A Capricious Evening PV Allegra Steinway Finished

[font=Book Antiqua]Her bones were heavy with the weight of exhaustion. Her feet scraped the stone floor, the grating sound echoing down the corridor. Sweep. Sweep. At the far end, there was a painting of a wizard, the occupant of which moaned loudly and rudely about students who didn't lift their feet while walking. Allegra barely registered his voice. Glassy eyed and slightly slumped, her mind was filled with a Mozart piano sonata. It was a classic, lively piece, a little beyond her ability but something she would like to play one day. But not yet. Today, she pursued the Rehearsal Room with one goal only. Scales. The foundation of all musical technique. The must-do for any aspiring professional. Sweep. Sweep. The heavy oak doorway to the Rehearsal Room loomed, slightly ajar. The Mozart sonata spun around inside her head, amplified, electrifying, the notes flying around everywhere like a glorious concert. A sad violin played scales in the dist-

Wait, that wasn't Mozart.

Allegra's heart sank. The room was already occupied - by someone who appeared not to be doing a good job on their violin. There was none of the elegance of the music played by kids at her music summer school. The scales were choppy, clunky, a little jarring on the ears. She had heard violinists drone on and on about the importance of intonation. Clearly, this one didn't give a toss. The paintings on the rehearsal room walls would have a field day with him. Allegra knew this because she'd already been there once before, to practice, and the paintings had erupted into applause after a satisfactory performance of Für Elise. It seemed that they were both opinionated and highly knowledgeable. One such painting told her little anecdotes about a pianist he used to know, who played only with is left hand, because he didn't have a right one. Since then, Allegra had decided that she would like to mess around with left hand piano playing, to see what would happen. But with the room already occupied...

Someone has got to correct him, she thought, obstinately. Had it been her playing the scales, her mother would have scolded her for playing with such poor technique. Quietly, so as to avoid being detected, she approached the room and peered inside. The space was massive, with large, arched windows and a decorative chandelier hanging in the centre; and though the current occupant might not be performing satisfactorily, the room's acoustics were impressive. What a shame they were marred by the breaks in intonation, the occasional squeaky string, a note missed here and there.

The person playing the violin was a boy who looked as young as she was. Probably a first or second year. He was Asian in appearance, small, with a dark mop of hair that seemed to stick out in every direction possible. For a short while, Allegra watched him play. Although she was a pianist, and not a violinist, she was swift to pinpoint some areas of improvement. The piano and violin might be different instruments, but some of the basic principles were the same.

"I don't mean to interrupt," she said, during a suitable pause in the music. "I couldn't help but hear you play. I'm a musician too, a pianist. My name is Allegra. Please forgive the intrusion but - I think I know how to fix your scales."[/font]

He continued with his scales, fingers and bow going back and forth, faster as he came to twelve notes per bow on A minor. He almost missed a note again by the time the metronome ticked on its rebound, just squeezing that last twelfth note in before his bow extended fully. If he was already not perfect at tackling his scales today, he shuddered at the thought of picking Caprice No. 19 back up tonight after two whole nights of missed practice.

His father would have his hide if he failed the exam during winter break, or made a mistake during his recital that would make him lose face. Maybe his mother would pull him out of boarding school at Hogwarts, as she had threatened during the summer, so she could keep a closer eye on him at home. Maybe his violin teacher would give up teaching him to spend his much sought-over time on more accomplished students, considering how he already had so many parents of young virtuosos clamoring for his expertise. With each inch of self-doubt and relived terror, he found himself playing another accidental flat or sharp, and almost swore under his breath.

Really, was all this worth it, especially now, when he had a whole new world of magic ahead of him? Perhaps there was a potion he could take, so that he would miraculously pass violin exam after violin exam so he could just stay at Hogwarts and the wizarding world forever, far away from all these emotional burdens...

He saw someone in the corner of his eye, and glanced up to see a dark-haired girl approaching. "I don't mean to interrupt," she said politely, probably noticing that he was contemplating something during a brief break in his scales. "I couldn't help but hear you play. I'm a musician too, a pianist. My name is Allegra. Please forgive the intrusion but - I think I know how to fix your scales."

Avery stared at her for a second, flushing visibly. Even a pianist and a girl no older than him could tell that he was struggling tonight. Frustration and embarrassment was not a good combination of negative feelings today, so he only managed a haughty, "Oh? And how would you fix my scales?" What could she possibly suggest? Practice each scale a hundred times a day? No luck with that one; his tiger mother had already tried.

Interacting with: @Allegra Steinway

[font=Book Antiqua]The boy spoke with a haughtiness that Allegra recognised from interacting with many musically gifted children. They were desperate to prove themselves, and would do anything to one-up their peers. This meant that any attention towards their weaknesses was often met with hostility, or an air of superiority, as they attempted to shift the focus away from their imperfections. The easiest way to do this, of course, was to dig into the other person, to expose their faults instead. The boy's question wasn't merely question. It was a challenge. "I challenge you to do better," was what he was really saying. The only problem being, Allegra really did feel that she knew the solution to his problems.

So, she said the last thing one would have expected. "Put the violin down," she instructed. She did not mean stop playing altogether. But the way he trained right now, he was expending a lot of energy with very little result. And Allegra - with the teachings of Melody, her piano teacher, in the back of her head - intended to change that. She had never taught someone else before. Melody had told her, "Learn first, teach later." It seemed that the time to teach had now arrived, and she hoped that she could do the moment justice, and not let Melody down.

Turning her back on the boy, Allegra sat down at the piano and lightly played a few notes. Her fingers moved with great speed and accuracy. She played a scale, three octaves up and down, not missing a single note in the process. Then, she faced the boy, with an insistent look on her face.

"Right now, you are blasting your way through your scales. But you're not fixing your mistakes along the way, just drilling yourself to keep making them. If you want to get better, you need to slow down and un-learn those mistakes. Also - you need to chill out and relax or you'll end up hurting yourself."

Raising her right hand, she played a few notes. "Take a few notes, perhaps from a place where you keep going wrong. Practice just those few notes by themselves. Start slow for the sake of accuracy. But beyond that, you need to teach yourself to transition between each note at a very fast speed. Like this." She played a middle C, and then flipped very quickly to the D. "See how my hand is completely relaxed? I am using very little energy and the smallest amount of movement to make the change."

She hoped the boy would understand. She hoped he wouldn't hate her, or tell her that she was wrong.[/font]

When it came to violin practice, it was always a touchy subject for Avery. Most of his peers at Hogwarts would recognize him as a laid-back boy. To his Snape dormmates, he was too friendly and pleasant when he cooked hot pot for everyone in his cauldron (as those boys had decreed that no friendship could and should exist among Snape dormmates). To his best Hogwarts friend, Merciless Ming, he was exuberant, boisterous, and overly-optimistic with little discipline, which he hopefully made up with heart and jocular acceptance. To other acquaintances he'd met along the way, he was approachable with an easy sense of humor.

However, when he picked up the violin, everything seemed to change about him. He was cut-throat and competitive, yet anxious with self-doubt, easily defensive, arrogant and self-centered, all at once, and he almost couldn't help it. Sometimes, it was as if the instrument defined him. When he was doing well, he was a good son and student, celebrated as a prodigy. His music was emotive and his technique precise. When he wasn't, he was simply a lazy disgrace and a waste of his parents' effort and money. Tears would stream as he practiced in his room, disappointed in himself. The highs were high and the lows were low.

And so, when Allegra caught him frustrated with his scales, it was the first time anyone witnessed that vulnerable side of Avery Chen on campus.

"Put the violin down." He blinked. Never had anyone told him to stop practicing for a second when he was making mistakes. He was trained in the traditional Russian and Chinese way. If you made a mistake, you got a bow-smack to the forearm as a reminder to concentrate and kept going, thrice over. Bewildered and slightly curious, he laid the violin into his open case.

She played a scale expertly and flawlessly on the piano, then turned to him. Avery listened intently to what she had to say. Chill out and relax, start slow for accuracy and unlearn mistakes...

He took a deep breath and picked up his violin, starting slowly to redo his A minor, and then going faster. He grimaced as he hit another flat, but steadied himself to keep his cool, going over that part a little more slowly before doing it again and resuming, remembering to stay calm and forgive himself a little for each slip. On he went until he completed it once over without mistake, going down the full length of the fingerboard.

A small smile tugged at his lips. It worked. When he calmed down, focused on the notes themselves over and over instead of barraging himself for the mistakes he made, it went a lot smoother. The pianist, Allegra, had actually offered very thoughtful and useful advice. He paused to catch himself, lowering his violin from his chin, realizing he hadn't even introduced himself. Sheepishly, he began. "Sorry for my attitude earlier, Allegra," he apologized. "I know you were just trying to help, and I really shouldn't have been so rude. I'm Avery Chen, by the way, a first year in Slytherin." He paused and replayed the image of her expertly scaling the keys. She seemed to have grown up with her instrument as well. "How long have you been playing the piano?" he asked, interested that he was meeting other musicians at this new school. He almost asked whether she liked the piano or not, but didn't want to be a downer if she didn't, or was afraid that he would go on an awkward tirade about his love-hate relationship with the violin that would burden her ears if she wasn't in the mood to listen. Instead, he asked, "Do you have a favorite piece that you wanted to come play today?" hoping to be a little more positive.

[font=Book Antiqua]It would have been unsurprising if the boy had turned on her. Too often in her past, Allegra had tried to help, only to be met with backlash. "I don't need you telling me how to play this piece!" she recalled. The person in question, back then, had been another pianist. One who fancied himself as a prodigy, and spent his time belittling Allegra's performances. Allegra had told Melody all about him, and Melody had said: "If he needs to make others look bad in order to look good, he is not as good a musician as he says he is." Regardless of his attitude, Allegra had attempted to help him, determined to be the better person - or maybe she equally wanted to feel good about herself by pointing out his mistakes.

So it came as a surprise when the young violinist listened to her. He picked his instrument back up and bowed a few notes from an A minor scale. Slow, imperfect, he went over the notes. The difference this time was that he took the time to stop and focus on the areas that went wrong, combing through the errors until the transitions were smoother and easier. When he played the entire scale from start to finish without any errors, Allegra grinned excitedly.

"It's so much better already!" she exclaimed; then, to her surprise, the boy apologised for his earlier attitude. Allegra shrugged it off. She didn't care; she was happy that for once, her offer to help had been well received.[/font]

[font=Book Antiqua]"I'm Avery Chen, by the way, a first year in Slytherin."[/font]

[font=Book Antiqua]His introduction was rather akin to a fact sheet. She could imagine him listing off statistics: "...Age: 11 years old. Gender: Male. Country: China..." - or wherever he came from.[/font]

[font=Book Antiqua]"How long have you been playing the piano?"[/font]

[font=Book Antiqua]"My whole life!" said Allegra. She certainly couldn't imagine a time when she had not played the piano. From the moment she was old enough to comprehend it, her mother had thrown her into piano lessons.

The boy then asked her if she had a favourite piece she'd come to play. Eagerly, enthusiastically, Allegra rested her fingers on the keys and performed the opening of Für Elise. It was a piece that she had worked very hard on. To this day, there was still one tricky section in the middle that never came out quite right (except for that one time, the time when she unleashed her underage magic and an aura of colour burst out around her). Still, she relished in having proven Melody wrong, in that a girl of her age could accomplish a piece of its difficulty. She ended the performance with a neat and graceful flourish and then lowered her hands onto her lap.

"Have you been playing the violin your whole life too?" she asked.[/font]

He smiled as Allegra seemed to be as delighted for his success in completing the scale as much as he had been relieved to finish it without problem this time. It was actually quite nice of her, thinking to give him some pointers after she had witnessed him struggling instead of thinking that it wasn't her problem to deal with, as many other kids their age would've done.

When asked about how long she'd been playing piano, Allegra responded enthusiastically that she had been playing her whole life. Avery wondered if she meant that she was glad that she'd been playing her whole life, or if she was bitterly laughing at her misfortune about having been forced to play her whole life, but it was evident that it was the former, especially when she eagerly began to play what was easily recognizable as Für Elise.

The notes and melody took him to a different place. He felt the gentle peace of the melody, then the turbulence in the middle, and then the quiet return to melancholy. He relaxed and smiled, letting the notes sink in as he enjoyed the moment. Music always told a story, and that's what he liked the most when listening to it or playing it; whether it was Beethoven falling in love with a girl named Elise, whom he later found out was engaged -- hence the turbulence of Für Elise -- before he finally came into terms with reality and the melody returned, or the blossoms blooming in the spring of The Four Seasons. When Allegra finished her performance, he was almost sad for it to be over. The girl seemed to enjoy the piece so much, and the end of the piece meant he was regrettably sent back to reality.

"Have you been playing the violin your whole life too?" Allegra asked, as if wondering if he shared in her joy of music as well, and he pondered it for a bit, not quite knowing how he should answer. It would be great if they could somehow become friends over their shared love of their practice, but... He sighed, knowing he wasn't really one to be dishonest about his emotions. "Yeah, unfortunately," he began. "Started learning to read music using the piano keyboard when I was four, picked up the violin seriously when I was five, and that's when my life ended and began at the same time, I guess?" His learning was very methodical, and his parents felt that it had to be strictly regimented and planned for him to succeed. Goals were set as to which exams he would take in what year. Which recitals he had to attend to gain whose recognition, in order to obtain the attention of the best tutor, or to join a certain string ensemble, or to obtain certain awards. "It was never something I had a say in." His parents spent much time getting information through the parental network just to plan his next steps, and would be so distraught if he were to squander all their efforts and investments. 'If others could do it, why couldn't he?' was the mentality his parents had ingrained in him. They believed their son was no less talented, but he just needed a little bit more of a push than other children did. Even if he didn't compare in talent to some virtuosos, he just had to make up for it in effort and discipline to get ahead.

"But I've come this far, and I really love music. I don't know if I can just let it go, even though I also hate practicing the violin," he admitted. That's the situation he was in now. It was often a battle between his love of music and the rigor of practice and expectations. There were pieces he wished he could play, but that would require so much extra work to get there, and he'd probably get so angry at himself along the way. "Is this how movie characters feel when they start thinking about relationship breakups? I'm so embarrassed." he laughed to himself, easily imagining a girl in a rom-com experiencing the exact same feeling with her boyfriend. That 'I love him and he loves me, but I don't know if this can work out logistically because of our differences, so should we part ways?' type thing. And then they end up either getting back together or not in the end. He didn't know much about those relationships, but that's exactly what he sounded like to himself.

Interacting with: @Allegra Steinway

[quote]

[font=Book Antiqua]Avery's response to Allegra's question was not far off what Allegra had witnessed on music courses. There was a distinctive division on talent: There were those who went for it with one hundred percent passion and dedication to their craft, delighted in everything they did and never got bored or frustrated; then, there were the others, the ones who had been forced into it by their parents. It wasn't difficult to tell who they were. They chipped away methodically at their scales and pieces, but only did the bare minimum that they had to do to achieve what they had to achieve. They often came third or fourth in competitions, never quite bridging that gap between "great" and "exceptional." Sometimes, it reached the point where they burned out entirely, and they disappeared from performing arts, never to be seen again.

Avery appeared to be on the tipping point of a decision. To keep pursuing the violin, or to drop it altogether at the cost of letting down his family? For Allegra, the choice to pursue music was easy. Never once did she consider that there was anything else that she would like to do. A day without the piano was a day wasted, and she would give anything to become the best performer possible. By contrast, Avery appeared to have picked up some bad habits. He slogged his way through things, seemingly out of some form of obligation, but using unhelpful methods that demanded too much energy spent on too little result. If that was the doing of his parents (She assumed they were the reason he had no say in the matter), it was little wonder he wanted to break up with his violin playing.

"I have a suggestion," Allegra said, though she wondered if she would soon reach the limit of what was considered to be helpful. So far, Avery had tolerated her. If she kept going, would he eventually get annoyed? But so far, he seemed little else but lost, so surely it couldn't hurt to try. "Take a week off from playing the violin, and then come back to it fresh. When you come back, practice only in small amounts. Fifteen minutes here, another ten minutes there, and so on, doing the things I told you. Pick one scale and one piece and see what you can do with them."

It was all very opposite to what Avery appeared to be doing right now, but it was the only way Allegra could see him getting out of his rut. It would take a serious mental switch for him to kick the idea that countless hours were the equivalent of productivity. Little and often was a phrase Allegra had been told countless times. "You need time to embed the music into your muscle memory, Melody had said. "If you do it all on the first day, you will forget it a week later. But if you keep doing it in small amounts over a week, you will remember it much better."

"A break-up?" said Allegra. "I could never imagine breaking up with the piano. What a tragedy! It would be like losing a friend. Also, those people in movies seem silly. They never say the things they actually want to, then wonder why everything goes crazy!"

Avery sighed, looking at his violin. He couldn't help feeling a little sad and guilty admitting how he felt out loud. His violin had been with him through thick and thin for a couple years now, after he unfortunately broke his previous one with his accidental first instance of magic. He didn't have any negative feelings towards this violin, per se, but somehow he felt that the instrument seemed like a friend caught in the crossfire.

"I have a suggestion," Allegra said, and Avery's ears perked up at her advice. Take some time away, come back fresh in small, bite-sized steps. "But, I couldn't possibly!" he protested, almost aghast at the thought of stopping for a week. Even stopping for two days had scared him. It was so different from what he was taught; whenever you hit a wall, you did your best to break through it. Strive to be unstoppable. Always advance with your best effort. A second away was a second wasted and lost.

However, he continued to ponder her suggestion. What she said somehow seemed to draw parallels with her previous suggestion about scales: Stop, relax and start slow, build your focus strategically on where mistakes were occurring to get back on track. "But... I guess, sometimes, taking a step back can actually be a step forward, right?" he asked, feeling like this was what she meant. Perhaps, during the two days when he had missed practice, he hadn't really taken a break. His untouched violin merely clouded his thoughts and he was left distracted and unrested, guilt-ridden and dreading the hour when he would pick it back up and his playing would be a mess. "It would have to be a real break for a week, then," he mused, half thinking aloud for clarification, "just to reset everything so I can start getting back on track later?" He paused. "I think it'll be hard," he admitted, "but I feel like I haven't had a break in years. I might really need it now." Perhaps his relationship with violin practice was the more important thing to fix, not how much he played a piece. He remembered the days as a young child, when he would simply marvel at the music he heard and wanting to play it, not thinking about how much he must practice that day. Those days had been the best days. That pure joy of enjoying music and learning it when he was just starting out, before his parents decided that he might be good enough to tackle exams and recitals every year. Back then, was eager to play every day, but it didn't matter how much he had to play and somehow he still managed to meet expectations without it feeling like a chore...

Avery laughed as Allegra reacted so strongly to those silly people in movies. "Right? It's like, everything would be completely okay if they just thought to talk to each other. I feel like some movies are entirely based off of people not talking." Miscommunication was such a drama-stirrer. He didn't understand at all why people would keep their emotions unspoken like that, loud and often forthright as he was.

He realized that the light outside the windows were now dim, and the sun had completely set. "Oh darnnit, what time is it?" he looked at the clock. It was a quarter till 8:00pm. "I think we better head back now, if we're to get back before curfew," he said. Time certainly flew by. "It's quite a trek back to my dorms, so I better get going, unless if you want to stay for a few minutes? Otherwise, we can walk that way together for a bit." He would totally understand if Allegra wanted to spend a few minutes on the piano, since he had taken up the Rehearsal Room that day, but walking with her would also be swell. "Thanks for all the advice today, by the way," he said gratefully. "It's really helpful getting another musician's perspective."

@Allegra Steinway

[font=Book Antiqua]"Yes you could - and should," Allegra insisted. She felt a familiar pang of anger as she thought of all the musicians she'd met, many who did everything to be the hardest worker who put in the most hours. At one point, Allegra had been like that, but it had quickly led to fatigue, a fact that Melody had picked up on. "Don't be like them," Melody had said firmly. "All work and no play makes Allegra an incredibly dull girl. How are you supposed to bring music to life if you don't experience life?" It was a question that had sent Allegra's thoughts spinning. It made perfect sense. How could one write, for example, a melody about their loved one, if one had never been in love? Or depict the sea side without ever going to the beach? From that point forward, Allegra decided to follow Melody's advice. Though she would never stop being a hard worker, she was adamant about occasionally allowing herself a break.

Allegra nodded. "It's like going to an art gallery. If you view the picture from up close, you can see all the individual brush strokes. But you cannot view the picture as a whole. Which is a shame because the picture might be magnificent and you would never know."

They giggled for a bit over movie characters, who seemed to have such complicated lives. "Perhaps you need to be more communicative with your violin?" Allegra suggested wildly. "Who knows, maybe if you talk to it, it will understand. 'Hey, Mr Violin, let's make some good music today, eh?'" she exclaimed.

But alas, time was ticking on. Avery insisted that he wanted to get back before curfew. Allegra felt that she had only just arrived. It had been a rather excellent discussion about music, but what she really wanted to do was sit down and tinker. "I will stay a while longer," she declared. "And you're welcome - I don't mind helping out another musician." She offered him a lopsided smile and then rested her fingers on the piano. Once again, the dulcet tones of Für Elise wafted out of the instrument, and the rest of Hogwarts faded away until Allegra was left in her own world, just her and the music.

@Avery Chen[/font]