We will ask you about music colleges, music colleges, music classroom course programs, local living information, etc. that only those who have experienced studying abroad in music can understand.Please use it as a reference for yourself in the future.
Hiromi GOTO
Born in Oita City, Oita Prefecture.After graduating from Oita Prefectural College of Arts and Culture, transferred to Musashino Academia Musicae and graduated. He has lived in Vienna since 2001.Currently enrolled in the Opera Department of the Prayner Konservatorium in Vienna. In 2005, performed at the 7th Beppu Argerich Music Festival, a concert by a young musician from Oita prefecture.
(Interview December 2005)
— Please give us a brief introduction.
Goto I started playing the piano when I was four years old.I wanted to be a music teacher, rather than going on the piano path all the time, so I worked hard until I took the university entrance exam.However, to attend a national university in music education, I needed not only piano but also vocal music.I started vocal music there, and now I am on the path to vocal music.After all, after graduating from Oita Prefectural College of Arts and Culture, I entered Musashino Academia Musicae and graduated in the third year.I had been studying vocal music in Tokyo for about two years, but since 3 I have been studying abroad in Vienna because I want to study abroad.
— You originally wanted to be sensei, didn't you?
Goto: That's right.I wanted to make good use of the piano.Music sensei plays the piano.
— Is the turning point after you entered university?
Goto: I took the university entrance exam to learn about the world of vocal music. I started studying vocal music in my second year of high school, but unlike the piano, singing can release stress (laughs).The image of the piano was that I really practiced for hours and stayed in the room, so it was a little stressful rather than enjoying the music.When I started vocal music, I felt that music was really fun, and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to start vocal music, even if I took the exam.
— Did you mean that vocal music was overwhelmingly suitable for you?
Goto Yes.Is it a personality?Basically I want to stand out.Of course, I'm still nervous when I'm on stage, but I'm addicted to the joy of singing in public or the excitement of receiving applause.Until now, I've studied a lot and I haven't found anything else that I find fun.
— Is there any particular reason for studying abroad?
Goto: My vocal sensei was studying in Vienna when I was young and sang in theaters such as Germany. While listening to such stories, I definitely wanted to study at home.Listening to the stories of the same students who studied abroad, I was motivated to study further.
— Did you want to study abroad because you entered university in Japan?
Goto: When I first entered the university, I had no idea about studying abroad.I grew up in Japan and never went abroad, so I was afraid to leave Japan.However, I want to continue studying songs even after graduation!I was thinking.So I started thinking about studying abroad after listening to the stories of sensei and acquaintances.
— What have you been doing for a while after graduating from college?
Goto I went to sensei's house for private lessons while working part-time in Tokyo for about two years.I didn't have the courage to start studying abroad.I attended a German language school.
— So did you study languages in Japan and then go to Vienna?
Goto Yes.I went to a German language school every day half a year before studying abroad. But I couldn't keep up with my studies because it was every day (laughs).It will be advanced before it can be reviewed.After all, I thought it would be better to study slowly.
— Do you get a lot of strength after studying in Japan for half a year?
Goto: I focused on grammar, but I couldn't improve my listening and speaking skills.The sensei at school was German sensei, but all the students were Japanese and I didn't have much trouble even if I couldn't speak.
— Did you get confused by words when you first studied abroad?
Goto I was confused.There were days when I really felt like crying on my way home from a language school. I don't know what sensei is saying, and I don't have the vocabulary, so I can't say what I want to say.Furthermore, if you go out to the city, German with a Viennese accent.I thought it was a completely different language.Besides, I think there was also the loneliness of living in a foreign country.
— How long have you got used to it?
Goto: I think I was already used to it within half a year.Fortunately, there was a Japanese who studied abroad at the same time, so I lived in a pension with her.Even though I can't speak German very well, I've come to think that I'll be able to do something about it.
— How did you find the Preiner Conservatory you are attending now?
With everyone at the Preiner Conservatory
Goto: I learned from a student of sensei, a vocal musician in Vienna.It was the school she attended, so I was allowed to visit it.That's why I like it too.
— At first, did you aim to learn a language and then look for sensei?
Goto: It wasn't my purpose to learn a language, and I thought that I couldn't do anything even if I went to school if I couldn't communicate because I came to Vienna and had a problem.So, I just wanted to concentrate on learning the language at the beginning. In Japan, I didn't have any information about sensei or school, so it took me a long time to find a school or sensei. If I had a school in Japan Of course, if I knew it, I would have been able to go there immediately.
— Does the school have no special exams?
Goto: Our school is in the form of singing in front of the sensei in the class.If you say that sensei is good, it feels like you can enroll.You were able to enroll in this Vorsingen (audition).
— Of course, there are some people who are dropped if they don't have the ability, right?
Goto: I don't even know what the standard is (laughs).I think it's too early to do an opera, but some people were dropped because they learned a little more vocal music and then came back again.
— Are there different school courses?
Goto Voice alone is divided into the REIT oratorio department, the opera department, and the vocal music department.You can also learn composition, piano, musical instruments, theater, jazz, and more.
— Do you have lessons at the same level?Is it a mixture of different levels?
Goto: It's mixed.There are some Japanese people, but only those who have graduated from university in Japan.
— How do the lessons go about?
Goto: In my school's opera class, there are three days a week, and Monday and Friday are the stage lessons on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and it's time to study with directing.Wednesday is the time for music lessons called collection.
— How many hours do you have each time?
Goto Monday and Friday are from 3:3 to 7:2.Wednesday is from XNUMX:XNUMX to XNUMX:XNUMX.There are also fencing and gymnastics classes, drama and opera history classes once every two weeks.I didn't have any other classes because I was granted credits from a Japanese university (at the Preiner Conservatory), but I also have other classes such as harmony.It's the same as Japanese music college.
— After all it's an opera, so are you going to do it as a group?
Goto: That's right.It's a group.
— Is there almost nothing like a private lesson?
Goto Another.After all, everyone else has a separate vocal sensei, some are at school sensei, others are taking vocal lessons outside of school. Only vocal techniques are studied separately. It is a form that goes on.Speaking only of opera classes.
— Do you study opera movements at school?
Goto: That's right.I'm in opera class.There is also a department called gesang where you can really study singing techniques.
— If you want to focus on singing, you should go to the vocal music department, right?
Goto: That's right.I wish I had a sensei that I wanted to be at school.
— What is the atmosphere of the school?Is it completely different from Japan?
At the Preiner Conservatory
Goto: That's not true.It really feels like it's open, and everyone is enjoying the music freely.In Japan, it's called music, and I felt that I had to do this, and I had to do it as an issue, but in my case (laughs).I am very enthusiastic about sensei for those who are motivated and those who are studying. Therefore, if you are not really motivated or if you do not study, you can keep going.I don't think I can study unless I move steadily from myself.
— Specifically, what should I do?Do you mean to give various opinions while singing a song?
Goto: In the opera class, there are many people with the same role. So, for example, if you don't want to sing there, you can't sing.In Japan, in order, isn't it?Here, instead of that, the person who wants to do it many times by the same person wins, and the rest is not just saying "yes" to the director sensei, but what do you think? If you don't say something, it won't be communicated to the other person. Otherwise, you'll be told that you don't understand German.After that, the Japanese people's reluctance is not transmitted.All Japanese people don't have to say it, they say, "You don't have to say it, right? I think there is always a feeling.But when you have something to say, no one will understand it unless you tell it directly.
— That's pretty confusing at first, isn't it?
Goto: That's right.I think it's quite different from Japan.
— That's not a virtue of Japan, but I think it's better to throw away the parts that tend to be reluctant and become more and more aggressive.
Goto It may be just right to overdo it.
— That's why some people seem to be sick.
Goto: That's right. But basically, there aren't many people who are singing.There are many people who are relatively bright in character.
— Are there more Austrians at school?
Goto: That's not true. I think that can be said not only at our school but overall, but there are many foreigners.Of course there are Austrians, but there are many foreigners.I think there are many Japanese and Koreans.
— Do students from Asia also communicate in German?
Goto: When I talk to my Korean and Chinese friends in German, why don't the people around me speak in my native language?You will be told (laughs).They say that they are different countries even if they look similar.
— Do you have any difficulties interacting with people from various countries?
Goto: No matter what you're talking about, you'll be immediately asked for your opinion, "What do you think?"It's hard because I didn't have the opportunity to express my opinion so much in Japan. I can't say "it's the same".
— It feels like your perspective is expanding.
Goto: There are many things we can learn from our daily lives.Talk and party with friends from different countries.I feel that emotional expression is enriched.I like the feeling of enjoying every day to the fullest.Expressing emotions is very important, so I think it was good to study abroad in that sense as well.In class, when I was told to try acting angry, I was told that I wouldn't know what it was.I think it's because we don't express emotions with our bodies. That's why it's very difficult.I often think that the way of expressing emotions is over-action when talking or playing with foreign friends.But from that point on, I thought it was different from the Japanese.informative.
— There is a lot to learn from that kind of daily life.
Goto: When I noticed, I was over-action too (laughs).Isn't it moving?Everyday life is an opera (laughs).
— Do you practice everyday at home?
Goto: I rent a piano from a Japanese tuner in Austria so that I can practice at home.It's okay until XNUMX pm.
— Do you practice before you go to school and even after you come back?
Goto: That's right. It takes time to pick up a new song.Of course, when I'm not feeling well, I don't speak out and look up the meaning of the lyrics.I think we need more time than just making a voice.
— After all, do you have to understand the background of the song, or do you have something like that kind of homework?
Goto: I don't have any homework, but if I don't do it after all, I'm just in trouble.Anyway, if I was told that I would do this next week, I think I should be able to do it at that time.It's ideal.
— Isn't the class a place for presentations?
I hope it's Goto.After all, the Japanese are the ones who study the most.
— What about people from other countries?
You can't practice because the Goto family doesn't have a piano, right?I was surprised when I was told (laughs).I'm in class, like I'm going to pick up the sound here.I don't think Japanese people have that kind of humor. Not all people do.It means that there are really many people.That's why you can't do it unless you're easygoing.It's useless if you click every time.I can't live.
— The same is true for Vienna (laughs).
Goto: Well, even in Vienna (laughs).Of course, it may be because I'm a student. Of course, when it comes to work, it doesn't work.
— But it feels like it can grow and grow.
Goto: That's right.It's growing and growing.
— Are there any activities such as sessions and concerts outside of school?
Goto: Everyone is doing concerts casually.The concert halls I have in the ward can be rented cheaply.A few people get together and do a lot of concerts.
— Is it like a charity concert?
Goto: I'd like to leave the basket and ask for it. Of course, there are times when I'll take some money.
— Has anything interesting or good happened?
Goto: The sensei at my school is an active worker at the Vienna State Opera.That's why the driving range was sometimes called the Vienna State Opera. I'm very happy to be a Miha in that place (laughs).After that, I was shown a professional practice scene.Was it the Marriage of Figaro?
— On a different note, how are prices in Vienna compared to Japan?
Goto: I used to think that it was cheap, but sometimes I wonder if it's about the same as Japan after it became euro.
— Is the food cost about the same?
Goto: Cheap things are different from Japan.Vegetables are cheap.But when I go to a restaurant or something like that, I often think it's about the same.But I think opera tickets and concert tickets are cheap. How much does it cost to hear this in Japan?I often think.Watching an opera is always standing, but it costs 2 euros.
— Is it so cheap!
Goto: It's really cheap.It seems that many people go there every day.In Japan, it doesn't cost as much as 300 yen.That's why you can listen to first-class music, which is really impossible.
— After all, the music environment is overwhelmingly better in Vienna.
Goto: It feels like it's already rooted in the town, or that you can talk about music with anyone. In Japan, classic is something that some people are doing.Instead, it seems that ordinary uncles and aunts who don't play music know about Mozart's music. It's good that everyone can talk about that kind of music.I feel that it is naturally rooted in life.I have grandpas and grandmas who I often meet while standing, but there are times when I'm wondering if I'll do my best in standing even this year.
— How often do you go now?
Goto: You've only been there about three times since September (until December).When I came to Vienna, I saw it almost every day.Right now, I'm doing it when the performances I haven't seen or when the production changes.
— Do you have any moments when you are happy to study abroad?
Goto: After the concert, I'm a customer, but maybe when someone I didn't know praised the performance.
— Is there anything that makes you feel like you've grown more than you did when you were in Japan after studying abroad?
Goto: Now I can express my opinion.I think I used to say that.Rather, I can say that I don't like things.In the old days, I didn't like it, or I thought it wasn't good to have that kind of feeling.If I disagree with myself, I have no idea what to do.After all, there may be people who have similar opinions.The other thing is that I can express my emotions. I think it is through the opera.I think it means that I'm no longer ashamed.
— If you can say a lot, your life will become easier.
Goto: That's right.I think various ideas will change.Is it positive?
— Do you say that when you come back to Japan, you have changed to the people around you?
Goto: I wonder what it is. Maybe there was such a tendency from long ago (laughs). But after all, it is said that singing a song changed.
— How to express the song?
Goto: That's right.When I was told that I was moved by something and cried, I'm glad I did that.
— Does that mean that the way you express your emotions or something like that has changed?
Goto: In a sense, I can now sing comfortably.
— I often hear that vocal music kills your voice.
Goto: I often hear it.me too.I'm fine for now.Sometimes when I think it's good, maybe it's good that I didn't understand all the languages. Wouldn't it be nice if you could do what you felt with the voice and gestures of sensei and then get an okay sign?For example, if I was told to open the diaphragm and open my throat a little, I might not have been able to do that. Some people say that I can't sing because of stress. So, the technique is. It's better to feel it with a sense.It's just my case! (Lol)
— That's a way of thinking that it's an individual difference, isn't it?
Goto: You believe in your sensei.It's difficult to find a sensei that you can believe in.When I get to the new sensei, the way I speak will change, so I think it will definitely improve once.So it got better!I think for a moment, but I don't know if it will last.I don't know if that sensei is really good until I follow it for about half a year.
— Then it's difficult to tell.
Goto: That's right. In that sense, I went to the university to attend a lot of lectures. When I heard that there was a good sensei, I went to that sensei lesson.The decisive factor is the presentation of the sensei class. I think that the sensei technique is good because there are many good students in such a place.
— It's also very important to listen to other people's performances.
Goto: It's really studying.
— What are your thoughts on your future course?
Goto: I'm looking for a job now.I would like to receive various auditions from now on.Right now I still want to do what I can do here.Eventually, of course, I would like to go back to my hometown and show what I have learned in the performance.For the time being, I want to do my best here.
— Finally, can you give some advice to those who are going to study abroad?
Goto: I think you should study the language.And while maintaining motivation, I want you to learn a lot of things that can only be studied overseas and expand the range of music.
— Thank you for all the meaningful stories today.
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