Our Music Star - John Kim

On March the 24th, John Kim from 12(1) was interviewed by Cecilia Zou from 11(1). John chose IB Music HL as one of his IB courses and is admitted into the famous music school in the United States -Berklee College of Music.

Cecilia: Why do you choose to major in music?

John: I first decided to study music when I was in eighth grade, but back then I was not very serious about it because I thought those bands playing on the stages were so cool and I wanted to be like them. Then I started to play the guitar, form bands with friends, and perform. I went on stages of Art Festival and joined other band competitions. I became more serious in tenth grade when I decided to become a music producer, started to write songs and researched in this field. I also asked some real music producers for some academic advice.

Cecilia: So what music-related activities did you do in SHSID?

John: As some of you may know, I made J&L, the album. I made it with one of my IB music friends, Lester. So, last summer we made our first album and we sold it before the Xianmian Building and outside our school. We earned 18,000 RMB in total and donated it to charity organizations. To be honest, in our school, there were not many people who have done this kind of music and album producing. But I really wanted to try and this was a nice opportunity to collaborate with my friend. Many people supported this album and the song. In spite of album, we went to “Battle of the Band” with the band we formed and won the second prize. In addition, last summer I went back to Korea and collaborated with one of the most famous Korean music producers. I think through these music collaborations and experiences I gained more practical skills for producing music. Now I am going to finish my new album in late May.

Cecilia: That was impressive! Then what courses did you take?

John: I took IB Music HL. Well, I’m the only HL student within these two years. IB Music HL was crazy! (Don’t choose it easily if you are not decided.) I have to listen to one hour and a half long music and analyze it in details. Anyways, I didn’t know I have to do this and that and so much work before I choose IB Music HL! But before twelfth and eleventh grade, I took the elective course of Music and it somehow helps. I also took lessons outside school, for example piano, music theory and so on.

Cecilia: Then do you have any suggestions for students who want to study IB Music?

John: First, learning music is a long path, and there are many branches of music such as music producing or composing, classic music or music history, or any kind of music instruments, etc., no matter what you are going to major, the most important factor is that you have to hold the passion for music. In order to prove your passion, you have to be really knowledgeable for music. I recommend these potential music students to study more about music theory and music history. They are very important for music. I understand that there was a vast history of one thousand years, while music theories are very complex and (I don’t know if I should say), some are really “disgusting” because they are very advanced for students. And many people give up on music because of music theory. But if students master these, they can succeed in many fields about music. They can be focusing on fundamentals more and improve on what they really want to do. I also had some juniors asking me, if they wanted to go to Berklee College of Music and study music, what they should do. I always told them to focus on what they want to do. Many people believe that doing music is not a safe choice because study some other academic subjects will give them more choices to find jobs. And many people give up music for these choices. If you are really hesitating on whether to choose music or not, you have to reconsider these things I mentioned above. But if you are very passionate with music and want to make some achievements about music, I think you can make up your own kind of unique characteristics for music. It’s not only about following other famous composers’ pieces and playing them. Of course, that’s also a very important part but I think the more important part is that you have to discover your own aspect, your own vision about music so that you can improve. Furthermore, persistence is really important. As long as you choose music, you should move on adamantly.

Cecilia: I really agree on your point of finding your own specialties! And what kind of activities do you recommend?

John: I think activities are really important if you are going to major in music because most of music schools and programs are really looking for music activities. It is what makes you who you are. About the activities, I think it depends. If you major in a specific instrument, then you should definitely join some bands or orchestra or competition, like piano contests. If you major in that instrument, you should dig deeply on it, such as composing your own piano piece. If you are more interested in composing and music business, just like what I am interested, I recommend you to make your own plans like what I did with my own album. No teachers or professional musicians helped us. I just made my own music and record it with my friends. I went out to find help from AP Art students on our album cover, album posters, videos, and we made publicities of our album by ourselves through WeChat or Facebook. It really improved me a lot because through this experience, I really gained my confidence and found my characteristics of being passionate about music. It’s not just about you joining clubs and other activities. You also have to create your own activity because that’s what colleges are looking for. And later you will find if these are your dreams or ambitions.

Cecilia: Thank you very much! Your advice really helps a lot!

Throughout the interview, John expresses his affection to music with great passion. His spirit brings him strength and makes him persistent on the path of music producing. Meanwhile, according to his advice, what is the most important is to discover your own strengths and unique specialties, to understand, define, and shape yourself, and to know what you really want.

(Written by 10（1）Jessica Qu Picture by 12(1) John Kim)