Cello and human biology have shaped senior Joseph Song’s high school journey, as they help him overcome struggles and calm his mind and body. These traits have combined to help him succeed in both of his two main hobbies.
“Playing cello, there’s a ton of things I’ve learned,” Joseph said. “[I have learned] discipline, leadership, and knowing how to practice correctly. That hard work pays off.”
Having played the cello for about eight years, it is one of his strongest interests, and helps him with control. Although he has had lots of experience, he is not looking to play the cello after college. However, his hope is to get involved in college and continue playing for his time there.
“Cello is my de-stressor,” Joseph said. “It’s my hobby, I’m not looking to become a professional cellist. I just [play in] my free time; [when I] have time, I practice.”
Apart from the cello, because Joseph’s family has primarily worked in the medical field, he developed an interest in biology at a young age. He hopes to pursue a career in the medical field. He is getting involved in activities to prepare him for his future, while also learning life lessons from playing the cello that will give him extremely helpful traits for his career in medicine.
“Ever since I was a kid, I [watched] movies and TV shows regarding medicine,” Joseph said.” I’ve done summer camps and internships [for medicine], and it’s just helped me grow that interest.”
Joseph’s parents have overall been a huge influence in many aspects of his life; their support has inspired him to pursue his hobbies.
“I would say my parents are my biggest influence,” Joseph said. “They’ve supported me throughout my entire life, and they’ve been the best to me. [They’ve] done what they could for me.”
Playing the cello has helped Joseph focus during practice. This also translates to helping him with medicine as he learns to stay relaxed.
“Cello can help [me] physically,” Joseph said. “It helps me slow down and know how to control my body. And then that’ll help [me for] future medicine practice. And then, mentally [it has] helped me to be disciplined and not to go over myself.”
Having worked with a variety of different people, from being in the FHC orchestra freshman year and practicing with a private instructor, to playing with an ensemble of different types of musicians, he has been taught multiple essential traits to keep enjoying playing the cello. Practicing at home and taking his time to improve his skills develops these traits, which help him become a better musician and a better person.
“My leadership develops through [being in ensembles with other people], [and] I learned discipline through practices,” Joseph said. “[In] my home practice, I just wanted to get it over with, [and] that’s the worst way to practice. The best way is to slow down and actually practice [what] you need to, and that gave me discipline. It allowed me to become more humble.”
Overall, Joseph has learned a variety of skills from playing the cello that he will apply throughout his life. Thinking back to when he just started, the advice that he would give his past self is to stay consistent and persevere through the challenges that playing the cello will bring.
“It’s harder than you think it would be,” Joseph said. “Sometimes there’s going to be times when I feel like it’s a desert, [and] I’m going nowhere, [and] I’m not progressing in scales, and playing the same mistakes over and over again. The best way to overcome is just [to] keep doing it, and eventually, one way or another, you’ll figure out how to overcome those challenges.”
