AN INTERVIEW WITH
JMRZS VON LOTILLA
When did you start playing the violin?
I think I was 12 that time, Grade 5 pa ako nun. Summer nung time na yon and niyaya ako ni Mil Jezer, dun tapos nag-umpisa yung spark. That’s where I fell in love with the violin.
After that continuous na yung lessons mo?
Haha hindi. I’m mostly self-taught kasi and ‘di rin consistent yung lessons ko. There were times na I could have enrolled for violin lessons kaso lang tinamad ako sa pag-play. Kaya yun, medyo slow ako sa paglearn ^^;
How often do you practice playing the violin?
Sometimes twice a week lang. Sometimes wala talaga. Pero pag like, inspired ako I play every night. I practice for one to two hours kada session, minimum one hour.
Of all the violin teachers you’ve been with, sino yung the best para sayo?
I think lahat sila.
Or most memorable, sige ganoon nalaang.
Si Sir Iqee talaga, siya kasi yung nagturo ng basics sakin. He was the one who taught me nung Grade 5 ako. The next one would be Sir Joel, sa advanced na na level.
How about sa mga performance mo, which one do you consider to be the most memorable?
That would be when I was in Grade 8, nung summer noon I joined a music camp in CPAC. I was with the CPAC orchestra, first time ko. Yung feeling na andami mong kasamang magagaling and all you hear is music spreading all throughout the stadium. Pati ikaw mabe-bless.
Were you nervous?
Medyo, pero more sa excitement. Ang ganda ng feeling nung natapos na. We played 3 or 4 songs ata.
How about your worst?
Haha dito sa school nangyari yun, midweek. I was in Grade 11 and ‘di akin yung violin na ginamit ko. Before I performed, I tuned it muna ng maayos pero nung nagplay na ako, ‘di pa halfway nag-out of tune na yung violin kasi ang luwag ng pegs. It was really embarassing kasi besides sa libag yung mga notes, ‘di ako pwede mag-stop.
What song did you play?
My chains are gone. ‘Di na ako pumasok sa church after ko magplay. I told myself na ‘di na ako magvaviolin.
Kelan ka nakaget-over?
It was 2 weeks later after that. Nanood ako ng violin master sa youtube pagkatapos yun, na-inspire ako ulit.
How about yung pinaka-the best mong solo performance?
It was during that same year. Before I played kasi I asked God to bless my performance, like yung sincere talaga. May mga elementary and some high school students na bumisita dito sa school, and si Ma’am Pam yung nag-accompany sakin sa piano. “Perfect” and “Tagpuan” yung tinugtog ko, maganda sa feeling kasi sinasabayan ng crowd yung kanta.
If you were given the chance to give advice to your past self, what would you say?
Sana ‘di ko tinake for granted yung violin lessons ko. If I had practiced during the times na tinamad ako I would have been better ngayon ^^;
How about to those who want to learn to play the violin?
If you really love to play the violin, dapat mahaba yung patience mo because learning a skill is hard work – you can’t acquire a skill overnight. If gusto mong gumaling then dapat paghirapan mo, keep practicing hanggang sumakit yung kamay mo. YP
Photo Credits:
Featured Photo by alireza nazari on Unsplash
All other photos by JP Hiwatig
Young Pens 