little virtuosos project

Hi, my name is Alisa Rao.  I live in New Zealand and I am currently in Year 10 (sophomore in the US). I first started on the piano and played the piano for the majority of my childhood before I realised that I really did not enjoy playing it, as I hated the number of hours I had to practice on it. I discovered that I was not superhuman, and I certainly can’t just play a piece once and memorise it which infuriated me and made me frustrated at myself.  So…. at the age of 9 years old I decided to choose the cello. I soon figured out that I liked playing the cello as it made me feel important and ‘cool’ for carrying such a big instrument around. I quickly got the hang of my cello and joined the school orchestra which I found very fun. Even though I was a beginner, I still liked being part of a community that was bigger than me and I liked playing my chords in assemblies and showcases. I haven’t been playing the cello for very long but I have to say, I am completely in love with this instrument! As I am very involved in ballet, having the ability to play an instrument really connects me with the classical pieces of music I dance in. Otherwise, it would be just another ‘piece of music’ that I have to dance for my solo, but having the ability to actually play the music makes it 10 times more unique.