On March 16th, more than 350 teachers and students from YCYW performed a brilliant concert at the Shangyin Opera House for over a thousand audiences. The concert featured orchestral performances and choir singing. Students from YCYW Beijing Yizhuang also participated in the concert. How did they prepare for such a large-scale performance? What were their feelings as young performers? Let's find out their stories together.

Ms. Wenhui, the violin teacher: They were all selected and gave their best.

Ms. Wenhui was the leading teacher for YCYW Beijing Yizhuang team. When asked about the concert, she has a lot to share: "First of all, I feel very lucky that our YCYW Beijing Yizhuang campus had the opportunity to participate in this meaningful concert. We were able to showcase our talents alongside outstanding young musicians from other campuses. The school leadership also gave us trust and support throughout the preparation process. In fact, our school made full preparations for this concert, from the early publicity, to the auditions, to the selection of performers, all of which went through strict assessments. During the audition phase, many students showed interest and enthusiasm in participating. We selected over 30 candidates in the first round of auditions, and selected 6 candidates from those 30. All 6 candidates were approved by the organization and obtained the opportunity to perform in the charity concert."

Due to the long length and high difficulty of the pieces, this concert presented a significant challenge for both students and teachers. Additionally, to avoid interfering with students' regular classes, almost all breaks, and even after-school hours, were used for practice. During rehearsals, one of the pieces, " Stardust" had a complex rhythm that students couldn't play in unison. Emma came up with a simple and understandable rhythm by playing "bounce the ball, bounce, bounce the ball," which helped all the students remember the rhythm and finally play together.

The participating students not only demonstrated outstanding musical skills, but also deserve recognition for their self-management and self-control abilities, as well as their teamwork spirit during the trip. For example, the students reminded each other of rehearsal and daily schedule, looked after each other's luggage to prevent loss, and shared difficulties and tasks with the teachers. Therefore, I would use the term "Challenge with full heart" to describe this activity. Whether it was music skills or life abilities, it was a challenge for both me and the students, but we faced it with our full heart together.

Emma: An Energetic Little Girl Plays Five Pieces.

Emma's father also expressed his happiness, saying that Emma used to struggle with playing even a single piece, but now she is capable to finish all five pieces for the competition, and he is proud of her. After witnessing the concert, Emma's father said, "After watching the entire concert, I feel that YCYW is truly a big family from all over the world. It was a highlight of this journey to see students from different places and campuses come together to complete such a high-standard performance."

To prepare for this concert, Emma said that she spent 1-2 hours practicing these five pieces every day for the past six months, in addition to her regular studies. At first, it was difficult because she struggled with playing the pieces smoothly. However, practicing with her older friends helped her improve her intonation. She is also looking forward to participating in next year's Seeds of Hope Concert, which will be held in a different school campus, as she wants to see the different campuses.

Matthew: I will play violin 1 next year.

Matthew was selected as a seeded player for this year's Seeds of Hope Concert. Ms. Wenhui has different expectations for Matthew. Ms. Wenhui said, "Matthew's musical skills are relatively mature among students of the same age. Through this performance, Matthew has a better understanding of the importance of teamwork, cooperation, listening, and integration."

Matthew's mother also watched the rehearsal. The backstage was orderly and well-organized, which left a deep impression on her. Due to the numerous pieces played by the string orchestra, the young performers had to maintain a high level of concentration throughout to produce high-quality music. When Matthew's mother sat in the audience, watching the theater transform from empty seats to a full house, with star lights shining down and the music starting to play, she felt proud of the children's hard work and professionalism.

Matthew also shared, "I prepared for this concert for more than 5 months. Through participating in the performance, I have gained experience on stage and improved my self-care abilities. For example, in order to better prepare for our performance for the next day, my roommates and I agreed to turn off the lights and go to bed at 9 o'clock."

"But it was all worth it," Matthew said. "My favorite moment was when I played the “William Tell：Overture”. It's bright and has a strong rhythm. And my dad, mom, and sister were all in the audience listening to me playing. I was especially proud to perform for them. I will participate the Seeds of Hope Concert next year because this year I played violin 2, and next year I want to work hard to play violin 1."

This year's Seeds of Hope Concert has come to an end. The young musicians of YCYW Beijing Yizhuang have experienced and witnessed how a professional concert is organized and performed. They have seen higher levels of performance, both in terms of playing skills and stage experience, and they have set higher standards and role models for themselves. They have also made new friends and improved their life skills. For next year, some of them hope to visit other campuses and make new friends, while others hope to perform in higher-level teams. What stories will the Seeds of Hope Concert have next year? Let's look forward together.