A few hours later
New York Academy of Music
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Lloyd
“That's wonderful to hear!
I thought you'd feel that way, since you're all involved in music.”
I thought you'd feel that way, since you're all involved in music.”
Lloyd
“Yes, that's right.
Being so close to an academy of music, it's always been like that.”
Being so close to an academy of music, it's always been like that.”
Toya
“As far as I've known, I always thought that he was only interested in classical music.”
Toya
“I never imagined him being so drawn a place where you can hear such a wide variety of music.”
Lloyd
“One fateful day, a lone exchange student arrived here on the campus of the New York Academy of Music.”
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Lloyd
“He sounds like a hoot!
I bet we'll really hit it off if we get a chance to talk about music together.”
I bet we'll really hit it off if we get a chance to talk about music together.”
Lloyd
“He spent most of his time in one of the practice rooms, or in the library to read books about classical music...”
Lloyd
“And whenever anyone tried to talk with him, he'd always say that he had to practice, and blow them right off.”
Lloyd
“That's exactly right! It was like there was a vast ocean around him, and not a single landing to be found.”
Lloyd
“Play the classical song which he was practicing, but with a jazzy arrangement. Just a little prank.”
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Toya's Father
This is a practice piece that the composer was kind enough to write for our family. Happy was likely the last thing he felt as he wrote this... So, if you understand that, you should know how to play this song.
Toya's Father
Did you actually take a close look at the sheet music, Toya? You need to think more about what was going through the composer's mind. If you did, you would know how to play this piece already. You're done practicing. Go reread the sheet music again.
Toya
(Dad values the composer's thoughts more than anything else. He constantly seeks to achieve a complete understanding of their music.)
Toya
(Which is why he abhors irregular arrangements and improvisations. Because they work counter to that...)
Lloyd
“Our exchange student, Harumichi, is a classical musician through and through, but he also loves other genres of music.”
Akito
I thought you and your dad fought because all he cares about is classical music, Toya...
An
I don't think Mr. Lloyd needs to know about that part.
After all, he's a friend of Toya's dad...
After all, he's a friend of Toya's dad...
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Toya
“He said it doesn't have any artistic value, because it's just a bunch of kids making some noise...”
Lloyd
“It was rough around the edges, still taking form... But it made up for it with its energy.”
Lloyd
“It screamed of wanting to be heard by others. This desire to latch onto people's ears and never let go.”
Lloyd
“To be fair, plenty of excellent music was produced. However, for every good song, there was an equally not-so-good one.”
Lloyd
“One day, when Harumichi and I were out for a stroll in the city, we ran into trouble with a group of street singers...”
Lloyd
“They were particularly ruthless when it came to classical music. Apparently, playing ”old and dusty music“ sounded like the opposite of fun.”
Lloyd
“However...
I was telling the truth when I said that he enjoys other genres of music.”
I was telling the truth when I said that he enjoys other genres of music.”
Toya
(I was absolutely certain that nothing other than classical music would do for him...)
Next Chapter: I Want to Understand