BY MAX IRVINE
Eudora High School junior Ben Thorne recently received a II rating at the state piano festival at Wichita State University, the second highest rating a performer can receive.
The state piano festivals are opportunities for piano players to perform in front of a judge, who rates the pianist’s performance from the highest rating of a I to the lowest of a V. Thorne said performing can be nerve-wracking because they play in an empty auditorium with only a judge listening.
“It’s dead silent and you have to go up and introduce yourself and what piece you are playing. While you play, you can get in your own head and it can be a mental game,” he said.
Thorne said it can be difficult to maintain composure because of the mental aspect.
To combat this, he usually practices two hours per day and three on the weekends. He divides the pieces up by portions and perfects each one before moving on to the next.
“I’ll try and learn a certain page of the piece by a certain day, almost like a schedule. It’s very fun, I absolutely love it,” Thorne said.
He said the time a pianist devotes to playing is what separates a great pianist from a good one. Last year he went to the regional piano festival, but this year he made a bigger commitment to make it to the state festival.
“In my opinion, I played a much harder piece this year. I practiced it way more, just so I could get it perfect,” he said.
His favorite piece is I Giorni by Ludovico Einaudi. He said one night he ended up spending six hours playing through all the pages of music, but to him it didn’t feel like a long time.
Thorne began playing piano eight years ago when his parents signed him up for lessons, along with help from his mom.
“My mom also taught me a lot of it. She played piano for a long time, so we just kind of kept that tradition going in our family,” Thorne said.
Stephanie Thorne wasn’t sure he would stick with piano when they first introduced him to it. She said he’s learned to put his heart and soul into practicing.
She said she gets nervous before all of Ben’s performances because she knows how hard he works to perfect each piece.
“I simply can’t begin to explain how it feels to have your child compose a piece and play it before you on stage. I cry each time,” Stephanie Thorne said. “Ben is in his element on stage. He knows exactly what he has to do.”
She said the school created a strong musical environment to help musicians maximize their abilities, and band director Damian Johnson has played a crucial role helping Ben learn to play.
“I'm not sure that Ben would've grown this much as a musician if it hadn't been for Mr. Johnson giving Ben multiple opportunities to play the piano with his concert and jazz bands,” she said.
Johnson said Ben should be proud of earning a II rating because it is an incredible feat. He said he wants each of his musicians to understand there’s more to music than just learning a melody.
“I try to push Ben, and all my musicians, by making him think musically rather than just playing the notes on the page. It's great to read the music, but to make it sound like music is a totally different animal,” Johnson said.
Ben’s passion for the piano grew as he spent more time playing. His parents were the ones to start his piano path, but their support has helped him appreciate the gift as his own.
“My love grew for the piano because, well, God gave me that gift, and it’s awesome. It changed my life forever,” Ben said. “My parents are supporting me, and my band director provides a great atmosphere. I’m in good company.”
Reach reporter Max Irvine at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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