Nozomi KANADA / Flute / Conservatoire Royal de Mons / Mons, Belgium

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.
 
Nozomi KANADA
Graduated from the Faculty of Music, Ferris University.Graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Belgium.Currently in the teaching profession course of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Brussels, Belgium.

— Could you tell us your biography so far?
I started Kanda Flute properly when I was 16 years old, at the end of my first year in high school.Then I entered the Faculty of Music at Ferris University, then studied abroad at the Royal Mons Conservatory in Belgium and graduated last year.
— How did you get started playing the flute?
There was a flute in the brass band of Kanda Elementary School, and I thought it was cool, so I started when I was in the fifth grade of elementary school.However, I didn't learn properly, so I quit as soon as I graduated.Since it was a high school where brass bands were popular, I joined the brass band club and played the horn for the first year.However, I started to play the flute in earnest because I wanted to go to the music college with the flute.
— Did you go to Belgium immediately after graduating from Feliz?
Kanda That's right.I've been thinking about it since I was in school.
— Did you get to know the Belgian school sensei while you were in school?
Kanda I didn't know sensei directly.I only knew my name, and I contacted him after I came here.
— What made you decide to study abroad in Belgium?
Kanda Originally, I was very interested in overseas exchanges and languages.At that time, I wanted to live in a foreign country surrounded by foreigners, so I decided to make it a place where there weren't many Japanese people.Belgium is not so major in Japan, so I had a good sensei to look for sensei in Belgium, so I decided to go to him.
— How about Belgium?Isn't there so many Japanese people?
Kanda There are Japanese people, but not so many. There are three schools in Brussels, the Brussels Conservatory, the Liege Conservatory, and the Mons Conservatory, but the Mons Conservatory I went to was the Mons Conservatory. There were only a few Japanese people, the fewest.There were two people on the piano and I was the only flute.I was alone on the clarinet and the guitar.
— Are most of the students local?
Kanda There are international students depending on the local students and sensei. Since the clarinet sensei was a famous sensei, many foreign children came. There are also international students playing the piano and singing occasionally.The guitar sensei was also famous and there were 1-2 Japanese people.
— What language is the class?
Kanda All classes are in French.In the lessons, sensei is sometimes in English, but all the lessons in general music history and other lectures were in French.
— Have you been studying French all the time?
I did a little in the class at Kanda University.I took a private lesson for about half a year before studying abroad.After that, I went to a language school for about a year and a half since I came here.
— Was the language school before you entered the Conservatory?
Kanda I came to Belgium in June, so I took an intensive language lecture during the two-month summer vacation.Since the beginning of the Conservatory, I went to a language night course and a twice-weekly lunch course in parallel with the Conservatory.
— Then how was your first lesson at the Conservatory?
Kanda I didn't understand at all (laughs). I had no problem because I was communicating with sensei in English, but I could only understand the name of the composer in a normal French class.I didn't understand at all (laughs).
- It's very much.
Kanda I get sleepy (laughs).
— How did you survive the situation you didn't understand?
Kanda In the first year, sensei was really kind.Even if I couldn't speak compared to a general university, there was something like that at the Conservatory.I managed to get over it because he did kind things such as giving additional exams to foreign students (laughs).
— What kind of system is the Conservatory?
There is a high school course at Kanda Conservatory, and I enter it at first.In the advanced course, you can take the graduation qualification test from the second year, and you can take the qualification test by declaring "I will qualify this year" at any time by the fourth year.I graduated after four years and entered the teaching profession course this year.The teaching profession course is two years and is like an optional class at the Conservatory.
— What happens if I declare that I will take a graduation qualification exam?
Kanda "Getting a qualification" changes the number of songs in the exam.In the normal exam, there are 4 songs, but in the qualification exam, there are 12 songs.
— Is the exam rigorous?
Kanda That's right.If it is before the high school course called Premiere Puri (XNUMXst prize), it seems that you can challenge up to XNUMX times even if you fail once.However, in the high school, it seems that if you fail once, that is the end.
— That's scary, isn't it?
Kanda: I was concentrating on preparing twelve songs, so I wasn't thinking about the fear of falling, but I was surprised to hear that some people fell later.I'm glad I heard it later.I was trapped in the fear that I might fall if I heard it first.
— Is the exam open to the public?
It is open to the public in Kanda.It is a concert format.
— Where are you studying in the teaching profession?
The Kanda teaching profession course is taken at the Brussels Conservatory.I used to go from Brussels to the Mons Conservatory, but since the Brussels Conservatory is closer, I decided to take the teaching profession course at the Brussels Conservatory.
— Are you a flute teacher?
There is a music school (a little different from public schools and Yamaha) before entering Kanda Conset Vatoire (Conservatory), but it is a teaching license to teach in such a place.
— If you have that teaching license, you can teach in various places.
Kanda That's right. In Brussels, there is one music school in the ward.It seems that there is about one music school in a town or village in other cities.
— What about Belgian children?
Kanda: I once acted as an agent for maternity leave, but it's not like a Japanese child.I talk really well.I'm sure you've heard that Japanese children are hi-hi, but Belgian children are steadily expressing their opinions.Musically, it seems that Japanese children generally practice, or parents practice.This child doesn't seem to practice much.I think it depends on whether the parents are watching the children properly, but it seems that the fun comes first for the children who continue to play music even when they grow up. For Japanese children, it is difficult to take the music college exam. I feel that this is the first one, but I feel that this child is doing it happily.
— Is it a soil difference?
Kanda That's right. And I think it's because the entrance examination itself is not that difficult.
— What is the Conservatory exam?
For the Kanda Conservatory exam, submit about two songs from the beginning.Prepare three or four songs, including etude songs and others.On the day of the event, the examiner will specify a song and play one etude and one song.It may not be whole or it may be long.I didn't play that much.
— How about a written exam?
Kanda: There was no writing.It seems that there are solfege etc. in the stage before the high school, but there was no writing in the high school exam.
— Is it difficult to apply for a visa in Belgium?
Kanda: I had to go to the embassy several times, but it wasn't that hard as long as I had the documents ready.
— Do I need a school admission permit?
It was okay if I had the entrance permit for Kanda school and a copy of the family register.I went to Belgium around June so I didn't have an admission permit.I had an entrance exam in September, and the school sent me a paper saying that I could take the exam at the Conservatory because I was going to enter the school immediately.And I got a temporary visa.When I entered the school, I got a residence permit from the Belgian ward office, but I was able to get it without much effort.I've heard that a friend in France hasn't received a residence permit after half a year, but I never did.It's difficult to line up early in the morning, but once a year, if you put up with it, you can get it out without any problems.Actually, when I came to Belgium, I needed a guarantor.At that time, I didn't really understand it, but it seems that sensei came to the office with me and became a guarantor. Later, when I read the documents carefully, it was like that.I didn't really understand it at the time, but it was a great sensei.
- It is amazing.
Kanda: I really had sensei take good care of me.I entered the Belgian high school because sensei did all the paperwork for me.
— What was the atmosphere of the school?
The building of Kanda Mons Conservatory is very old, and the atmosphere is like a European school. The atmosphere of the students is completely different depending on the sensei.The guitar sensei was so famous that there were a lot of students.The same goes for clarinet, piano and songs.My sensei is also famous, so there were many students.For example, oboe and bassoon were mainly local children.I think the atmosphere is rather laid-back.
— Doesn't it feel like competing?
Kanda: I compete a little, but I don't feel like I'm squeaking.It feels laid-back as a whole.
— How many people are there in a class?
Kanda The number of classes is completely different depending on sensei. Some classes had 16 people, while others had 2 people.I think there were about 15 flutes. I'm in 13th grade in all, but I think there are about 15 to XNUMX flutes in the first grade.
— Is there one sensei in the flute family?
Kanda I'm one sensei and an assistant.
— That means that only three or four people can enter each year.
Kanda That's right.Belgium has only XNUMX million people, so unless you come from a foreign country, you can afford it.
— Are there any major differences between Japanese and Belgian schools?
The difference in the Kanda curriculum is that some universities do not have chamber music classes in Japan, but there are also professors in the chamber music department.At my university, chamber music was an open class, although there was one 90-minute class per week for half a year.There is a chamber music professor and some assistants here, and chamber music is also a lesson.I will go to the chamber music sensei and take a chamber music class.Prepare some songs for the exam as well as the regular exam (usually about XNUMX songs).When Japanese people go to a chamber music class, they don't know how to match it with other instruments at first, or it seems that there is a part that they play like a carriage horse. I think I came and learned.
— Do you play with various instruments?
Kanda In the first year, you played cello, piano and flute songs, viola and flute songs, viola, flute and contrabass songs.
— Who does sensei decide to work with?
Kanda I will go to the sensei of chamber music and decide what kind of song to play.
— Is chamber music the biggest difference?
Kanda Chamber music is quite different.After that, the atmosphere of the school is completely different.My class was only music history, analysis and harmony, but now I have to take various subjects.It's all in French, so it's quite difficult.Harmony is also very different.The harmony test I took was quite strict and was canned in the room for five hours.In Japan, it was only a 90-minute class, but in Belgium it will be done until it becomes possible to do individual lessons or small groups.
— Why do you do that?
Kanda It seems that you can improvise with a piano.In the case of tube, only the lower course is enough, but the violin has to go up to the intermediate course, and the piano has to go up to the advanced course.When it comes to advanced courses, it seems that they sleep overnight and take lessons and exams.
— It's a training camp.
Kanda It is so thorough that you take the exam in the training camp.
— It's completely different.
Kanda: The place where the exam is really strict is quite different. Japan is usually strict, but it seems that the exam will pass with the same rigor, but here the exam is suddenly strict.
— Isn't your daily lesson so strict?
It depends on Kanda sensei, but I feel that the test is very strict even though the atmosphere is usually laid-back.When I was relaxing in the first year, I felt like I was done.
— Can't you get enough credits in the first year?
Kanda That's right. I dropped the harmony.Music history was still managed by a follow-up test, but the analysis was completely useless and I couldn't move at all.In Japan, sensei explains and it seems that it will appear in the exam, but in this case, a completely different song suddenly appears in the exam.There are no questions, and it ends with "Write about the song." You have to analyze it yourself.
— If you go to Belgium, you have to do things around here.
Kanda: I think it will be possible if you know the basics properly, but sometimes it's good if you know the harmony.I think it's good to know before the exam that it's different from Japan. It's swallowed up by the laid-back atmosphere, and it ends up feeling like I was the only one who was just laid back.
— You know the people around you, right?
Kanda That's right. People around me seem to know that the exam is difficult.
— What is your school day schedule?
Kanda: I didn't have many classes at the time, so I went to the Mons Conservatory three times a week.One day was a chamber music lesson, and one day was a harmony, music history, and chamber music lesson.Another day was a lesson.The other day I was at home and practicing.Today's students have more classes, so it seems that they have a school almost every day.When I had classes, I went to school, and when I didn't have classes, I rented a practice room to practice, or went home to practice.
— How long can you practice at school?
Kanda Brussels Conservatory is open until XNUMX:XNUMX.But at the Mons Conservatory, it's quick.When you go to the Mons Conservatory, it is important to rent a house where you can practice until late, but at the Brussels Conservatory, if you play at home during the day, you can practice at school at night.
— When did the school system change?
Kanda The year after I entered, it changed like a university.Like France, it used to feel like a college of technology, not a university.Now that it is almost the same as in other countries such as university, graduate school, and doctoral course, I have to take general education such as philosophy and sociology.Previously, tuition was cheap.
— By the way, how much is it?
Kanda: When I entered, it was about XNUMX euros for foreigners, but now I think it will be around XNUMX to XNUMX euros. EU people cost around XNUMX-XNUMX euros.
— Kanda was in the Conservatory before the system changed, so it was still XNUMX euros after that.
Kanda That's right. Considering the tuition fees in Japan, the tuition fees in Belgium are cheap, but I think they are still high compared to my own fees.
— Where do you practice every day?
Kanda When I find a practice room at school, I practice at school, but mainly at home. In the 1st and 2nd years, sensei brought an apartment in front of his house and put it in there, so I was able to practice without any problems. In the third year, I moved to an apartment specializing in music college students.I was able to practice there as well.
— There is an apartment exclusively for music college students.
Kanda There are very few, though.When it comes to students, the baths are shared, but there seem to be quite a few places where you can practice.
— It's amazing that sensei even prepares an apartment.
Kanda sensei happened to buy an apartment the year before and it was just about to be repaired. He said something like "Is it okay here?". I was wondering how to find an apartment, so I said "Is it okay here?"
— Where did you stay right after you arrived in Belgium?
Kanda It's about two weeks, but it's a hotel.After that, I moved to sensei's apartment.
— What time is it OK to practice in the apartment?
Kanda: According to the law, it seems that you can make a sound until XNUMX o'clock.However, depending on the landlord, the time may be divided, such as until XNUMX o'clock.Even if the next house says that the instrument is noisy, legally it seems that the side playing the instrument wins.
— Have you ever been yelled at by the sound?
It was only once when I lived in Kanda sensei's apartment.The person upstairs was from Afghanistan and had nothing to do with music.At first he said he liked music, but one day he said, "I want you to stop at about XNUMX o'clock."When I consulted with sensei because I was in trouble, he told me that since sensei is a landlord, "She is a music college student, so I can't stop at XNUMX o'clock."When the landlord told me, I couldn't help it, so I said "I understand."I wasn't yelled at, but when I was told that again, there were some parts that were difficult to blow, so I told sensei that I would move next year.I moved after that, but since then I haven't been noticed by other people about the sound.
— How many hours do you practice a day?
Kanda: It depends on the day, but when I was a student, if I had the energy, I would play for about five hours.When I had to play twelve songs in the exam, I had to play for about six hours before I could make it.When I was in Japan, I felt like I was crazy, but after I came to Belgium, I was told to follow the rules and practice. sensei prepared for concerts and trials, and it was more efficient to discover and practice the parts that could not be hidden inside by blowing more and more in public. ..The trial performance wasn't a big deal, but the next lesson was like gathering neighbors (laughs).
— That way, if you step on the number of places to play in public, you will be courageous.
Kanda: I'm nervous, but I think my fingers will move even if I'm nervous.Especially before the test, my fingers get stuck due to tension, but I held a gang concert to get rid of that.
— How often do you hold concerts?
Kanda: With a good sensei, there are about XNUMX to XNUMX times from a small audition to a big support group before the exam.Even if you don't know anything about Belgium, people will feel free to come and say, "I want to hear the performance of a young child."
— Do you have a concert at school?
Kanda: You may rent a school, sensei's house, or somewhere else.
— The house is amazing (laughs).
Kanda That's right.It's like a home concert (laughs).
— How much does it cost to live in Brussels?
Kanda Rent starts at around XNUMX euros for a share, but it is often not possible to practice at home at that rate.For music students, depending on the district, XNUMX euros is the minimum, and if you pay XNUMX euros, you can rent a good apartment. You can practice in a large area with a kitchen.
— Are there any unsafe places?
There is a station called Kanda Minami Station, but the area around it is unsafe.Since it is an immigrant area, it is famous for its unsafe places.But there is a piano shop there, and the apartment next to it is for music college students.The share was XNUMX euros.
— How about living expenses and food expenses?
Kanda Food costs are cheaper than in Japan.I think you can live for about XNUMX euros in total including rent a month.
— Is the price of Belgium itself cheap?
Kanda Prices are not high.Restaurants have high taxes (21%), so they are taken as much as in Japan.Food has a tax of 6%, so I don't think there is a big difference.
— How do you make the Belgian music industry tsute?
Kanda I think this really depends on your personality.I often meet and communicate with various people at some concerts.After all, it is important to be sociable, positive, and a good person.
— Do you get work in that way?
Kanda: That's right. It's hard to hear that it's important to be liked, but I think it's difficult to go anywhere if you don't like it.There are some types who are difficult to get along with once in a while.If you are such a person, everyone will naturally move away. There are people who have a very good career but do not have a concert unexpectedly.
— So everyone has a chance.
Kanda: Well, everyone has a chance.
— Do you have any tips for getting along with the Belgians?
Kanda I think I'm good at talking (laughs).Because I speak really well.I think it's better to be sociable.Besides, I'm often asked about Japan, so I think it's good to know about Japan.
— Your personality is really bigger than your performance.
Kanda: Of course, if you can't play at all, you can't do it at all, but if you can play properly, you have a chance.
— Do you have any moments when you are happy to study abroad?
Kanda When we hold a concert, the audience is warm and I feel that we are really looking forward to the music.In Japan, there is a place where you go to observe something at a concert, or when a famous person comes, I think there is an atmosphere of going to see it.In Belgium, it's not like that, I just come and enjoy listening to music.At that time, I think "Oh, that's good."Also, I'm glad I studied abroad when I met people from various countries and when I learned about a world I didn't know before, I thought there was such a world.
— You're not the only Belgian, right?
Kanda For example, my neighbor was an Afghanistan, so at the beginning I heard stories about Afghanistan, Greeks talked about Greece, Turkish people talked about Turkey, Israelis talked about Israel, and so on. Also, when I heard that I couldn't understand from the surface of Greek society, my feelings changed. I think that music may change from that point.
— Studying abroad has many meanings other than music, isn't it?
Kanda: In the Japanese exam, I felt that if I couldn't do it, I couldn't do it, and if I couldn't, it would end.But in Belgium, there are places where I enjoy trying myself to see if I can do it myself.I think that such a mindset is quite different between Japan and Belgium.If I couldn't do it, I couldn't do it.
— Have you been influenced by that kind of thing?
Kanda: I'm surrounded by such people, so I'm influenced. Some parts don't change, some parts don't change, and some parts are affected.
— What do you think has changed?
Kanda The most unusual thing is that once you can't do it, you don't think it's over. I also feel like enjoying life more than before.In my case, Japanese sensei wasn't the type of sensei that I could drive, so in that sense I was free to do it.But in Belgium I think I can really do it freely.When I said that I wanted to do something like this, I felt that only my sensei and the children around me should do their best in Japan, but in Belgium everyone listens to me as a whole.You don't have to do the standard for the songs either.We are in a situation where we can pursue what we want to do.There isn't much to do like this.
— On the contrary, if you don't have what you want to do, it will be quite difficult.
Kanda: Even in Belgium, it's not that there aren't any people who have nothing to do and spend their time casually.However, I think that it is less likely that people who want to do it will be swallowed by such people than in Japan.
— Is there anything that you think you have grown up after studying abroad?
Kanda: Your language has grown.And I think I can say what I want to say more than before.In Belgium, you really have to tell it in words.In that sense, it feels like growth for me to be able to say things without hiding them.Besides, the part that I used to think that it would be useless if it wasn't like this has broadened my horizons that there are other ways of life.On the performance side, I began to think about how I would make an impression on the other person on the stage.In Japan, it's only the performance side, but in Belgium, we think not only from the performance side but also from the way the stage stands.
— What kind of course are you thinking about in the future?
Kanda: I'm also doing performance activities, but I'm thinking of teaching in parallel with that.I would like to join if I have a chance to join the orchestra.
— Is it quite difficult to enter the orchestra?
Kanda It's hard. It's hard because about XNUMX people come to the vacant seat.Chamber music is really popular in Belgium, so it is possible to form an ensemble.I think you can enjoy various things such as a slightly larger ensemble or a small ensemble.
— If you have any advice for those who are going to study abroad, please.
Kanda I think it's better to be able to say something.If you haven't decided where to study abroad, you should study English for the time being.Belgians have the same meaning as nothing if they don't say it.Everyone has the ability to guess without saying it like in Japan, but it seems that the ability to guess is lower than that of the Japanese.There is a part that seems to be nothing unless you say it properly.I think the language will help you to say something. I think, I don't think, I want to do this, I don't want to do this, etc. The eyes that see you change.When studying abroad in music, I think that there are many cases where you can't speak anything and study abroad, but I think it's better to speak.
— Did you have a hard time in that regard?
There weren't many people who spoke English at the Kanda Mons Conservatory.I thought I was talking, but it is said that Nozomi didn't understand what he was saying at that time.Because I could speak English, I was able to communicate with sensei, and I was able to communicate with my friends, which helped me a little. ..I think that if small things become stressful, less energy will be used for playing.Learning the language itself is similar to learning an instrument, so I think it's better to be able to speak the language.
- thank you.