Laclede music contest winner is 11

When Jecoliah Wang was a baby, her mother had classical music playing when she was in her crib. She played a hymn in church on the violin only eight months after starting formal lessons at age 6.

Jecoliah with violin in her living room

The 5th grader is now 11 and is the grand prize winner in the 2006 Laclede Quartet Kids Concert Competition. The annual competition is open to kids from 4th to 12th grade.

Wendy Lea, one of the Laclede Quartet members, said, "Jecoliah blew us away with her playing of the 1st movement of Lalo's Symphonia Espagnole."

And tiny Jecoliah isn't even playing a full-sized violin yet.

When she started violin lessons, she played a 1/8th sized instrument. About once a year, she moves to a larger size. She's up to a 3/4th size violin now.

As the violin size gets bigger, Jecoliah can develop better tone and more range. She said the "little instruments are often limited in tone quality."

Jecoliah playing in a recent concert

The winners in the 2006 Laclede competition were featured Sunday, March 12, in a concert held on the Fontbonne College campus. Jecoliah also will be featured on KFUO-FM radio's Saturday morning "Classic Kids" broadcast.

Jecoliah is attending Kennard Classical Junior Academy, a St. Louis City Schools' gifted institution.

Her interests go beyond music. At Kennard, she's now helping to construct scenery for the 5th grade's upcoming opera, "The Mikado."

"We're making stage scenery which includes a painting of Mt. Fuji in Japan," she said.

When the opera is staged, Jacoliah plays the part of a school girl. That includes both singing and speaking, she said.

Her parents, Jieh-Wuu (Michael) and Sheau-Fung (Lydia) Wang, are from Taiwan. They met while going to Kobe University in Japan.

Her current music teacher is Hiroko Yoshida, a member of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.

She also has a godfather, the Rev. Wesley Cummins, who is now associate pastor of the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in Ballwin. It was at his church that she played the hymn just eight months after starting violin lessons.

So it was natural that Jecoliah should be involved in the annual Japanese Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden. She plays the violin in the Gaku, a Japanese instrumental group.

She's been in the Webster University Music School's Young People's Symphonic Orchestra for nearly two years. Last fall, she was named assistant concert master.

"I really like sitting so close to the conductor. You can see his every move," she said.

Jecoliah takes music lessons once a week. But, her practice sessions fill up much of the rest of her non-school time.

"I practice three hours a day, unless I get too tired. Then, I practice more the next day," she said.

She said practicing that much isn't always fun. "But, I know I have to so I can get better and play pieces I like," she added.

She's also got a secret weapon in her practice routine-her little Maltese dog, Xavier. "He's always with me when I practice, so I never feel alone or get bored," she said.

Also, she said she organizes her practices systematically.

"I always divide the music I'm supposed to learn by the number of days left before my lesson. Then, I focus on that day's part and review the previous parts. So, I don't feel pressure before my lessons," she said.

Although her free time is limited, Jecoliah said likes reading, doing crafts, origami and cooking. "I'd like to learn to sew, too," she said.

Jecoliah has her sights set high as to the types of pieces she wants to do. "I'm looking forward to working on the Paganini Concerto in D Major. It has such a beautiful melody. It's just right for playing for people in their homes," she said.

She has her eye on being both a doctor and a musician when she grows up.

"I've always wondered how the human brain works. Also, how music can foster healing and bring comfort to patients in their difficult times," she said.