犹记去年此时，福州西湖国际学校毕业生陆续收获来自欧洲、北美、澳洲等地多所名校录取通知书，FLIS同学及教职工们都为之倍感振奋、骄傲。今年新学期开学不久，好消息传来：我校学子James同学收到了世界公认顶级音乐学院伊斯曼音乐学院的录取通知书！
At this time last year, FLIS students and staff were thrilled to learn that graduates from Fuzhou Lakeside International School had received acceptance letters from many prestigious universities in Europe, North America, and Australia. And shortly after the start of this school year, another FLIS student, James Liu, received an acceptance letter from the Eastman School of Music, one of the world's premiere schools of music!
*罗彻斯特大学伊斯曼音乐学院是一所美国音乐学院，成立于1921年，为公认的世界最顶尖音乐学院之一。伊斯曼音乐学院与其它排名靠前的音乐学院（如茱莉亚学院与柯蒂斯音乐学院）一起，凭借其对音乐方面高标准的努力而在国际享有很高声望。
The Eastman School of Music is an American music school. Founded in 1921, Eastman has been recognized as one of the top music schools in the world. Along with other top-ranked conservatories (such as Juilliard and Curtis Institute of Music), Eastman School of Music enjoys a high international reputation for its dedication to high standards in music.
15岁那年，James同学在电视上看到一段民谣弹唱，优美的乐曲令他深受触动，沉醉其中。之后的日子里，他总在想，若自己也能掌握一门乐器多好。这偶然的一刻最终催生了James同学学习乐器的念头，几经思量，他选择了古典吉他，一种音色优美、可以奏出多种风格的乐器。
When he was 15 years old, James saw a folk song performed live on TV and was deeply touched by the beautiful music. He spent a lot of time thinking about how great it would be if he could play an instrument himself. After some thought, he chose the classical guitar, an acoustic wooden string instrument that can perform different musical styles.
四五年来，James同学利用课余时间不断精进琴艺。在古典吉他之外，他还练习钢琴，吸收多种多样优秀的音乐类型。音乐给他带来不少变化：他说如今，自己可以看到更开阔的心象世界，处事时注意力更集中、心态亦更平和、包容。这同在FLIS的学习也不无关系：多元丰富的课程开拓了他的眼界；有爱包容的环境鼓励了他的个人发展。
For the past four or five years, James has been using his time outside of school to refine his piano skills. In addition to the classical guitar, he also practices piano and performs a wide variety of music genres. Music has brought about a lot of changes in him personally: he says he can now see the world more openly, and he is more focused, calm and inclusive in his dealings with people. This is not unrelated to his studies at FLIS -- the diverse and enriching curriculum has opened his eyes to all that the world has to offer, and the loving and inclusive environment has fostered his personal development.
James同学不仅爱音乐、喜欢感受音乐的魅力，也乐意通过音乐同大家交流。2019年末，他主动找到老师，希望能在校内举办个人音乐演奏会。教师们稍显惊讶，却很快被这个自信满满的年轻人所打动，此外，FLIS向来鼓励学子尽情展现自己的才艺，也不断为学子创造更好的条件展示自我。最终，一场精心准备的音乐会——也是FLIS史上首次单人音乐演奏会——顺利上演。当天，James同学以钢琴及古典吉他演奏了六首曲目，其中就有巴赫、莫扎特、帕格尼尼等声名赫赫的音乐家的经典作品。每首曲目演奏前，他都亲自为台下观众讲解一番，既为大家解说曲目创作背景，也浅谈自己对作品的理解。他希望自己能为观众带来听觉上的享受，也创造更多的交流契机。甚至，James同学还为大家展示了一小段自己创作的乐章。因着这场演奏会的成功，2020年毕业季，我们再度将James同学请上台，通过音乐向毕业生们致以美好祝福。
James not only loves music and enjoys feeling the charm of music, but also enjoys communicating with others through music. In late 2019, James approached his teachers with the idea of holding a special concert at the school. The teachers were slightly surprised but also impressed by this confident young man. Actually, FLIS has always encouraged students to develop their talents to the fullest and has constantly created better conditions for them to showcase those talents. In the end, a well-prepared concert - and the first ever solo music recital at FLIS - was successfully staged. James played six pieces of music on the piano and classical guitar. This included classical works of famous musicians such as Bach, Mozart, and Paganini. Before each piece of music, he not only explained to the audience about the background of the piece, but also about his understanding of the work. He hoped that he could bring enjoyment to the audience and have more communication opportunities. At last, James also showed everyone a piece of music that he himself composed. Because of the success of this recital, we invited James on stage again in the 2020 graduation ceremony to wish the graduates good luck through music.
决定以音乐作为志业后，James将申请目标锁定各大音乐学院。经过源源不断的刻苦练习，不断增进技艺及对音乐的理解，他的演奏也越加完整、流畅。最终，James同学的音乐才华得到了伊斯曼音乐学院、新英格兰音乐学院（美国最古老的独立音乐学院、美国最好的音乐学院之一）等多所院校认可。未来，他终于能够在心仪的院校继续深造音乐了！
After deciding to pursue music as a career, James set his sights on applying to major music schools. After practicing hard and constantly improving his skills and knowledge of music, his playing became more and more complete and dynamic. In the end, James' musical talent was recognized by many colleges and universities, including the Eastman School of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music. In the future, he will be able to continue his music studies at the college of his choice!
James同学曾说，自己最喜欢的音乐家是贝多芬。作为古典音乐史上极其优秀的音乐家，贝多芬对音乐的执着、对命运的不屈服等精神始终激励着他不断奋斗，不断精进技艺，即便已被多所院校录取，他依然还认为自己精彩的音乐人生才刚刚开始。就让我们期待James同学能够在更大的舞台上大放光彩、酣畅淋漓地演绎心之声吧！
James once said that his favorite musician is Beethoven. As an outstanding musician in the history of classical music, Beethoven's persistence in music and his unyielding spirit of ambition have always inspired him to strive for continuous improvement of his skills, and even though he has been admitted to many colleges and universities, he still thinks his wonderful life of music has just begun. We hope that James will be able to shine on an even bigger stage and express his heart to the world with passion, through his music!
我们也计划为James同学策划一场毕业季音乐会。还请大家多多期待哦！
We're now planning to arrange a graduation concert for James. Please stay tuned for the coming announcement!
