[NEohioPAL] talented pianist Yunjie Chen response to request for funding

[megan denman]

Concerning Yunjie Chen asking for money for his career: Number one, he
should have said more specifically what the money was intended for, I agree
with that. Number two, perhaps he should have taken a different route to try
and ask for support, like asking wealthy individuals, or writing personal
letters, so he would not receive what I consider uncalled-for responses from
anyone on NEOPAL.

That being said, I am amazed and quite appalled that on an email system like
NEOPAL which claims to support the arts, someone could write a response like
the one that was written.  I personally believe that , just because I may
have to work part time jobs I don’t enjoy , that doesn’t mean that everyone
else should be subject to my fate. If someone is ABLE to spend all day in a
practice room, then that is a sign that our culture cares about the ARTS,
CULTURE and BRAINS of our humanity. Playing music has been scientifically
proven to increase the connections between the left and right hemispheres of
the brain. It also has been shown that more areas of the brain light up when
musicians perform than any other activity yet observed.(check out the
Cleveland Clinic’s symposium on Music and the Brain) So  sitting in a
practice room is actually a LOT of work. You are literally, drastically
changing how your brain works by practicing a musical instrument. If anyone
thinks that playing an instrument or being in a musical or play is easy for
some people, or just about “having talent”, I assure you: The reason concert
pianists spend all day in a practice room is that it is 98% sweat and 2%
talent. It is EXTREMELY difficult to get noticed in the intense, cutthroat
world of concert pianism.

But besides the objective observation that playing music changes your brain,
people can do whatever they want. Young people can start businesses of their
own at age 17, like Ashley Qualls who in 2007 built a million dollar
website. And movie stars can get paid many times 20,000 dollars, when they
are only mediocre, just because our culture supports it. But concert
pianists never take the easy way up. It is always a lot of work, and even if
you don’t believe that, wouldn’t you rather support something that has
spiritual, physical and intellectual value in our society (or that SHOULD
have value if it indeed doesn’t)?

And if you don’t want to support it, just let it sit, and let 20 wealthy
individuals give 1,000 to a cause that has proven worthy by the competitions
Yunjie has mastered, and all the hurdles he has managed to combat thus far
in his career.
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