High School Music/Language Teacher.
Gay.
Engaged to Theo.
01/29/1992.
32.
Background
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Yunjin Lin on Nov 4, 2015 7:37:01 GMT -8
Yunjin nodded when Remi said that he would be interested in seeing about finding a local youth symphony and replied, "Between now and next lesson, I'll start looking for audition pieces for you then, and we can work on getting them to the point where you are ready to audition. Once you have asked your parents, if they have any objections or concerns, I can talk to them for you and we'll see how we can make it work, OK?"
He couldn't help but laugh a little bit at Anya's inability to choose what she wanted to do, but his voice was full of warmth when he told her, "I think that your brother is right. You should talk to your parents about what you are interested in learning, and see what they are willing to have you start on. Do you want to go join them now while Remi and I get started on his lesson, or would you like to watch quietly?"
Yunjin quickly organized the papers in the folder, flicking the clips open and tidily clipping the music into place once it was in order so that Remi would be able to turn the pages, but it would be harder for the music to get out of order again. He wondered but did not ask if Remi had forgotten to use the clips or just hadn't known what they were for. As he did so, he quietly listened to Remi's scales, noticing that Remi was tightening his grip too much in some places and not enough in others, probably at least partially because his hand still hurt a bit. When Remi was done with the scales, Yunjin frowned and asked, while handing back the now organized folder, "May I see your hand? I'd like to know what is hurting you and which parts of your hand are giving you trouble."
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Violinist for Seoul Philharmonic Symphony.
Pansexual/Aromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
26.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Remi Young on Nov 4, 2015 14:29:19 GMT -8
"Sounds good." Remi stated simply, doing some final adjustments so he could play better.
"I'll sit and watch~!" Anya stated happily, bouncing further onto the couch so she could watch her older brother. She closed her mouth dramatically, as if promising she'd be quiet.
Remi did his scales diligently, wincing a bit the more he had to flex to reach the strings further from his hand. As he finished, he looked down, flexing his hand a bit. He traced a line up and down along his palm, between his thumb and the pointer and then again between the pointer and middle finger. "All along here. Mostly the thumb though, thankfully." He glanced up to meet Yunjin's gaze. "And people say I attacked the guy unprovoked." He said under his breath. He meant for it to sound like a joke, but it came out more menacing, bitter. "Tried to stop me from playing violin." He grumbled, stretching his hand a bit, looking at it with a frown.
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High School Music/Language Teacher.
Gay.
Engaged to Theo.
01/29/1992.
32.
Background
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Yunjin Lin on Nov 5, 2015 2:14:17 GMT -8
Yunjin looked thoughtful as Remi described the places that his hand hurt, and he went over to his bag beside his violin case, digging around until he found a small ball filled with beads. It was firm and something that he had used for a long time for hand exercises. He bought them by the dozen because they eventually wore out and made a bit of a mess, but it also meant that he could hand them to his students as needed.
He shook his head and told Remi, "Who has been saying that the incident was unprovoked anyhow? I certainly don't think that you reacted well in the situation, but there was definitely an element of provocation there, and that particular student has a history of picking on others, especially certain sorts of outsiders."
He held out the stress ball to Remi and said, "Here, this might be able to help with the hand a bit. There are a bunch of exercises that you can do with one of these to strengthen the muscles and make the connective tissues in your hand more flexible. It's a good idea to do when you play an instrument a lot anyhow, but it should also help with your hand recovering."
He showed Remi a series of small exercises that he could do, involving squeezing the ball repeatedly at different angles and in different holds, but also quickly tossing and catching it in one hand and moving his hold on it quickly between different fingers. He told Remi, "All of those exercises will help with playing the violin more quickly and accurately too. I hope most of all though that it helps make the hand not hurt when you play."
Then he indicated the first piece in Remi's file, "Now, if your hand is feeling looser, go ahead and give that a try for me, and let's see how you're progressing at it."
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Violinist for Seoul Philharmonic Symphony.
Pansexual/Aromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
26.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Remi Young on Nov 5, 2015 12:20:47 GMT -8
Remi messed around with the stress ball a bit before flexing his hand without it. "Other kids... certain teachers." He added with a frown. He picked up the stress ball again and squeezed it a few more times before shaking his hand out and giving a more confident nod. He adjusted the music so he could grab it easily and then adjusted his violin. "I think that'll help a lot." His eyes went to meet Yunjin's. "Can I keep the ball thing?"
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High School Music/Language Teacher.
Gay.
Engaged to Theo.
01/29/1992.
32.
Background
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Yunjin Lin on Nov 6, 2015 6:27:36 GMT -8
Yunjin nodded at what Remi told him about who was talking that way, and said, half to himself, "If I over hear certain teachers saying such things, we will have words again."
He looked slightly startled when Remi asked if he could keep the little squeeze ball, and nodded again, "Yeah, I buy them in ridiculous quantities so that I can give them out as needed and so that I have back ups when I inevitably wear them out. You can let me know when you need a new one, or I can make sure that your parents know where to acquire them."
He gestured at the sheet music, "Let's hear what you've got on that."
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Violinist for Seoul Philharmonic Symphony.
Pansexual/Aromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
26.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Remi Young on Nov 6, 2015 7:48:43 GMT -8
"Words, fists, I'm fine with either." Remi muttered, even though he knew Yunjin wasn't that type of teacher. Shaking out his hand one last time, he set up the violin back on his shoulder. He couldn't help but smile a bit, the stress ball helped a lot. "I'm sure my parents know, but let them know anyway." He said simply, not adding the part where he guessed it could even help with some of the aggression. Maybe with the stress ball in hand, he could get through an entire math class without silently threatening to murder the teacher.
He began the song set up for him, remembering the majority of it, but certain, more difficult parts causing him to struggle a bit. Still, he got through the piece without much difficulty, and after finishing the song, he picked up the stress ball again, smiling as he looked to it like it was some sort of miracle. Of course, his hand still hurt a bit, but the flexibility was returning, which was promising enough to him that he'd still be able to play that he barely felt the pain.
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High School Music/Language Teacher.
Gay.
Engaged to Theo.
01/29/1992.
32.
Background
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Yunjin Lin on Nov 9, 2015 2:06:06 GMT -8
Yunjin nodded along as Remi played the piece, noting that using the stress ball had had a major, immediate effect. Part of the issue was probably at the least that Remi was carrying tension in his hand because it hurt a little bit, and that was making it hurt more when he tried to reach for things. There were a few of the more challenging parts of the piece that were still causing Remi some trouble, but overall, he was improving dramatically as a student. Yunjin smiled as Remi finished and said, "Excellent! That has gotten a lot better even since last time I heard it. There are a few of the more rapid position changes on the strings that are giving you trouble, but we can work on drilling those and have you keep working on getting the flexibility back fully in that hand."
He pointed out a few of the sections that he wanted to work on, and showed them to Remi slowly on his own violin, stopping intermittently and pointing out one of the stranger parts of the fingering. He then told Remi, "Now try them again at half speed so that I can see if it is that you've got the fingering on the notes wrong or if you are just struggling with doing them at full speed."
Yunjin glanced over at Anya, curious to see how she was reacting to the lesson so far.
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Violinist for Seoul Philharmonic Symphony.
Pansexual/Aromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
26.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Remi Young on Nov 9, 2015 10:47:23 GMT -8
Anya was watching in a daze as her brother practiced. She was often like this, Remi and their parents had a big feeling she'd become some sort of music aficionado, and this was probably a good kick start towards that. Her legs were crossed, her elbows resting on her knees, and her chin resting in her hands. She was looking at, one would assume her brother, but actually the violin, dreamily, like it was her new favorite thing.
Remi looked over the parts he'd been struggling with, giving Yunjin a nod. He glanced to his sister, and they made eye contact, and he gave her a small smile before pointing a section. "I'll start from here, then. Cause that's where it gets difficult." He said. He flexed his hand a bit more before bringing the violin back up and beginning the section, going half speed to make sure he got the notes down.
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High School Music/Language Teacher.
Gay.
Engaged to Theo.
01/29/1992.
32.
Background
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Yunjin Lin on Nov 13, 2015 0:38:32 GMT -8
Yunjin listened to Remi playing nodding along as he did and noting that for the most part, Remi's fingering was right, so it was just the speed that was giving him trouble, but there was one place that he was actually playing it wrong. When Remi finished he said, "Good, almost all of that was right at the slower tempo, so it's just a matter of speeding up your ability to do it. Practice at half speed and full speed for a while, and that should help a lot."
Yunjin reached over and tapped a spot on the sheet music and said, "There was one spot that you had your fingers in the wrong spot though. You've been playing a G instead of and A there. You're going to have to focus on that part especially when you are doing slow play throughs to help reteach your hand."
He nodded and said, "Alright, at half speed again."
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Violinist for Seoul Philharmonic Symphony.
Pansexual/Aromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
26.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Remi Young on Nov 13, 2015 10:13:24 GMT -8
Remi looked at the music sheet, his eyes scanning until he found the part he was messing up on. His eyebrows were furrowed, yes, it was clearly an A there, not G. He wondered for a second if a person could possibly have only music-sheet-dyslexia before realizing the part was a repeat of one earlier in the piece, only before it had a G. "Ah." He stated simply, looking at the sheet as he went over that part without actually playing it, just fingering the notes so he could get the motor memory. "Okay, I think I got it." He muttered, glancing to Yunjin for a second before moving the violin up so he could play through it again. He still stumbled over that part a bit, but at least this time it was correct.
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High School Music/Language Teacher.
Gay.
Engaged to Theo.
01/29/1992.
32.
Background
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Yunjin Lin on Nov 13, 2015 23:49:21 GMT -8
Yunjin nodded once firmly once Remi was done and said, "Much better. It's still going to give you some trouble, until you teach your hand how to do it right, but that was all the right notes this time. Now I want you to play it once more slowly, then we will go up to full speed."
He was glad to see that Anya seemed interested in the lesson. He added, "After that, we'll get started on the newer piece that I brought, though if your parents come back in with tea, and they'd like to hear a run through of this one, that may happen in the middle."
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Violinist for Seoul Philharmonic Symphony.
Pansexual/Aromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
26.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Remi Young on Nov 14, 2015 8:35:13 GMT -8
Remi nodded, then obediently began playing the piece once again, still at half speed, still stumbling over that particular part, but also finally getting the right notes. He was almost done with the piece when his parents showed up with tea, placing it on the coffee table near their violin cases.
"Here we go." Elena practically breathed after Remi stopped playing. She smiled to her son, "you play very nicely, Remi." She praised.
Remi snorted. "Not yet." He told her simply, glancing to Yunjin. "Should we have tea first, or did you want to move on to the next piece?" He asked.
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High School Music/Language Teacher.
Gay.
Engaged to Theo.
01/29/1992.
32.
Background
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Yunjin Lin on Nov 14, 2015 19:28:44 GMT -8
Hoping he had a decent read on the situation, Yunjin said, "Why don't you play this piece through for your parents at full speed once, so that they can properly hear what you've been working on recently, and then after tea we can move on to your new piece?"
He looked around at all the gathered people slightly hesitantly. He hoped that it was a polite and well received suggestion in their context.
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Violinist for Seoul Philharmonic Symphony.
Pansexual/Aromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
26.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Remi Young on Nov 15, 2015 11:24:36 GMT -8
"Ooo, I'd love that!" Elena squealed, looking to her son happily.
Remi rolled his eyes, taking a deep breath and stretching his hand a bit more before bringing his violin back up to position. He played the piece one more time, not struggling as much over the section he was having trouble because of how many times they'd gone over it. He counted that as credit enough to move on to another piece, at least for now, and he gave a pout to Yunjin, "Can I practice another piece now?" He whined, setting his violin down to she could pick up a tea cup.
"That was lovely, Remi. I see Yunjin is a very good teacher." Elena praised, and John nodded as he sat down next to Anya, patting her shoulder.
"Did you want to learn violin, too, now?" He asked her.
Anya shrugged. "I like listening to oppa practice." She looked up to Yunjin excitedly, seeming to suddenly think of something, "does Taijia play any instruments? Maybe I can practice with him!" She suggested.
Elena patted her knee softly, as if telling her not pry, and glanced to Yunjin, "do you like cream or sugar with your tea?" She asked as she handed Remi one with quite a bit of cream and sugar.
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High School Music/Language Teacher.
Gay.
Engaged to Theo.
01/29/1992.
32.
Background
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Yunjin Lin on Nov 16, 2015 15:20:26 GMT -8
Yunjin smiled at the praise and replied, "A lot of that is definitely due to Remi's hard work and focus on his practice. He has improved in leaps and bounds and is playing at a level I would expect of someone who had started years earlier than he did."
When questioned about tea, he blinked repeatedly, clealry very confused and before the filter quite engaged on his mouth, he blurted in a jumble, "Milk, sugar, tea, what?"
His brain caught up with him at that point, and he blushed deep red before saying, "I'm sorry. I'm not entirely accustomed to black tea and British style tea service. How would you recommend it? I'd be happy to try it that way."
When he turned back to Remi, he dug for a second in his music case and pulled out a piece of sheet music. "This is apiece that would make a relatively good starter audition piece, and I'd been thinking about having you start on it soon anyhow. It's by Telemann who was a very well known baroque composer. That's the same musical period as Bach."
((Music Note: The piece that Yunjin is starting Remi on is Telemann's Fantasia for Violin number 12 in A minor, which you can listen to here youtu.be/ABDY1qmMGy4 ))
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