Young piano virtuoso earns prestigious honor

September 2, 2009

By Laura Geggel

Last May, when he was only 4 years old, Samuel Chen took a prestigious music exam offered by the National Conservatory of Music of America and played the piano so well, a judge awarded him with First Class Honors.

It was the second best score a player can receive and left quite a few awe-inspired at the ability of someone so young.

“He did extremely well for a 4-year-old,” said Isabel Struik, communications manager at the Royal Conservatory for Music. “At that age, it’s not so common. It comes down to motor skills.”

The National Music Certificate exam started about five years ago in the United States. Its counterpart in Canada, called the Royal Conservatory for Music, has been around for 123 years. The exam, offered by the Royal Conservatory for Music and administered by the National Music Certificate Program, allows students to see how they compare to others around the world.

“It is a national standard,” Struik said. “We are very strict about maintaining our academic standards, providing an academic situation where you are accessed fairly by a third party.”

Chen took his exam at the Preparatory A level. The little musician started playing piano at age 3 when his family lived in Bothell. When they moved to Snoqualmie Ridge last year, the Chens began looking for a new piano teacher. They settled on Bob Pajer, a master pianist who plays at places like the TPC Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club and the Salish Lodge & Spa.

“(Samuel is) very attentive and talented — and most charming,” Pajer said. “He is perfectly comfortable at the piano, as well as his other aspirations as a young child: big trucks, space flight (and) the army.”

Both of Chen’s parents, Carol Wang and Shawn Chen, grew up in Northeast China and did not have the opportunity to learn piano themselves. When Chen, the oldest of their three children, turned 3, they sat him down on the piano bench.

The more he plays, the more comfortable he becomes with learning the keys and their names. His family makes practicing the piano a fun event, too.

“When he plays “Little Rumba,” the whole family dances for him,” said Wang, who explained that in China, wives keep their maiden names even after they marry.

Wang sits in on all of her son’s piano lessons. She praised both the student and the teacher, whom the family calls “Grandpa Bob.”

“(Pajer) is a mentor for Samuel, too,” Wang said. “He’s so professional, but so modest.”

During the half-hour lessons, Pajer and Chen make up musical games to help the youngster learn more about the craft.

“We might use rocket ships to describe when the music goes up in pitch and down in pitch,” Pajer said.

Perhaps he is too young to understand stage fright. Still, during recitals and exams, Chen exudes nothing but confidence. During a recital in June, Chen took his seat at a nine-foot grand piano “and he had no apprehension at all. He was looking around at the people and at the other pianos,” Pajer said.

When Pajer alerted his students about the opportunity to play at the National Music Certificate Program exam, the Chen family registered their son. After a month of practice, Chen took the exam May 26. Although he didn’t receive his score and certificate until August, Chen got immediate confirmation he did well.

“The teacher who was his examiner said to him, ‘Samuel, you rock,’” Pajer said.

Laura Geggel: 392-6434, ext. 221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.

It was the second best score a player can receive and left quite a few awe-inspired at the ability of someone so young.

Five-year-old Samuel Chen plays ‘Little Rumba,’ one of four pieces he played for the National Music Certificate Program exam. By Laura Geggel