My #InspiringRoleModel Jasmine Choi
Hello! I’m Vera, the young ambassador for Inspiring Girls Singapore.
I started my music journey at the age of 4, on the violin. However, after a few months of learning the violin, I did not enjoy playing it as much as I thought I would, so I switched to a new instrument, the flute! I immediately fell in love with the sound the flute made, and I was very determined to practise a lot, to one day be able to play as well as the flautists on YouTube - one of which is Jasmine Choi! This time, I knew that the flute was going to be the one I would play for a long time to come. Over the years, I became more involved with music activities with my flute, I joined my school’s band when I was just 10 years old, and have been playing in the band ever since. I also participated in various competitions from time to time.
Everytime I pick up the flute, there is a warm, homely feeling inside of me as I am very comfortable and happy doing what I love and enjoy. I think that playing the flute is a way that I am able to express myself, as it has been a part of me for a long time. 2 years ago, amidst the pandemic, I played around with some keys on my electric piano at home, and came up with a catchy tune. From then on, I was inspired to write music, and how I did so was to first play around with the keys on the piano and come up with a tune solely based on my mood that day and write lyrics based on what I could imagine in my head when I heard the tune. Sometimes it was a happy, catchy tune after a fun and fulfilling day, but sometimes it was also a slow, low-spirited tune, depending on how I felt that day. I believe that through composing, I am able to express my feelings through music instead of words, and reflect on my day.
After 11 years, my passion for music is still growing, with added instruments throughout the years consisting of the drums, piano, and the ukelele on top of the flute. With flute still as my focus in music, I am very grateful to have my flute with me every step of the way. My flute and I have been through so much over the years - many performances, competitions, and countless practise sessions. With music being a part of my daily life, I would like to continue exploring the many different aspects of it, as there is so much more to music than just notes on ledger lines. Music is definitely very close to my heart and I hope to be able to keep making music and share it with those around me.
“A lot of people think that musicians choose their profession, but I think music chooses us. It's like we're destined to do this.” - Jasmine Choi
This International Women’s Day, I would like to honour my #InspiringRoleModel Jasmine Choi. I first came across Jasmine through a youtube video of her playing Carmen Fantasy by Borne. Listening to how beautifully she played this piece, I was inspired to work hard and practise to be able to sound like her one day. Now, I myself am working on this same piece for my flute diploma. Though I sound nowhere near her, I am so glad to even be working on this piece after many years of studying the flute. She continues to be a great inspiration and hope for me till today.
Jasmine has accomplished amazing feats but the reason why she is my #InspiringRoleModel is because I love her view on music - that music is meant to be shared. Her dedication to practise the instrument, and the amount of love she has for it is so inspiring to me! I admire her natural confidence, and how she manages her time really well, coping amazingly despite the back to back concerts, practising and working from home. Her passion for her music has helped her overcome a number of difficult circumstances, and her creativity has helped reshape her own career in remarkable ways. She once said: “We're not playing music to show how well we're able to play the instrument or simply to make a living, but we play to share something very beautiful, intimate and touching. It's our vocation. And it's like dialogues between our souls - which only explains more strongly that we do need to play and share music more than ever before. So, keep playing and keep believing in music”
If Jasmine sees this, my message to her is:
As music is my passion and an important part of my life, my dream is to be able to keep making music and sharing it with the world, like you do. Thank you for inspiring me to have such a great love for music, and to keep on doing my best to practise, improve, and grow both as a flautist and musician.
