K.O/Pyrenees Summer International Music Academy

K.O.: I have been playing the piano since I was a child, and I graduated from graduate school at Osaka College of Music. He was interested in musical instruments other than the piano, so he played the euphonium in the brass band in middle school and the cello in high school.

K.O: When I was a university student, I participated in overseas seminars every year. I also participated in summer courses in Italy and Germany, and spring courses in Vienna.

K.O.: I had been researching Spanish music for two years, and after I graduated, I wanted to go to the country and learn from an authentic sensei. Pierre Reac Sensei also teaches in Spain, and AndVision recommended Sensei as a place where you can learn a wide range of music, so I participated in Sensei this time.

K.O.: I think there were less than 50 people playing the piano. The male to female ratio was slightly more female. Most of the participants were in their teens and 10s, but there were also young children and older participants. There weren't many participants from Asia, and most of them were from Europe and France.

K.O.: There was an orientation and lesson on the first day, but Leaku Sensei was not available due to some circumstances, so I took a lesson from a Japanese Sensei. From the next day onwards, I had rare sensei lessons every day for about an hour.
The pace was fast, 1-2 songs per lesson, and I had prepared about 3 songs, but it only took about 8 days to complete, so I searched for past songs on my iPad, read the scores in the morning, and brought them to the afternoon lesson. It was that kind of feeling.

K.O.: He was a very cheerful person, and he had a deep sense of heart that would approve of anything I did, and he was really very kind to me.

K.O.: For example, the nuances of the dance, such as the tango rhythm, are difficult for Japanese people, but I think it's okay to be more relaxed. He kept playing next to me, and I was able to actually feel the rhythm. I brought Haydn, Chopin, and Schumann with me, but Sensei told me to play more Bach and Haydn, as it would make for a broader range of music.

K.O: I don't understand French, so I asked them to say hello and everything else in English. Although I can't speak English very well, it was easy to understand because he taught me in easy-to-understand English. I also understood the nuances by watching them play.

K.O: On the last night of the seminar, there was an orchestral performance by soloist Katsaris Sensei.
Concerts were held every night on the other days, and there were various genres such as classical piano, jazz piano, and trio, so it was a very meaningful time. The concerts were held throughout the city, and each day was held in a different location, so it was refreshing to be able to go to a variety of places, including churches, nursing homes, parks, and halls. Since it was held at a movie theater deep in the mountains, it took about an hour to get there, and everyone had the experience of getting carsick. Also, if it's an evening concert, it ends around 1pm and I get home at 22pm. My French roommate generally doesn't take baths, so I had the experience of not being able to take a bath because he was asleep.

K.O: There was a concert similar to a selectmen's concert. About 10 people played solo, some performed in ensembles, and all cello majors played in ensembles.

K.O: There was a lesson room and a practice room in the elementary school, and I practiced there. The practice room was shared by three people, but since they were all students of the same class, there was no overlap.

K.O: I think it was a very safe place. The cityscape was beautiful, and there were many shops when you went up the hill.
It was a beautiful and peaceful place with lots of nature, and there were sheep running wild and horses along the way. Since I live in a rural area, people around me were easy to talk to.

K.O.: I went to church on Sundays and went to the market on Thursday and Saturday evenings. The cityscape was very beautiful. There was a restaurant run by a Japanese person, and it seemed like they often went to Rareku Sensei, so some of the Japanese members went there as well.

K.O: This is a student dormitory. I lived in a small house with about 6 girls my age. The living room is a shared space, and the rooms are for one person or for two or three people. It was a format where you chose a room in the order you arrived. Showers were on the 1st and 2nd floors. There was a bed, refrigerator, TV, washing machine, detergent, and all furniture and appliances. It was difficult to use the washing machine, so I asked a French girl to teach me how to use it.

K.O: On foot. It's about a 5 minute walk to the venue. The basic lesson rooms were in elementary schools, with the exception of Reaku Sensei, which was a slightly larger space like a mini-hall. It seems that the selection concert was originally planned to be held at a church, but it got flooded due to torrential rain, so it was suddenly changed to a mini hall, and the lesson room became the venue for the concert, so the actual concert was like a rehearsal. .

K.O.: For breakfast, a week's worth of food was prepared at the accommodation, including cornflakes, bread, and milk. Lunch and dinner were prepared in the dining room. There were a lot of potato dishes, and it was like potatoes and meat, but it was more delicious than I expected. I was able to eat curry and sushi at places run by Japanese people. There is also the issue of prices, but overall it was a little expensive. Food and clothing were also quite expensive.

K.O: Make sure to communicate properly. Today's young people can speak English even if they are French, so I hope they can at least have a conversation in English. After that, I was able to communicate without any inconvenience by using Siri or a translator.

K.O: I took rare sensei lessons. I was able to learn from a different perspective. It was my first time to go abroad by myself, so I was a little nervous, but they supported me in a lot of ways, so I'm glad I was able to take the plunge.

K.O: Is it the way you look at the musical score? Mistakes in sounds and writing of phrases were important, so I was looking at them in detail, but I think I should look at them more broadly. He taught me that I should just relax, feel the rhythm with my body, and just play it.Once I realized that there are parts of it that aren't logical, I felt a little more at ease. I also felt that my communication skills improved. It was fun to talk to various local people and get to know their values ​​and musical tastes.

K.O: I realized that language learning is very important. The younger children were fluent in English and it was easy to communicate with them, but many of the older people, especially in rural areas, could only speak the local language, so I think it is necessary to have some language skills. I did.

K.O: I would like to regularly participate in overseas courses. Next time I would like to search in Spain. I would like to participate in various seminars and gradually change my sense of values.