Seungju Jeong

UWP 1Y

Professor Zugnoni

Living Picture Narrative

Sincere love for music

The first and foremost rule of my house was to fill every silence with little pieces

of composition by classical music, ever since I was five years old. My house was full of

my parents musical instruments and equipment: A Long -playing (LP) record player, a

giant wooden speaker and old wall-hanging CD players. The wooden speaker in my

living room used to play some of Joseph Haydns in the morning, and some jazz pianos

by George Gershwin in the evening. From childhood to present, my parents sincere love

for music had led me to be familiar with instrumental melodies and to hum and sing to

them. Music has never left my side, but has shined my every single moment. My one and

only love, music, is so powerful that it still makes me flutter by just thinking of it.

Besides just loving it, I found my passion to never lose what I love and effort for

whatever I will take to protect my lover.

 *Speakers always playing music in my house, which naturally led me to the world

of music. (Copyright: Best Home Theater, https://besthometheater-system.com/how-to-

use-home-theater-speakers-for-tv/how-to-use-home-theater-speakers-for-tv-5/)

Since childhood, my morning would always start with my moms yelling waking

me up. I naturally woke up when I heard the vigorous violins string sound. While I had

breakfast, brushed my teeth and wore clothes, the speaker was never turned off in my

morning routine. My parents enjoyed talking about their music choice and appreciating

the beauty of violins with their professional college major knowledge in vocals and string

instruments. When my mom does house chores after breakfast singing and humming, it

was like one piece of musical for me. When she was sad and depressed, she took me to a

piano room, played a gloomy and blue song and sang with her eyes closed. I felt like each

set of music note were coming towards me and talking to me. On the summer night of

weekend of our familys rustic trip, I could smell the lonely stars and enjoy the romantic

darkness hearing my dads viola and guitar play. Growing up with musicians, my entire

childhood and teenage life were always with melodies and sounds of endless background
music. I respected every music created by artists hand and throat as same as the way my

parents did. As a result of years of my parents influence, music gradually pervaded in my

life and became my biggest best friend. I, then, started to musically respond to what I

hear and perform with my voice.

I found that I had talent in practical singing more than my peers when I played a

main vocal role in singing All I want for Christmas is you by Mariah Carey at an

elementary school play. During our rehearsal time, I mimicked the vibrations Carey made

and added scat in the instrument playing part. I just followed the sound that came out of

my throat, the sound where my voice took me. The staff and teachers eyes became

bigger and they started to talk to each other. My friends did not really care or surprise by

my singing because they were busy doing their parts. However, all the adults were in

shock and gave standing ovation to me. One of the stage producers took me to the center

of the stage and assigned majority part and solo part with a single bright spotlight on me.

I loved that spotlight. I loved when there were only silence in the middle of the song and

people wait for my solo part to beautifully break the silence. Starting by being the main

character on school play, I was ready for future encounter with my new life.
 *I enjoyed singing in the center at elementary school and loved following my

voice. (Photo taken by my parents)

As I grew up, I became to spend more time on singing and composing. My

interests were always listening to music, studying musical terms and history and singing

alone or with my friends. After school, I would gather with music club friends and just

enjoy singing to the melody that we invented. We liked to listen to others and also liked

to sing together building harmonies. I was introduced in new and different type of

enjoying music and sharing feeling than doing a solo part at a school play. Due to

students who already knew me from my elementary school, my singing earned more

recognition from more people.

Then one day, when I turned to 16 years old, Korea was all about popular TV

program, Superstar K, the largest vocal audition. I could watch a number of ordinary

teenagers and students like me escaping out of their room and taking steps towards their

dream. There were also vocal professionals and Entertainment Company to help the

applicants develop their ability. I always had a dream to succeed in music and get

recognized. Without hesitation, I applied as a middle school student and sent my voice
record of Hurt by Christina Aguilera. As soon as I entered the audition auditorium, I

could see bunch of people just sitting on the floor without chair and singing loudly. Each

peoples singing sound was combined, so it was very loud and difficult to hear my own

voice. At the third steps of audition, I was required to do collaboration with assigned

peers. I was not flustered because the collaboration was what I had been doing with my

friends. I decided to do Mercy by Duffy, which I thought it would be extraordinary to

create harmony on. I enjoyed building melody on their melodies and share the feeling as

looking into my competitors eyes. From the collaboration audition, I was picked for

passed one among three peers. As I passed few steps unlike my expectation, I was thrilled

and excited. This time, I felt like really stepping forward to succeed in music field!

*When I passed the first step in vocal audition Superstar K, I was excited to be with
thousands of people to show my singing. (Copyright: Superstar K,
http://superstark.mnet.com/)

My joy, however, could not last longer. My parents always knew that I was good

at singing, but had no clue about how passionate I was about it and how many years I had

been studying on it. I got accepted few more steps on Superstar K and the audition started

to take away my time more such as camp training. Therefore, my parents finally found

out that singing and going for audition were not just hobby for fun, but more like serious
dream. Unlike how my parents had raised me in musical environment, they strongly said

No to any music activities I was involved in. Since they were in the music field, they

knew how difficult it was to get a job in music industry and stably earn money in Korea.

They didnt want me to have an unsure and unstable future as a singer. They knew it was

a hungry path. She stopped me from going on the next auditions on Superstar K. She

specifically told me that I would not go to art school or any music field. It was hurtful

because of the fact that I could no longer continue singing. She, then, called my dad to

make sure that I should focus on studying rather than wasting my time on singing. All the

achievements I had made were stopped and trashed like they were nothing. I was

devastated. Everything I loved was gone that day.

After few days of frustration, I realized that I should turn this tragedy to a task I

need to break. Therefore, I went to Orange Recording Studio I found on the Internet, an

hour away from my high school. I decided to record a song in a private studio to present

to my parents like portfolio. Since my mom was a professional singer, I concentrated on

my technique and skill on my vocal. I repeated the same line over and over until I was

satisfied. It took a day to record a four-minutes of song. With the delicate edit from the

engineers and trainers, a CD came out in few minutes and was ready to give to my

parents. Additionally, I contacted my vice principal to ask for permission to sing for a

gala show and at graduation. On the Gala show day, I gave my CD to my parents first,

and shared my stage with student orchestra. I looked my mom and dad straight into their

eyes as if I was communicating with them. Many parents from the gala praised my

parents and me after the show, and my parents came to me with a comment, I was
impressed by your melody. However, I still needed to make sure that they could trust my

ability even more.

*I was exhausted repeating the same line over and over to perfectly create my

own recording. (Photo taken by a staff from Orange Recording Studio)

For the high school graduation celebration song, I practiced and practiced.

Sometimes I would repeat just three syllables for one hour because I thought I couldnt

control the period of breath and emotion, which should be expressed through only three

syllables. I had never truly worried and strived for something before. No one asked me to

do this. I pushed myself to lead this project by knocking on vice principals door to

change my parents minds. High school graduation meant more than that of any other

because it was the last time I could stay with my parents in Korea before I took off to the

U.S. They also had to be ready to let me go to another country for years, so they were
very emotionally sensitive at that time. I sang a country song, Bridge Over the Troubled

Water by Simon and Garfunkle in RnB version.

Sail on, silver girl, sail on by your time has come to shine.

All your dreams are on their way.

See how they shine.

They finally cried when I showed the last stage to my parents at the graduation. My mom

asked me, Do you think you can be happy if you go on to music career? My answer

was, It has been my everything. This was the moment that I could never forget without

tears: my parents accepted what I want to do.

 *I cried after my stage with puffy eyes, so the teachers and staff put me back on

the stage to say thank you for my parents. (Photo taken by my parents)

I hated my parents for stopping my way, for denying my identities and for

destroying what I had accomplished. I was jealous of my friends who were trained with

vocal trainers. Sometimes I just wanted to give up music activity and focus on academics.

However, every time I became weak and wanted to give up, my parents became my

strongest motivation to get up again. The motivation encouraged me to strive harder.

Whilst I prepared to prove to my parents in various ways, I became to have more

powerful enthusiasm towards music than when there was only love towards music for me

before. The conflict strengthened me and I grew more passionate towards what I do. I
could be able to think outside of box and come up with a clearer future plan. Without this

struggle and objection of my parents, these outcomes would have not been produced.

I can never forget those glorious moments when I tried my best for years to get

approved by my parents. The obstacles that I had struggled with under tremendous stress

and pressure developed me as a more mature musician. The moment when my parents

finally accepted me as one young musician is what reminds me and makes me feel alive.

My sincere love for music and hope to persuade my parents worked. To respect these

moments, I got myself a tattoo on my arm near the elbow that says sincere.

* Tattoo that I gave myself to remind me the time I realize the true and sincere love

towards music. (Photo taken by Seungju Jeong, myself)

I could have followed my heart and done whatever I wanted to do regardless of

what my parents told me. However, to get accepted what I love the most from whom I
love the most was that I wanted to achieve other than just doing music. I wanted my life

to be as meaningful as it could be. Their resists pushed me to be more independent person

who can actively search the ways and prepare to achieve my parents permission. I

learned how to turn my worst tragedy to a task assigned for me to solve. One strong goal

taught me how enthusiastic and constant I had to be before making important choices.

With the help and guide of my parents classic knowledge, I was able to re-debut to my

music crew. Now my parents are the greatest supporters and I am happier than ever.