Tomoki Konita/Paris International Music Academy & Vienna International Music Seminar

Konita: I am currently a second year high school student. When I was little, my mother saw me singing Ken Hirai's songs all the time, and she inspired me to learn singing, so I was introduced to music from an early age. When I was in the 6th grade of elementary school, I fell in love with Jose Carreras' songs and wanted to be able to move people's hearts, so I started performing in opera.

Konita: When I was in the 6th grade of elementary school, I went to Australia for three weeks as part of my school's study abroad program.
Also, when I was young, I went on a family trip to the United States and Singapore.

Konita: I wanted to study abroad because I was interested in overseas vocal music education, so I chose Paris and Vienna, where opera is well-developed. Another reason is that I was attracted to sensei, which was introduced by AndVision this time.

Konita: There were 2 people in the sensei class at Paris International, 4 Japanese and 6 local.
There were around 14 people in the Vienna International class, and many of them were from Asia. Sensei's class was divided into 2 classes with 6-7 students in each class.

Konita: At Paris International, we had 1-minute lessons every day.
At Vienna International, we basically had four 1-minute lessons each, but depending on how my throat was feeling that day, I was given 40 minutes, and other days it was 4 minutes, depending on the situation.

Konita: Both of them were wonderful people. Daniel Ottewaele's sensei was a humorous sensei who would give lessons while dancing. He taught me how to use my whole body and gave easy-to-understand lessons about how to use my body necessary for singing.
Sona Ghatsarian sensei is a very friendly sensei, and even though she had a difficult time with the large number of students, she took each lesson seriously.

Konita: He seemed to be reluctant to express his emotions, but during a lesson with Daniel Sensei, he told him, ``Sing whatever you like while walking.'' That's when he expressed his emotions for the first time. I started to realize that it's okay to sing like that.
Sona sensei was taught mainly about how to pronounce it and the meaning of the lyrics, and they taught us that there are various ways to express the meaning of the lyrics.

Konita: Daniel Sensei's lessons were in French and English. We basically communicated in English, and the interpreter explained things that were difficult to express in English. Sona sensei's lessons were basically in German, but sensei also speaks English, so we talked to her in English and even taught her lessons in English.

Konita: There was no Paris International, but there was an opening concert at the Vienna International, and there was also a student concert at the end.

Konita: Yes. At Paris International, there was an in-class concert at the end.
There were three competitions and a concert at Vienna International.
I also personally accompanied someone who was planning a Japanese-French picnic in Paris, and I had the opportunity to listen to my performance in a park for people to interact with.

Konita: At Paris International, I was able to practice at the school's facilities. All rooms had pianos, so I was able to practice by myself every day in a large room. At Vienna International, I basically practiced in my hotel room.

Konita: We held a Japan-France picnic in Paris. As part of Tobitate's activities, we held calligraphy trial sessions and gave Japanese presentations to my flat-sharing roommates to help them learn about Japanese culture. In Vienna, we held a calligraphy experience in a park and went to see an opera. I also went to the Louvre Museum and the Mozart House as places to learn about European history, and worked to improve my expressiveness in singing and incorporate cultural elements into myself.

Konita: In France, I stayed in a shared flat. It was very spacious and even had a tuned grand piano. The time I could play was limited, but there was a practice room at school so it wasn't a problem. There were times when I had fruit, potatoes, and cereal for breakfast, and that was all I needed, but there were also times when I would buy something at the supermarket and make it myself.
I stayed at a hotel in Vienna. There was cleaning every day and it was very clean. I was able to practice without any problems, and I even used the piano practice room in the basement when I was free.

Konita: It's a train. I was a little confused, but when I asked people around town, they kindly told me where to go, so I had no problems.

Konita: In both countries, I sometimes cooked for myself or went out to eat with friends.
However, eating out was expensive. I even had to pay for water. Eating out costs around 1 euros per meal. At McDonald's it costs about 20 euros. Everything was delicious, but I really missed the rice.

Konita: I think it's about actively talking to the other person yourself.

Konita: In Vienna, I got involved with drunk people during the day. At times, they seemed to think I didn't understand the language, so I was verbally abused. There were many beggars in both countries, so many people came to ask for money. Also, some Japanese participants actually experienced pickpocketing, which was scary.

Konita: It was the moment when I realized that I had improved and was glad that my efforts were recognized. I went there to grow, so I'm glad I was able to grow.

Konita: The first thing is that I have become able to express my emotions. Now I feel like I can express myself this much. Also, I felt a sense of growth when I sang German songs and when I got results in competitions.

Konita: In Japan, if someone is in trouble, there are many people who go to help them, but if you go and talk to the local people, they will be kind to you, but if you remain silent, no one will help you.

Konita: It is important to take initiative. Not only relationships but also schedules. There's no point in going to study abroad and locking yourself in your room all the time, so if there's something you don't understand, you need to be willing to look it up, ask questions, and take action.

Konita: One of the purposes of studying abroad was to decide on my future career path, but this experience solidified my resolve to continue singing. I have not decided on my career path after graduation, but I would like to practice vocal music every day and continue pursuing my dream of becoming a tenor singer.