CALEB THE PIANO PLAYER: The Russian Songs

Saturday, October 24, 2009

The Russian Songs

Caleb's teacher has given him some songs from Russia to play. He doesn't know what their names are or what they're about, but his teacher says they are dear to her heart. Here is one of them he is working on:

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A Little Background

Caleb began playing the piano when he was 4 years old. He didn't have a piano teacher, but he just wanted to play, so we gave him a beginner book and taught him middle C, D, and E.

From there he took off reading ahead and figuring out how to play himself. He read and played through piano method books levels 1-5. We would print off sheet music from the internet which he would teach himself to play.

We could not teach him where to put his hands or how to play the songs, for we didn't know ourselves. Caleb is the one who could show us where and what note to play.

Self taught for 2 years, he was lucky to be accepted as the private pupil of a very talented concert pianist and associate director of music at the University in March 2009.

After only a year of private lessons, Caleb began winning his first awards in competition. He won 1st place in piano performance from the University of Utah, as well as the "Iron Man" award in 2010. Spring 2011 brought him to the Con Brio Piano Competition where he won 1st place Piano Concerto. In 2012 he won 1st Place Piano Concerto once again, and in March 2012 he was invited to play in his first concert playing a concerto with a live orchestra.

I don't believe he is a prodigy, but he does have a gift. Caleb truly has a love for music and a passion for the piano. We hope he may be able to continue on learning and developing his talent so that someday his dreams can come true, and he can be that professional piano player that he wants to be.

Caleb's Awards:

--Honorable Mention 2014 UMTA Piano Concerto Competition
--Honorable Mention 2013 SummerArts Competition
--3rd Place 2013 Jarrod Radnich Worldwide Pirates Piano Competition
--1st Place 2013 WestFest Talent Competition
--Honorable Mention SLC Piano Competition
--Honorable Mention Utah Symphony Youth Guild
--3rd Place Solo Performance 2012 SummerArts Competition
--Honorable Mention Quick Study 2012 SummerArts Competition
--Honorable Mention Theory 2012 SummerArts Competition
--2nd Place 2012 WestFest Talent Competition
--3rd Place Classical 2012 SLC Piano Competition
--Honorable Mention Modern Piece 2012 SLC Piano Competition
--Honorable Mention Impressionist 2012 Utah State University Piano Competition
--1st Place Piano Concerto 2012 Con Brio Competition
--2nd Place Solo Performance 2012 Con Brio Competition
--2nd Place Musical Composition 2012 Con Brio Competition
--Most Exceptional Performer 2012 4-H Talent Competition
--1st Place Piano Concerto 2011 Con Brio Competition
--2nd Place Sight Reading 2011 SummerArts Competition
--Honorable Mention 2011 SummerArts Competition
--Honorable Mention 2011 SLC Piano Concerto Competition
--1st Place Solo Performance 2010 University of Utah SummerArts Competition
--1st Place Theory 2010 SummerArts Competition
--2010 Iron Man Award SummerArts Piano Competition
--2nd Place Sight Reading 2010 SummerArts Competition