Among the endless performing arts programs Arcadia High School (AHS) has to offer, one that stands out exceptionally is our school’s harmonious orchestras: Premiere, String, Concert, and Symphony.

Since sophomore year, junior Crystal Lim has been a member of the school’s orchestra playing the violin, starting in Premiere before advancing to Concert this year. However, like many others, Lim started her instrumental journey early on.

“I saw this video of an entire orchestra playing when I was 10 years old and it really moved me,” Lim reminisced. “From that point on I was motivated to learn the violin.”

Lim admitted that despite her young age, she still felt like she started violin too late compared to her competitive peers. Picking up a new hobby for anyone can be challenging and Lim recalled especially struggling with counting beats and catching the right tempos and rhythms.

“Regardless of the external pressures, eventually I decided that I should just focus on myself and go at my own pace so that I could improve, which really helped me,” Lim said.

Years went by, and Lim continued to play the violin at Foothills Middle School (FMS). Entering her first year of high school, Lim chose to focus on her academics and didn’t join the school orchestra initially. However, once sophomore year rolled around, she decided to give it a shot.

“Though I wasn’t able to join the orchestra freshman year, I knew at some point I wanted to in order to develop my skills while playing with other people,” she said.

Despite her prior experience in violin, Lim faced some challenges joining AHS’ orchestra.

“I had problems with not feeling confident,” Lim said. “I had this teacher who taught well, but was strict and used teaching methods I wasn’t familiar with, so for a period of time I wasn’t very comfortable with playing violin.”

Ironically enough, Lim’s situation is also what helped her get over her insecurities. Compared to private lessons, playing violin in groups motivated Lim to practice more often, since she was frequently immersed into an environment where people played constantly. By doing so, she was eventually able to adapt to the unfamiliar conditions and improve from there.

From sophomore year to junior year, Lim managed to move up from Premiere to Concert, which further exemplified the improvement she made within a matter of months.

As for this year, Lim is mainly focused on brushing up the basics.

“I want to improve with sight reading and learn how to phrase while playing music,” Lim stated.

Lim’s whimsical journey with her violin can be an inspiration for many, revealing to students that in spite of whatever challenges that might come, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Photo courtesy of Angela Chen