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Peter Chung
Trumpet
Music follows certain paths that sure leads to a world with no borders. This is why music enchants me.
Without music, how would my retirement life be like? It must be dull and boring. Music is my intimate companion, an indispensable part of my life. I am a quiet person, I don't hike, I don't swim. Yet music brings me to the highest mountain and the widest ocean. The world of music has no limitations, it leads me to live a retired life a thousand times better than I could ever imagined.
My mother loved listening to Chinese Opera via radio when I was a young. I was influenced by her and too liked the harmonious melodies in the radio. I would even spontaneously used a wooden rod and a metal to play accordingly to any delightful melody. In secondary school, I was selected into the marching band as a trumpeter. I begged my mother to buy me a trumpet, and I can still feel the excitement when the trumpet was handed to me. Upon graduation, I devoted myself to working as a teacher and started a family. Such a busy life kept me away from music for half a century.
After I retired in 2009, life became empty and boring, this is when I recall my dust-collecting hobby -- music. Hence, I started learning to play the saxophone. Five years later, I hoped to further my interest to the next level. Coincidentally E Major Ensemble was recruiting trumpeters, so I sign myself up for it. The program handler looked at my resume and saw that I was once a member of the marching band, and invited me to take up the position. The opportunity was presented to me, it does no harm trying, right?
I thus pulled out the trumpet that had been put away for 46 years. It might look old, but it is loaded with many good memories. I didn't want to throw it away, so I took it to the technician for tuning, rust removal and lubrication. Now my trumpet might have regained it youth, but not me. My lips, muscles, breathing technique and fingers could not coordinate as well as I was young. At times I was discouraged, but thanks to the support from my fellow orchestra members and patient guidance from two of them in particular, I was able to release myself from negativity, tried my best and enjoyed the process.
Music follows certain paths that lead to a world with no borders. This is why music enchants me. I have the total control of what target to set or how far to go. Say for example, the orchestra has selected a song to rehearse, this song becomes my target: I will try to play the best I can, emerge all of me into the process and enjoy. In the end, I must be able to achieve something. As for beginners, need not to worry too much about grades and certification. A target can be as simple as playing a song at a friend’s birthday or play your daughter’s Wedding March on her special day. Once you have set a clear target and are able to achieve it, the satisfaction is just as great and overwhelming.
My wife and I used to always encourage our children to play a musical instrument. My son fell for the saxophone while my daughter loved the violin. When I first started learning to play the saxophone, I always seek advice from my son and played music with my daughter. I am glad to have returned to music after retirement. Not only have I recovered the rhythm and focus of life, music also acts as a bridge for me to bond with my family, which is definitely an unexpected bonus.
Music has become an indispensable part of my life. I keep myself busy from practices, rehearsals, performances, arranging the scores, self-learning about background music... What I enjoy most is to perform regularly as volunteers with my friends at the elderly homes. There are event almost every week. To cater their interests, we used to play more classical pop songs. Yet joining E Major Ensemble inspired me to add new elements to these performances, such as introducing classical, modern pop and jazz music into those classic pop songs. We also collaborate with amateur singers and sing with the elder people. Our diversified performances enable elder people to enjoy a wider range of music. As a performer, every time when I have to practice and perform a new song, I set a short-term goal for myself. I can always learn something new along the process, regardless of my age. My retirement life is more colorful than I could ever imagine.