Dear friends,
Admittedly, 2020 has been a strange year. It started out rosily with my return to Rochester from NYC, where I had a rejuvenating vacation filled with museums, operas and cafés. Then, I had a viewing of Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, an uplifting period drama film that put me in high spirits for the start of semester. Everything was going well, until the school announced that students were asked not to return to campus from spring break, and that all classes would take place online for the rest of the semester. Concerts were cancelled and church services were suspended. I was in Cleveland then for a recital on March 10, and I remember thinking how fortunate that it wasn’t postponed and how it’d be my last live concert for a while (what an understatement!). The 7-hour bus ride from Cleveland to Rochester was a stressful experience. Only a few passengers, myself included, wore masks on the packed bus. I felt exposed and vulnerable.
The following month or so was challenging in several aspects. Academic-wise, remote learning took some getting used to. There is just something unique and irreplaceable about traditional classroom teaching, which is lost when everything is reduced to a screen. To balance this sudden increase of screen time, I had to make sure to stare into the distance from time to time, and to go out for walks whenever possible. Music-wise, it was sometimes difficult to stay motivated to practice, as juries, recitals and competitions were cancelled or postponed to unforeseeable dates. I chose to embrace this feeling and redirect my energy towards exploring new music, which proved to be inspiring. Emotion-wise, it wasn’t easy to be far away from home in such dire situations. I faced a dilemma that surely troubled many international students: to stay or to leave? America quickly became one of the worst-hit countries by COVID-19. Both the government and the people were unprepared for a pandemic. I was convinced by families and friends from Hong Kong that staying put wasn’t a wise choice. But then, travelling was also a risky business, especially when the journey was a 40-hour one. Regarding travel ban, it is very fortunate that the U.S. hasn’t issued any restrictions to travelers from Hong Kong. After finishing the semester online, I went home for the summer.
This pandemic has vastly changed the music industry. Since live concerts are considered high-risk, musicians have to adapt and depend on the Internet for sharing their music. Many have developed new skills such as video editing, website designing, sound engineering, social media marketing, etc. Indeed, this is a challenging time for us musicians. But as long as we still have that passion for music in us, we will come out of this pandemic as stronger, better people.
Cheers,
Ryan
