CHILD PRODIGIES, Extra practice (optional)

CHILD PRODIGIES

(para los links: si no funcionan, copiar y pegar)

SARAH CHANG, VIOLINIST

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hvN0X92K4k
Watch Sarah Chang playing the violin: Presto (Summer) from Vivaldi's Four Seasons

Read this interview with Sarah Chang http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/nov/20/classicalmusicandopera1
and answer the questions. You will find the answers below:

1. Why did Sarah ask her parents for a violin and not a piano for her fourth birthday?
2. How old was Sarah when she realized she was extraordinary talented?
3. Does Sarah like fashion?
4. What does Sarah think about the Internet and music?
5. What’s her biggest frustration?
6. Does Sarah usually read her reviews?
7. When and where was she born?
8. How old was she when she recorded for the first time?

ANSWERS:
1. Why did Sarah ask her parents for a violin and not a piano for her fourth birthday?
She wanted something she could carry around with her.
2. How old was Sarah when she realized she was extraordinary talented?
At 5, when she auditioned for the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, where everyone else was at least 8 years older than her.
3. Does Sarah like fashion?
She loves fashion.
4. What does Sarah think about the Internet and music?
She thinks the Internet is a threat (amenaza) to music, because it provides instantanous entertainment. For her, it’s much better to go to a concert and have a live sensory experience.
5. What’s her biggest frustration?
She missed a lot of parties when she was a teenager. Her adolescence was a confusing time, because she wasn’t a child prodigy anymore, but she wasn’t an adult either.
6. Does Sarah usually read her reviews?
She rarely reads them.
7. When and where was she born?
She was born in Philadelphia in 1980.
8. How old was she when she recorded for the first time?
She was 9. She became the youngest violinist ever to record

MICHAEL KEARNEY, COLLEGE GRADUATE

Read this article about Michael Kearney’s life. Then, answer the question below:
http://americansocietylife.com/michael-kearney-child-prodigy

What are amazing things mentioned here and not in the text we read in class?


ANSWERS:

Answers may vary. Some possibilities:

Michael was born in January 18, 1984, in Paterson, (New Jersey, USA)
He was diagnosed with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and his parents decided not to use the offered prescription of Ritalin.
At the age of six months, he said to his pediatrician “I have a left ear infection”.
He finished high-school at age six.
He has diplomas in anthropology, biochemistry and computer science.
His younger sister, Maeghan, is also a child prodigy.
Michael was a contestant on the TV show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”


ALEXANDRA NECHITA, ARTIST

http://www.alexandranechitagalleries.com/
At this site, you can have a look at Alexandra Nechita’s paintings. Also, you can read the information to complete the sentences below with the correct numbers (answers below):

1. Her first art exhibit was in . . . , when she was . . . years old.
2. She has painted more than . . . paintings.
3. At . . . she began working in pen and ink.
4. When she was . . . , she started using watercolors.
5. At . . . she was using oils and acrylics.
6. She has sold for over . . . dollars.
7. At . . . , she was compared to Picasso and Matisse.


ANSWERS:

1. Her first art exhibit was in 1994, when she was 8 years old.
2. She has painted more than 300 paintings.
3. At 2 she began working in pen and ink.
4. When she was 5 , she started using watercolors.
5. At 7 she was using oils and acrylics.
6. She has sold for over 1 million dollars.
7. At 12, she was compared to Picasso and Matisse.