Challenges of Music Raise Academic Bar, Students Say

Asked how she became an honor student at Irvine High School, Jody Chou did not hesitate to give credit where credit is due: Johann Sebastian Bach.

Chou, 17, wowed a Sunday gathering of music students and their families with her performance of Bach’s “Toccata in G Minor.” Afterward, she explained that the German artist’s compositions and academic excellence go hand-in-hand.

“Bach is very challenging. That’s why I picked this particular piece, because I have to be challenged,” she said. “Music training has taught me responsibility and good study habits. It has helped me to be a straight-A student.”

Twenty other young musicians who gathered at the Newport Center United Methodist Church for a music workshop agreed with Chou that music helps them become better students.

The meeting, arranged by the Music Students Service League and the Orange Coast branch of the Music Teachers’ Assn. of California, was to help the students prepare for their upcoming community recitals during the fall and spring.

Trudy Anshutz, who offers music lessons out of her Corona del Mar home to about 30 students, said the purpose of the recitals is “to train music students on how to give service to the community through music performance.”

Anshutz, 53, said many of the recitals are scheduled at retirement homes.

The recitals for seniors are among Chou’s favorite musical activities.

“I really like playing for them. After every recital the seniors come to me and tell me they like my music. It makes me feel very good inside because they are always very happy and appreciative whenever we play for them,” said Chou, who began playing the piano when she was 6.

But despite her talent as a pianist, Chou is not sure whether she is suited for music.

“I like biology and political science. I’m sure I will apply to music conservancies when I graduate, but I will probably end up at Stanford or one of the University of California schools,” she said.

Chou’s ambivalence about a career in music is not unusual among gifted students.

Anshutz, who has been a music teacher since she was 14, said that only about 5% of her students have become professional musicians.

“The value of music training is not always that it will allow you to become a professional musician, but it enhances other endeavors that you pursue. Music training enriches your life,” Anshutz said.

In Chou’s case, music training has enriched her overall learning experience and helped her take control of her life.

“When I get angry at my friends, I don’t take it out on them. Instead, I play the piano at night because that makes me feel special. None of my friends can play the piano. It’s like, ‘There, I showed you,’ ” Chou said.

Chou said that for now, her life pretty much revolves around classical music.

“I only listen to classical music,” she said. “I don’t care too much for rock because it’s way too loud. When my friends start talking about movie stars, I really don’t know who they’re talking about. I feel like saying, ‘Can we talk about classical music, instead?’ ”