SOTM: Chenyu Yi

As winter approaches, Arcadia High School’s dedicated orchestra students are still hard at work, preparing for the semester’s final concert. Among them is a student who is “willing to help others” and “dedicated to orchestra with a positive attitude.” Please congratulate Chenyu Yi, Symphony Orchestra violinist and activity leader, for being the November Student of the Month!

Chenyu started his violin journey in seventh grade, although he didn’t initially consider it as a hobby. In fact, he states that he was “bound by the stereotypical boredom of classical music,” something he still experiences today. In spite of this, “the high register tone and sound that the violin can produce” motivated him to pursue it further. Since then, Chenyu has been an active participant in both violin and orchestra. 

After only a few years, Chenyu was able to achieve level 7 of the Certificate of Merit tests for the violin. Although this achievement is certainly impressive, the repertoire began feeling repetitive to Chenyu, and he decided to see it as something more than a tool to pass assessments; he decided to use it to lift the spirits of everyone around him.

“I realized playing an instrument wasn’t solely for passing exams,” explained Chenyu, “but seeing it as a tool that brings joy to myself and people around.”

In his free time, Chenyu likes hanging out with his friends and “fixing [his] irregular sleep schedule.” He also has an interest in engineering and architectural design. 

According to Chenyu, his favorite part about being in orchestra is “making new friends and playing in the concerts,” something he has enjoyed for all four years of his time at Arcadia High School.

Although Chenyu is excited for college life, he still looks forward to concerts and spending time with his peers in orchestra. Even as his time at Arcadia High School draws to a close, Chenyu still plans on playing violin in the future. 

“To me, playing the violin became more like a habit than a hobby…which I will definitely carry into the future,” said Chenyu. 

For Chenyu, orchestra has been a fulfilling and memorable experience. Most of all, he is “grateful for everything [he] experienced” in the orchestra program.