As the melody fills the room and a crowd of senior citizens forms, freshman Leila Tan begins to play the piano, much like she has for the past seven years. Tan is a part of the Music Students Service League program (MSSL), and as part of the program, Tan goes to houses and hospitals with other members of MSSL to play instruments and give senior citizens a chance to hear music played live.
“Performing in front of the audience is still always nerve-racking,” Tan said. But it is impossible to get used to performing in front of anyone.”
Seeing the influence her music has made on senior citizens is why Tan has participated in the program and plans to continue throughout high school. MSSL allows her to practice piano while also giving back to the community. Tan first got introduced to the MSSL when she was in second grade, and after five years of practice and working up to a higher level, she finally reached a high enough level to perform in front of senior citizens. Tan’s mom, Kelcie Quatch, has enjoyed watching Leila improve and follow her passion over the years.
“She likes something that’s a faster tempo. Her teacher likes classical music a lot, so they usually lean towards picking pieces of those genres. The pieces that she’s playing are going to be applied to the Certificate of Merit as well as the annual test assessment that they do every year.” Quatch said.
The Certificate of Merit is an award received when a student shows excellent performance, technique, ear training, sight reading/singing, and music theory. This award is not given by MSSL but instead given by the Music Teachers Association of California. The annual assessment is a test that members of MSSL take each year, focusing on understanding notes and being able to play a specific number of pieces. Since Tan is at a high level, she must be able to play a total of four pieces for the assessment. Tan’s piano journey began when she was just in second grade.
“It was my Chinese teacher who recommended it to my mom. I started playing ever since then,” Tan said.
Tan was originally the first in her family to start playing the piano and her musical journey has inspired her little brother Leroy Tan, who is currently a member of MSSL, to also start playing.
“When I couldn’t help Leroy anymore, I would ask Leila, because she’s at a higher level. She could help provide any feedback, comments and help with the piano playing lessons,” Quach said.
According to Quatch, when Tan was around the sixth or seventh grade, she progressed to level five, which is how much experience is needed to participate in MSSL. This shows that even though Tan is a very experienced piano player, it still took her five years to get to the level where she is eligible to volunteer and perform in front of the elderly citizens.
“I always wanted to learn, but growing up, I didn’t have that opportunity, so I wanted to make sure my kids had it,” Quach said.
Quach really wanted her kids to have this opportunity that she didn’t have growing up. She knew the piano was a unique thing for her kids to experience, so she wanted to make sure that they got an opportunity to play, which she never got. With this knowledge, Tan has been working hard for years now, and with all those hours of piano, she is hoping to use her experiences for a prosperous future.
“It’s around five hours each time, and it’s within our [location]. Also, through this program, you could eventually get scholarships,” Tan said.
Moving to the future, Tan is motivated by a future filled with music. She hopes to go to a great college and continue her piano career there.
“Performing and being able to play my music pieces is really fun,” Tan explains. “Getting to see all [the senior citizens] reactions and seeing them very happy is amazing.
