Young violinist has what it takes

To excel in any area in life – be it sports, music, art, or a career – it requires a certain amount of talent and a lot of hard work and discipline.

For a 13-year-old teenager to have received the Best String Performance award at the Melfort Music Festival two years consecutively speaks miles of that young lad’s focus and dedication to music.

Shawn McAdam is a TMSS student and kind of just an ordinary teenager – except that he happens to be good at playing the violin. Already he has won two Conservatory of Canada medals for the highest mark in music examinations, last year for his Grade 4 exam and previously for his Grade 1 exam. 

His teacher, Rebecca Hankins-Vopni, says Shawn’s achievements can be attributed to him putting in the time necessary to see improvement.

“In Shawn’s case, as in the case of anybody who does well in music, there’s always people that are talented naturally musically,” Hankins-Vopni said, “but really it comes down to people who are committed and determined enough to work on their music on a very regular basis.”

She also believes that the support he gets from his family contributes a lot to his success.

“Without family support, it is very difficult for young people to do well with their music,” she insisted. “Shawn works on his music very regularly, and that pays off. And his family supports him in doing that.”

Like any other teenager, Shawn spends time on the computer, watching videos, playing video games, and socializing with his friends. But he does make the time for practice.

“Before it was like 40 minutes was the goal,” Shawn said, “but I normally practice until I feel it’s time. I do go over all the pieces at least once during a practice, and if I feel it was good, then I definitely won’t spend anywhere near as much time on that one. If I feel like there is a part in a piece that I don’t have down, then I’ll drill that.”

Shawn says he likes the challenge that comes with playing the violin.

“Going fast is very difficult,” he admitted. “You’re bouncing off the string with the bow in one hand, and you’re bouncing off the strings with the fingers of the other hand, so you have to have your mind in two places.”

Hankins-Vopni also notes that Shawn takes advantage of occasions to play in public locally.

“When he has opportunities to perform for seniors in our area or at community events, whether he’s playing solo or whether he’s playing with the group, Shawn is there,” she commented. “So the regular work and using all opportunities to perform so that you are using your skills to share with others will also improve your skills.”

For now, Shawn is just enjoying learning and mastering the skill of playing the violin, and says he doesn’t have any long-term future goals – yet. But he’s got a good head start, and time is still on his side…