THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 1, 1995 TAG: 9412300199
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Chesapeake CloseUp
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines
Mariya Ando refuses to compromise on her music, even when she misses out on things. So, when her friends are out doing other things, she's often practicing the piano.
``I have to manage my schedule,'' she said.
That determination has helped the 13-year-old seventh-grader adapt from her native Japanese culture to American culture.
``When Mariya first came to me, her family had just came over from Japan,'' said Hobart Langrall, her piano teacher. ``She was very shy and wouldn't talk to me. If I asked her a question, she'd just sit there mute. Her mother would ask the same question in Japanese. Mariya would answer her mother.''
Since then, Ando has learned to speak English well.
``Now if she thinks I've made a mistake or if she thinks I'm wrong, she'll say, `Don't you think it's this way?' and that's wonderful,'' Langrall said. ``We have a rapport going, and it's getting better all the time.''
Not only does Ando have perfect pitch, which her teacher describes as ``having a most beautiful ear,'' she's enthusiastic about every piece of music he selects for her.
``Any little subtle thing that we do with a a piece, Mariya picks it up right away,'' he added. ``Some students make great strides and jumps and then they sit there for a while. Then they'll make another leap. She's consistent. Her practice is done every day, and it's done well. She's done wonderful, wonderful work.''
Langrall is convinced that Ando's future as a musician has great promise. She's a veteran competitor and gets excited when she talks about the two or three piano competitions she enters yearly.
In both 1992 and 1994, she won Old Dominion University's Classical Period Piano Competition in her level and finished second in 1993. In 1992 and 1993, she won the Virginia Music Teacher Association's Southeastern District Competition in her level as well as the association's 1992 state competition for her level. In 1993, she also won the Chesapeake City Young Musician's Award and the Chesapeake City Fine Art Commission Scholarship in 1994.
Each competition required many weeks of preparation.
``That's really important,'' Langrall said. ``The competition is the carrot that goes in front of the donkey, being put on the spot and having to play in front of a large group of people.
``The concentration needed to prepare to play in public is worth hours and hours of practice,'' he said. ``At home you're in a relaxed situation. And often you're not concentrating as deeply as you need to. Mariya never falls down.''
``You get very nervous at a competition,'' Ando said. ``It's different than a recital. You're thinking about how other people play, or that the judges are not objective.''
Even if she's not a winner, she's looks forward to comments from the judges.
``They tell you what they like and what they don't like,'' she said.
During competitions, she tries not to listen to participants who play before her, because sometimes that's confusing. ``You have to concentrate on your own music.''
Full name: Mariyo Ando
Birthdate: May 12, 1981
Grew up: In Yokohama, Japan. ``Three years ago we came to Chesapeake.''
School: Norfolk Collegiate School (7th grade)
Hobbies: ``I like to cook and bake cookies. I also like to shop, usually for clothes. And to talk with friends on the phone, watch TV movies and listen to CDs.''
Last book read: ``Where the Red Fern Grows''
Favorite composer: ``Now I am particularly interested in Sergei Prokoviev. But I love the sound of Johann Sebastian Bach. And I especially like the impressionists like Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy.''
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? ``I want to be able to do things faster, like homework, getting ready for school and getting up in the morning.''
Greatest accomplishment: ``I can speak English now. Three years ago, I knew no English.''
Favorite TV program: ``Three years ago it was `Under the Umbrella' because it helped me to learn English, but I don't watch it anymore. My history teacher wants us to watch CNN.''
Favorite American food: Pizza
Favorite Japanese food: ``Japanese-style noodles and, for dessert, green tea ice cream.''
What do you like/dislike about Chesapeake: ``It's safe. It's not very crowded. Housing is not expensive, and people are nice. But there is no museum, no recital hall or concert hall. I want a good recital hall with a good piano.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
Mariyo Ando, 13, won the 1992 and 1994 Old Dominion University
Classical Period Piano Competition in her level and finished second
in 1993.
by CNB