discern, like what is worth keeping when you have this idea of just like flicking or just putting notes down? What makes that process advance to the next level? How do you then from that moment go, “Oh I like that flick of notes!” Like what differentiates from one flick to another flick in your mind?

Pieter: I suppose it’s just personal preference of the notes.


Jesse: And then more specifically, what kind of software do you use? What’s the platform that you use?

Pieter: Noteflight. 

Jesse: What’s the most difficult part of working with the software?

Pieter: I suppose the fact that the notes aren’t completely accurate to what they would actually sound like.

Jesse: So like the instrument playback?

Pieter: Uh-huh.

Jesse: Yeah I agree, that’s so frustrating when you have this idea in your head of what it’s going to sound like, and then you press play and all of the sudden it’s like, “Ew. No, that’s not at all what the guitar sounds like.” So yeah, that is a pretty difficult part of the software usage.


Jesse: What is the most difficult part of composing for you?

Pieter: Honestly? Naming.

Jesse: Naming? Ah, interesting. I suppose that makes sense because your whole approach first is just to kind of experiment, and then after–

​Pieter: Yeah, my whole approach is: make the music! Um… Huh. Now what do I name it? What does it sound like?​


Jesse: ​Does composing help you learn or think about music in different ways?

Pieter: Well, yes!

Jesse: Well certainly I imagine, coming from your three years of guitar playing experience, you have been told what to play and you experience what to play through listening and through movement and through watching notes and pictures. Now you actually get to create that sound just by writing it down first. So you’re kind of experiencing music completely backwards from how you were taught it.

Pieter: Like everyone who has composed can think about music differently. You have to think about it differently from playing and composing.

Jesse: David, have you noticed a change in Pieter’s approach to music since he started creating his own original compositions?

David: Yes, in that he has spent some extra time thinking about his compositions versus just playing songs that he’s learning along the way. I think he’s also been willing to dig in and try to learn some new things in playing his compositions. Whereas before I think–  particularly given just a kind of a challenging song that he might not be able to get through, and to try to do it sight-reading… You know, he would have just, “No.”

And I think that he can play it on the composing software, then he’s willing to kind of just dive in and see, “I wonder what we can do on the guitar.”

Jesse: That is a pretty cool element of it, and I do see in his development, that when he begins to see music he can also have an inner ear and an inner idea of what that music sounds like. And that will certainly help in the future when he’s exposed to new, more challenging music. Although the fingers might not be able to do it, the eyes and the inner ear can understand pretty much what it’s going to sound like. I have noticed the same thing and it’s been pretty exciting. I have thought that was a new motivating factor, he can create the sound but then he can instantly get feedback with what it actually sounds like.


​Jesse: Does Pieter share his compositions with you?

David: He has. Not all of them, but yeah. And we have a weekly Zoom call with my family and we’ve been able to share the screen and play his compositions for them. And he’s much faster to do that than he has been to be willing to get on camera and play his guitar for us, although he’ll still do that every now and again too, but he was really keen to share his compositions.


​Jesse: Pieter, can you tell us about some of your compositions? Is there one that you’re particularly proud of?

Pieter: “The Streaking Fish.”


Jesse: ​David, are there any in particular that you enjoy or that he enjoys playing for you?

David: Yeah, we’ve been mostly thinking about “The Streaking Fish.” It’s been interesting to hear him try to play different pieces of it, because again, it’s very different than when the whole thing is kind of put together. It is very reminiscent– you know one of the things that Pieter really likes, as a lot kids do, he likes video games. But one thing he likes as well, is he really likes a lot of the little soundtracks. He, before, was always playing little loops and little pieces that were background music from some particular game. I am reminded of that with some of his compositions.

Jesse: Now that you say that, I do get a sense of like, Zelda. You know listening to it, it does sound like playing The Legend of Zelda when you hear it. 

David: Yeah. And I’ve been more interested to listen to his composition, than to listen to lots of video game snippets too, so [laughs].

Jesse: Maybe he’s training you to enjoy that.

David: Mm-hmm [laughs].

Jesse: Are there any specific struggles or challenges Pieter has faced in his Musical Journey? And how do you help Pieter through those?

David: I think the biggest is just kind of diving into practice. And, you know, he loves to be able to execute songs well. And he’s frustrated if he can’t. And he hasn’t quite made the connection that it’s the practice that actually gets him over the barrier, then it’s easy and just flows and goes. But again, I don’t know that that’s different than a lot of folks starting out. And I think Pieter’s really at a place where he’ll start to be able to play his own music and either his own music or music of his own choosing in some way, and then I just think that’s a real tipping point to where you want to hear how it sounds or you want to play something familiar to you. And then you’re willing to dive in and see if you can really get it to go. The other thing I’ve wondered too is whether he might want to explore playing keyboard or piano or something. I think his interest in music– he has a stronger interest in music than say in guitar, which I had not anticipated when he started learning guitar that actually what he would do is learn music.

Jesse: Hmm. That’s so funny that you say that.

David: I think it’s from my own experience... I mean I learned some music playing– I’m a poor piano player and I’m a really terrible saxophone player. And I learned a little bit of music when I learned piano. But it was always very technical and it was always about actually making the instrument do something, versus really learning a lot about the ideas behind music, and you know, I noticed that right when Pieter started. I had asked Pieter what he’d had to do at his lesson and he said, “Well we sang a song.” And I’m like, ”You were singing? Like this is a guitar lesson man.” And he was like, “No, that’s how I’m learning.” And it’s like, “Oh yeah, you are just learning music, and guitar happens to come along as something that you’re going to learn how to play.”

But you know what I wonder now is, especially with the composition pieces, would he enjoy learning to play piano or keyboard, where he could start to do other things.

Jesse: Well I’m sorry about your other music education as a child. Sorry we weren’t there [laughs].

David: [laughs] Yeah!

Jesse: I had the same experience as you, I’m like, “Well why wasn’t I taught music this way?” I would be more confident in singing in front of people, for one thing. But, you know, that is our job. When we discover a better way to do something, we share that with our kids, our next generation, and they learn to do it even better than us hopefully.

David: Yeah.

Jesse: As long as that’s what we’re seeing through the experience of our children, then I think we’re doing it right.

David: Absolutely, we really like it and you know, Pieter– obviously it’s been a great part of all that he’s doing now. And I think it’s something that he enjoys and ironically of course the composition piece is a good mix of music and still getting to mess around on the computer, so there’s a little extra bonus there in terms of motivation. But actually I thought he might be more interested in the just kind of playing around on the computer aspect, but when he’s doing his work kind of composing it’s not to sneak time on the computer or something like that, he really wants to.

Jesse: Oh yeah, he’s very serious. I’ve noticed that too. I can’t even really make a recommendation without him testing it and then simply saying, “No, that doesn’t work.” [laughs]​


Jesse: ​Pieter, what would your advice be for others interested in composing music?

Pieter: I suppose just try different things.