Chapter 14

While the drama was being played out in the Chinese music community, I was thinking about doing more RCM. After getting a taste of winning a medal, I got inspired to pursue RCM more. In the span of a year and a half I would not only complete and finish my RCM level 8 and level 9, but I would complete the theory classes associated also. During this time, I accidentally discovered that my local music store was offering both the books and 10 hours of lesson time  for each RCM test I needed. The cost of the books and the lessons? Around $150. I didn’t pay much attention to this fact at the moment because I had already had a theory and history teacher who was recommended by CC but I took a mental note of this fact. I think subconsciously I knew that there was about to be more changes in the very near future. 

X, during this time, had also improved herself and was done with grade 10 and has been pursuing piano lessons. It is pretty easy to piece together that she was going to do ARCT in cello since, as mentioned previously, there was a piano RCM level 6 requirement for ARCT of every instrument that’s not piano. While she was someone I now knew better, she was still the favorite of CC and if I’m being honest, after the first two or three weeks of afterglow from the silver medal, the status quo was re-established. The yelling from CC may have decreased a bit in part due to the fact that there was now a shiny new plaque on CC’s rehearsal room. 

My silver medal netted CC an outstanding teacher’s award. I was a bit taken back from this to be honest. Since starting cello lessons with him in middle school, I have grown up a bit more. I was now almost done with highschool and moreso, almost done with his shit. As the weeks kept going onwards, I would slowly become more and more conscious of how toxic our relationship is. I also realized how short tempered and full of flaws he was. I knew my medal on his wall would give him an advertisement to new unsuspecting parents and I hated the idea of that. I had achieved success, yes, but how I got here was not pleasant. I was certain there were better means to achieve success in music that involved less verbal abuse. 

To be fair, CC did help me. But I think the sheer amount of verbal abuse that I had to suffer through is always shadowed by the results. The results, at the end of the day, are not credited to me per say either. It was all going to CC. This is another issue with the Asian parent mentality. The success story of the son or daughter is always viewed as the success and work of the parent. That one famous book that coined the term “Tiger Parent” was written by the mom of successful offspring. Why do parental figures in Asian culture always claim so much credit for all the successes their offspring bring? They yelled at us a few times and put us to work and that’s where the camera stops. Who is actually doing the work though? It’s the children. Remember my critique about Asian parents? How can you can’t have your mooncake and eat it too? It applies to this as well. Do you want to prioritize the success of your children or do you really just want to bask in the greatness of your children because everything they do you get to claim credit for. There are lots of arguments for this but there is no winning side to this. You’re either a spoiled child who can’t thank their parents enough for your failures or you grow up to be a failure yourself so your parents have nothing to brag about. I guess in some ways, your parents can have their mooncake and eat it too. To have 2 mooncakes, they just have to steal yours. 

Sometimes I’d imagine the conversations CC would have with others about his medal. I can see him proclaiming himself to be a savior for my untalented philistine hands. I’m not sure what parents may have thought about him. Being super dismissive of all the things I’ve ever done but suddenly giving me my spotlight the minute I had gotten just a small win. Now, if you’re reading this and thinking, wow, you’ve gotten really cynical. That’s not wrong. Don’t think I wasn’t conscious of this either. I think it was around this time that I would learn what it meant to be resentful. The other thing with success? It teaches you your place in the world. It also teaches you who can see you for the person you are and who has valued you incorrectly. I wouldn’t say during this time that I got more confidence but I will say that the entire experience had been very insightful. With more insight, I would see more writings on the wall. At some point, I have to let go. 

So how did my time with CC come to an end? I’m not sure if it was one thing or one instance that did it. I think it may have been a multitude of things. I think the events that transpired started off with my mom introducing a friend of hers to CC. My mom did this pretty often, she brought some students to CC because he was my cello teacher and we’ve been with him a long time. However, as you may recall, she hasn’t really sat in during our cello lessons for a while now. Anyhow, a new referral to CC was nothing new. However, the kid of my mom’s friend, he was new. He was a new development in the entire community. Why? This kid was a prodigy.

Unlike me or X, he was younger than us by about 3-4 years. While me and X were already starting to think about going into university, he was just starting high school. Not only that, he had come to CC already with his ARCT completed in piano. If I knew a prodigy, he was definitely one of them. Mom’s friend was looking to build up Mr. Prodigy’s other musical skills since he has essentially maxed out piano as an instrument. So, after a few conversations with my mom on a fateful encounter, Mr. Prodigy was handed on a silver plate to CC. 

Everyone in the music community found out about about Mr. Prodigy pretty quickly. In the span of 6 months, he had gone from a cello playing beginner to practicing repertoire in RCM level 10. While this was uncommon for some kids, it wasn’t necessarily rare. Some kids are just naturally talented and to be honest, he was not the first to pull this off. I think I still know 5 others who did this feat when we were younger. However, the difference was, those 5 were all pianists. Cellists of this caliber didn’t exist. Around the later half of year 1 for Mr. Prodigy, he had reached the same level X was residing in. 

In orchestra, there was a scarcity of roles for cello soloists. The solos of our community orchestra usually went to X because that was simply the status quo. But now we have a wildcard. A prodigy has surfaced. We knew that if a prodigy ever joined up with the orchestra that our entire ecosystem of cellists was bound for chaos. I didn’t mind this. I did not stand to lose much of anything cause I was never really first desk nor highly valued in the orchestra. Furthermore, when Mr. Prodigy started his meteoric rise in cello, my silver medal had become a distant memory. No one thought about it anymore. My 15 minutes of fame came and gone. While I now had my level 8 and 9 in RCM, for which I worked hard for, I never got a medal again. All I got from level 8 and level 9 was a bump up in the orchestra from last desk to second last desk and two certifications that said “ with honors and distinction”. 

Level 8 and level 9 were not very useful pieces of paper though I still fondly look back on this and think it was still an achievement in itself. “With honors and distinction” meant you passed and did pretty well too. However, I never got any compliments about this because as soon as people heard that I hadn’t gotten a medal the second time (for RCM level 8), they called my medal a fluke. Then, by the third exam (RCM level 9), I was fully back to being overshadowed by X all over again. Hell, I don’t even think my mom congratulated me on passing those two tests. 

Anyhow, so who would stand to lose the most when and if Mr. Prodigy enters our cello circle at orchestra? No one would officially comment on it but it was going to be X. Another argument could be made that it may have been X’s mom. X’s mom struggled because I think X’s cello success meant a lot to her. I dare say, it may have meant even more to her than to X herself. X’s mom was well known in the community mainly in part of the success of her daughter. Sound familiar? X’s mom was a lovely person and I’ll say this again, I have nothing against her even with the events that will transpire soon. She helped me out and drove me to orchestra practice before Y joined us, this was not someone I would disrespect. However, even with my feelings aside from this matter, I couldn’t help but think that maybe she was only nice to me because I never posed much of a threat to her daughter. I was not going to usurp her at any point. But now there was a new challenger. One that may overshadow X the way X overshadowed me. 

Inevitably, Mr. Prodigy eventually showed up to our Chinese community orchestra. 

What an entrance he made too. 

His entrance to our orchestra was like a prophecy. You would hear about it in small whispers here and there first but some claimed it was only the work of friction. Then, as our conductors got word of this and started to scout out new repertoire behind the scenes. The rumours and whispers would get louder. Then, it would be time. Mr. Prodigy would join us. Sure enough, right after joining us, we all got new repertoire. It was the William Tell Overture.

If you don’t know this piece, just Youtube it. It’s iconic. Some call this the “hurry up” music or the “Army get up” music. Hell, our high school used it as a 5 minute warning before the beginning of our first class. But that’s just the mainstream part of the piece. If you pull up a full version of the piece, what you’ll find is that the introduction is unique. 

The unique thing about it? 

The introduction was a 5 cello solo.