T he equivalent of a university postgraduate degree in music, the Licentiate of Trinity College London (LTCL) is a coveted qualification, often the summit of musical studies, and, more often attempted by much older musicians, and never achieved lightly. However, Year 12 student Joshua Hooker, who has LTCL with Distinction for both piano and violin, and pianists Ryan Gu (Year 10) and Bruce Chen (Year 13), who both hold the LTCL qualification (Ryan with Distinction), are exceptional students whose talent far exceeds their ages. They all sit in the Music suite at Christ’s College, questioning,
learn and was fascinated by the way the sound is produced – all of it intrigued me.” As his ability grew, his listening skills also developed and before long he was able to identify subtle changes in the interpretation of individual notes. He is now working towards his Fellow of Trinity College London on piano, (Trinity College’s highest award) and NCEA Scholarship on violin. He has been in the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ National Orchestra since 2019 and the National Youth Orchestra (NYO) since 2020. This will be his third year in the NYO and his second in the 1st violins. “I’ve learnt so much through those experiences,” he says. “Watching the concertmaster alone is such an education. And the way the section leaders lead – how they do it, and how they relate to the conductor.” Joshua says an orchestra is like the composer’s voice. “Watching amazing musicians convey sound exactly as the composer wanted it is brilliant. Those musicians can adapt to the sound of different composers and are capable of making the same note sound different as it’s deployed in different music.” He aspires to be like them, adding that regular daily practice – conducted in a strategic, disciplined manner – is critical to building technique and musicianship. He always starts each practice session with five to 10 minutes of scales and arpeggios. Then he drills down to the sections of the works that
give him difficulty – and practises them repeatedly. “Playing a full work without first warming up is a death sentence.” Both Ryan and Bruce share that passion. Ryan gained his ATCL with Distinction in piano as a Year 8 student, and at age 14 added his LTCL. Covid-19 meant that – like Bruce and Joshua – he performed the syllabus works before camera, and then waited for a response from the examiners in London. Now Ryan is enjoying playing pieces that do not fall under the examination syllabus. “I’m loving playing Chopin especially,” he says. “His works are extending me in a different way. His music is quite emotional.” Born in New Zealand to parents
challenging, performing, and practising. Director of Music Robert Aburn is
who emigrated from China, Ryan is also in the Chapel
constantly astonished by their maturity, talent, and musical understanding. “They are exceptional students,” he explains. “The musical conversations we have here are on a par with anything at a university, even at doctorate level.” The scope of chamber group musicianship, individual accomplishment, choral singing, and band performance ensures these boys possess a breadth of musical appreciation and interpretative capacity displayed by few. Joshua Hooker fell in love with music when he was five and started to play the piano. “I was fascinated by sound – that’s what first interested me. I had a kind of internal drive to
Choir and involved in the inter- school science and engineering competition EPro8. He practises the piano an hour every weekday and for a further two or three hours at the weekend. Bruce gained LTCL as a 16-year- old, after starting to play the piano at age seven. “Gaining the LTCL is definitely a milestone in learning the piano. It’s good to have a tangible achievement that a lot of people aspire to,” the 2022 College Head of Academic, who is also an accomplished violinist, points out. College’s Music Department has spawned many other recent standouts, including James Drury (ATCL, violin) and James Griffin (ATCL, piano).
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