Published in the February 4-17, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
Mount Madonna High School student David Kerr will perform a musical composition he wrote on the piano at a competition in Oakland in February. Photo courtesy Mount Madonna School
Mount Madonna School senior and Morgan Hill resident David Kerr will put his musical composition skills to the test by participating in the United States Open Music Competition in Oakland later this month.
The USOMC includes 88 contest events and Kerr will be participating in two of them, said Mount Madonna Marketing and Communications Director Leigh Ann Clifton. On Feb. 19 he will perform his original composition“Thoughts Racing.” On Feb. 20, he will compete at the senior level in a Franz Liszt duo with partner Kristin Wolfe, and perform “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.” For the duo competition, there will be two pianos played simultaneously and both are considered solo performances.
“Thoughts Racing” is Kerr’s first musical composition. The student began playing the piano when he was 4 and currently studies with his teacher K.K. Koo.
“I absolutely loved the process of writing my own music,” he said. “Music has, and always will, be a huge part of my life. In creating my own music, I found that I learned more about myself and now have an entirely new field in which to expand upon my studies.”
A friend of Kerr’s inspired him to try composing, he said.
“I have always wanted to try, but never did because I thought I wouldn’t be able to,” he said. “When I heard several of my friend’s original compositions and liked them a great deal, she encouraged me and said that all I really need to do was ‘just try,’ so that’s exactly what I did. Now, eight months later, I have finished my first piece. It certainly took a lot of trying, but was well worth it.”
The upcoming competition will be Kerr’s first, and he said he looks forward to embracing the challenge.
“Initially, I was very resistant, mainly because I felt I wasn’t good enough,” he said. “Now I feel that it’s a wonderful way to push myself to new levels in terms of my performance. It does induce a certain level of stress, although for what I feel I am getting out of it, I am totally willing to put my best effort forward.”
Kerr’s passion for performing on the piano has helped to motivate him to build his musical talent over the years.
“I have always enjoyed playing the piano,although the countless hours of work required to reach that enjoyment is quite daunting,” he said. “When I was younger, the amount of practice I had to put into it almost made me quit. Fortunately, I stayed with it and now I’m at the point where even the hard work is enjoyable.”
Asked about his favorite piece of music and composer, Kerr replied that “there is no simple answer to that question.”
“My musical taste changes very quickly,and considering the importance music holds for me, I like to listen to whatever music is most relevant to my current life experiences,” he said.
For more information on the competition, visit www.usomc.org.
