In the silence of the night, the flowing notes of a violin can be heard in the Chang household. Moving the bow back and forth against the strings as her chin clutches the instrument, CHS9 student Chloe Chang plays her first étude from the 24 Caprices for Violin, Opus 22 by Pierre Rode.
Chang has played violin for eight years, starting her musical journey on the piano. The violin’s elegance and unique musicality, however, captured her interest. She soon transitioned into a violinist.
“With most instruments, you just play one key and you get a specific note, but with violin, you need to find the note,” Chang said. “Doing that, you can make new tunes, which differentiates [violin] from other instruments.”
CHS senior Justin Chang, Chloe’s brother, has observed his sister’s violin progress.
“She practices at home for an hour and 30 minutes almost every day,” Justin said. “[Her relationship with her violin] is really deep and it’s something that she enjoys doing.”
Chloe’s prowess on the violin was accredited by her qualification to the UIL Orchestra All-Region competition in October. Being in a competitive region, Chloe advanced with obstacles along the way.
“I got the music really late compared to other people since they got it probably in mid-January or May while I got mine two weeks before the audition,” Chloe said.
Along with her individual successes, Chloe values her experiences with her fellow violinists.
“My favorite memories are when I play violin with my friends,” Chloe said. “Bonding with other people and learning more about their technique and comparing it to mine helps me learn more. The moments I made with them are something I don’t think I’ll ever forget.”
Learning from others is a pivotal part of Chloe’s violin experience. From her current violin teacher, to her fellow violinists, each has contributed to Chloe’s skill set and creativity.
“My teacher helped me learn the notes, and my friends helped with phrasing, which means changing the music up,” Chloe said. “With creativity [my friends] might tell me to change this dynamic or ‘you played this wrong.’ We support and correct each other.”
Junior Kelton Chen has been with her throughout the process. He is a fellow violinist who qualified for the area level and has known Chloe since his freshman year.
“I know that she really enjoys her instrument,” Chen said. “[Chloe] has a lot of talent and, when it comes to violin, she’s very hardworking.”
Chloe’s work ethic is displayed not only in her accomplishments, but also in her involvement in the symphony level of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra where she is the first violin. From the two-hour-long weekly practices to recitals every season, Chloe works toward bettering her violin skills.
“[After school] I would swim and go home, eat dinner, play violin for an hour and then sleep,” Chloe said.
Part of her creative process is incorporating her personality into the music she plays in order to stand out.
“In some parts, I would change the dynamic of the sound of one part,” Chloe said. “Creativity goes with [violin] because if you like how one part of the song sounds, you can make it into something beautiful if you put your mind to it.”
Furthering her violin repertoire, Chloe has big plans for her future both musically and career-wise.
“My goal next year is to get to the [TMEA All State Orchestra] and in the future, my dream is to be a doctor, even though that has nothing to do with violin,” Chloe said. “I could do it as a hobby to play for people, to make people feel better.”
This story was originally published on Coppell Student Media on November 22, 2024.
