Accomplishment. That is the word that comes to mind, when asking musician Sara Stoll what she would describe her musical talent as- an accomplishment. As I sit here with her in the corner of Dunkin Donuts listening to her story, I can already see the true passion and love she has for her musical talent. Though I have seen her perform her musical talents, someone who hasn’t would probably be able to detect the passion that emanates from her also. As she thinks back to the day, the one moment that changed everything, she takes a sip of her smoothie and smiles. It’s ironic in a way, thinking back to the major effect that one day would have on the course of her life.
She starts by telling me about the instrument that is her true passion, the piano. “The first time I had ever touched a keyboard was at my aunt’s house, when I was about four years old. The keyboard was my grandma’s who had just passed away.” She would play the retro casio ct420 whenever she visited, and was always infatuated with the instrument. Though she couldn’t play the keyboard at age four, she always enjoyed pressing the keys and hearing the different sounds that would come out of it. Once her Aunt recognized this, she let her take the casio home. This was the moment that changed it all, oblivious to the fact that that one gesture could grow into something so great.
Over the next two to three years, Sara would mindlessly press keys on the keyboard, just content with the sound it made when she pressed them. When she was about six or seven, she started teaching herself songs on the keyboard, which was a huge step in recognizing her love for it. She taught herself how to play “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, then “Pomp and Circumstance” (also known as “the graduation song”). After that came a simplistic one-handed version of “Fer Elise.”
When she was 10 she started to notice patterns, certain sounds, and recognize notes. “This became extremely efficient”, she says “because it went hand in hand when I joined band at my elementary school.” In band, she played the clarinet, but that still didn’t stop her from expressing her love for piano. Though she was given music for the clarinet, she began playing her clarinet music on the piano.
A year later she started recognizing chords. “The big step that took me from teaching myself simplistic music to being a musician was when I started actually considering myself a musician and actually saying I play piano. When someone would ask me to play a C chord, I could identify and play it for them. Chord recognization made me recognize it as a talent.”
Later, she then realized that although she could read music, by ear was easiest way for her to learn because she had a good sense of relative pitch. “Once I went to high school, my technique improved a lot. I started playing drums freshman year, flute last year, and clarinet again this year for the Taft High School wind ensemble.”
Her involvement with aural training really got her to enjoy other instruments, and made learning others easier because of her sense of pitch and rhythm. She taught herself the major and minor scale, intervals, scales, inversions, chord tones, dominant and major 7ths, and common progressions such as the 12 bar blues.
Her technique came naturally for her, and so did her fingering. “A lot of people don’t know how to place their hands when first starting”, she says. “They would come and ask me to teach them a song on piano, but know nothing about where to place their hands on the keyboard. I never really had to ask anyone, my hands somehow always fell into place when playing.”
Today, Sara has taken a strong interest in music theory. Her talents and interests have given her the dream of becoming a music teacher. Although she started off just teaching herself traditional songs, over time her true interests have become music from the romantic era, classical, and jazz. Since teaching herself piano, she has participated in primarily the Taft High School jazz ensemble, and performed with bands of friends when asked. Her family also recognizes her talent, showing up at Taft High School’s band concerts and ensembles to support her. Teachers have also recognized the ear she has, and she has gotten much praise over it. I myself have recognized that what she has is something special, and I unconditionally admire everything she has accomplished so far. As of now, she is debating on going to Vandercook School of Music, or majoring in music at Northeastern Illinois for college. Currently her work lies in the jazz and wind ensembles at her high school, and teaching herself jazz theory and the specific voicing’s for chords in jazz.
“I suppose the sense of accomplishment I gained from doing all of this came from doing it myself”, she says. “It’s defined me musically because I can teach myself things, and it’s something I am proud to have accomplished.”
She starts by telling me about the instrument that is her true passion, the piano. “The first time I had ever touched a keyboard was at my aunt’s house, when I was about four years old. The keyboard was my grandma’s who had just passed away.” She would play the retro casio ct420 whenever she visited, and was always infatuated with the instrument. Though she couldn’t play the keyboard at age four, she always enjoyed pressing the keys and hearing the different sounds that would come out of it. Once her Aunt recognized this, she let her take the casio home. This was the moment that changed it all, oblivious to the fact that that one gesture could grow into something so great.
Over the next two to three years, Sara would mindlessly press keys on the keyboard, just content with the sound it made when she pressed them. When she was about six or seven, she started teaching herself songs on the keyboard, which was a huge step in recognizing her love for it. She taught herself how to play “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, then “Pomp and Circumstance” (also known as “the graduation song”). After that came a simplistic one-handed version of “Fer Elise.”
When she was 10 she started to notice patterns, certain sounds, and recognize notes. “This became extremely efficient”, she says “because it went hand in hand when I joined band at my elementary school.” In band, she played the clarinet, but that still didn’t stop her from expressing her love for piano. Though she was given music for the clarinet, she began playing her clarinet music on the piano.
A year later she started recognizing chords. “The big step that took me from teaching myself simplistic music to being a musician was when I started actually considering myself a musician and actually saying I play piano. When someone would ask me to play a C chord, I could identify and play it for them. Chord recognization made me recognize it as a talent.”
Later, she then realized that although she could read music, by ear was easiest way for her to learn because she had a good sense of relative pitch. “Once I went to high school, my technique improved a lot. I started playing drums freshman year, flute last year, and clarinet again this year for the Taft High School wind ensemble.”
Her involvement with aural training really got her to enjoy other instruments, and made learning others easier because of her sense of pitch and rhythm. She taught herself the major and minor scale, intervals, scales, inversions, chord tones, dominant and major 7ths, and common progressions such as the 12 bar blues.
Her technique came naturally for her, and so did her fingering. “A lot of people don’t know how to place their hands when first starting”, she says. “They would come and ask me to teach them a song on piano, but know nothing about where to place their hands on the keyboard. I never really had to ask anyone, my hands somehow always fell into place when playing.”
Today, Sara has taken a strong interest in music theory. Her talents and interests have given her the dream of becoming a music teacher. Although she started off just teaching herself traditional songs, over time her true interests have become music from the romantic era, classical, and jazz. Since teaching herself piano, she has participated in primarily the Taft High School jazz ensemble, and performed with bands of friends when asked. Her family also recognizes her talent, showing up at Taft High School’s band concerts and ensembles to support her. Teachers have also recognized the ear she has, and she has gotten much praise over it. I myself have recognized that what she has is something special, and I unconditionally admire everything she has accomplished so far. As of now, she is debating on going to Vandercook School of Music, or majoring in music at Northeastern Illinois for college. Currently her work lies in the jazz and wind ensembles at her high school, and teaching herself jazz theory and the specific voicing’s for chords in jazz.
“I suppose the sense of accomplishment I gained from doing all of this came from doing it myself”, she says. “It’s defined me musically because I can teach myself things, and it’s something I am proud to have accomplished.”
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