Lots of music, lots of instruments

Amy Rosenthal

Amy Rosenthal started playing the violin at five. Then, there was the piano at seven. Since then, there's been the flute and viola. To come, the cello and maybe more.

The 13-year-old has had success. She's the 2003-04 Kenneth R. Mares Scholarship winner at the Webster University Community Music School.

The scholarship helps to fund her music lessons and also makes her a spokesperson for the music school. She's asked to perform at various functions sponsored by the school.

But, the seventh grader at John Burroughs School isn't sure she wants a career in music.

Amy said, "I've been considering a career in science, maybe as a doctor. I really like math and science in school."

But, for now, she's involved in all kinds of music and musical instruments.

One of her new efforts is practicing as a violin duet with Sarite Brown,. They have a recital coming up this month.

"We met at the Webster Music School. We've been trying to practice at least once a week," Amy said.

She started violin lessons, using the Suzuki method, at age five. She used a quarter-sized violin at that time. Her mother, Debby, started at the same time. Debby said, "It was something we could do together."

Amy's been taking lessons ever since, progressing through a half-, three-quarter and finally a full-sized violin. She now takes lessons with Susan McDonald at the Webster Music School.

The piano lessons started two years after those on the violin. She now has piano lessons with Sandra Geary of the music school.

Her recital playing started shortly after the beginning of the lessons.

Amy admits that she gets more nervous now before a recital than she did when she was younger.

"Now, the music is harder, I've worked on it harder and there are more ways to mess up," she said.

And when the audience is larger, that helps make her more nervous. Her largest audience for a solo piano recital has been 200. But, she's also played in an orchestra before an audience over 1,000.

With all the instruments she plays, Amy has had experience of playing complicated pieces on some and easier ones on others.

For instance, she just started playing the viola last summer. She plays the viola with the John Burroughs orchestra. Most of those players haven't had as much overall musical experience as Amy.

But, she's also much less experienced on the viola than on the violin or piano.

Like most musicians, Amy sometimes gets bored with practice. "I get tired of a piece. But, then I'll take a week off from it and then I like it again," she said.

Amy said the best experiences she's had in music are associated with summer music camps in Aspen, Colorado. She said, "The camps have hundreds of kids from all over the world."

The camps are held in ski resorts which are devoid of skiers in the summer.

There's a wide variety of classes, ranging from full orchestra, to ensembles and quartets.

Most of her playing involves classical music.

Her favorite violin pieces are Accolay's "Concerto No. 1 in A minor" and Bach's "Concerto for two violins."

Her favorites on the piano are Debussy's "Deuxieme Arabesque" and Chopin's "Nocturne in C-sharp minor."

Not all of her extra-curricular activities involve music. She's a Girl Scout member. "I like the activities and being with my friends," Amy said. The kids go on camping trips and do community service projects.

She also came up with her own idea to help sick kids who are in the hospital. Her mother is a radiologist at St. John's Mercy Medical Center.

Amy created individual "care packages" for the kids. The kit combines a written original story with a craft exercise they can make. The craft and the story have the same theme.