And now please meet Winston Lee, 9.
We found him through the Community Music Center in the Mission District of San Francisco. He’ll be playing in the annual, all-level, all-school recital at the center on June 2, at 4 p.m. It’s free.
We caught up with Winston the other night at home. By day he goes to the George Peabody School out on Clement Street, in the Inner Richmond District. Once a week he also goes to the Community Music Center, where he likes hearing other instruments.
He has been playing the piano for two years; the violin for one year. He prefers the piano because there are more notes and they’re easier to play. For the most part.
He likes all forms of music but prefers classical, in part because he’s found that playing jazz involves a lot of high notes and they’re difficult to reach.
Winston describes himself as a B+ student who, in addition to his musical interests, swims and plays tennis. What he likes most about tennis is rallying; perhaps the Zen-like effect of that particular rhythm.
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Watch Winston Lee on YouTube.Does he see himself as competitive? He was unequivocal: “I am not competitive.”
But at the same time, yes, he does feel the pressure to do things well, whether it’s tennis or piano. He practices for one hour a day, half on the piano, half on the violin.
If he had to pick a career right now it would be as a classical musician.
And how did he come to like music so much?
“One time I was riding in the car and heard this music. I really liked it. I thought it was classical, but it was jazz. The next day I heard it again. I kept asking my dad if we could buy that disc, but it was on the radio and we didn’t know what it was. It was a piano with drums and a saxophone. It was fast. I really liked it. I really wish I could find it again.”