Congratulations to this month’s Student of the Month, Giovanni! Giovanni was nominated by his teacher, April, for his dedication, his curiosity, and the way he pushes himself on difficult music. We talked with Giovanni and his dad, Jovanny, about how he got started, the piece that’s taking him a year to learn, and where he’s taking his music next.
Giovanni has been studying piano with April for nearly four years, but music started at home long before that. He grew up listening to his dad play trumpet and guitar. “I thought, why not? Why not give that a try?” he says. He started on the drums, then moved to piano and stayed there.
Something that stands out about Giovanni is how he picks his music. “I usually choose pieces based on how much I enjoy them and how much they challenge my skill,” he says. Right now that means Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata, all three movements, including the notoriously difficult third. He’s working through it page by page, and he’s proud of the ground he’s covered. “It is a very long journey, and I feel proud of myself for accomplishing this.”
That drive shows up in small ways too. When he wanted to play the Ghostbusters theme in its original key, he transposed it himself, on sight, just for the fun of it. “I did it because I wanted to.” One week his family’s car broke down right before his lesson, so he called in from the repair shop rather than skip it.
Giovanni credits a lot of that to his lessons. “April has been a very fun teacher to work with,” he says. What he values most is having the space to think about music, not just play it: “getting to share my thoughts about music in general.” Four years in, he hears music differently. “Before, I was only able to really listen to the melody,” he says. “Now I’ve actually been able to dissect what makes music great as a whole.”
His dad has watched the whole thing up close, and he’s a musician himself. “We don’t have to ask him to practice,” he says. “Giovanni ate piano at breakfast, lunch, and dinner!” Giovanni now plays piano with the band at their church, something that started when they needed someone to cover a rehearsal. His dad puts it simply: “At my age and his age, Giovanni is a lot better than me. A lot better. So keep going. Keep going, son.”
Next, Giovanni is taking his music to college. This fall he plans to study music production, inspired by the film and video game soundtracks he loves. He points to John Williams and the Star Wars score, and to composers like Christopher Larkin, who wrote the music for Hollow Knight. He believes his lessons set him up for it. “I’ll have the tools I need to create all this different cool music.” Long term, he wants to compose music for movies and games of his own.
His advice for anyone thinking about picking up an instrument: “If you really want to get into a musical instrument or anything involving music, make sure you go practice!”
Congratulations, Giovanni! Your dedication, curiosity, and love for music inspire everyone in the Noteway community.
