JOSHUA Haines is one step closer to his dream of playing for the West Australian Symphony Orchestra after winning second prize in the national music competition run by the Australian Children’s Music Foundation.
Joshua’s original song ‘Rondo No. 1’ was second in the competition that attracted 12,500 entries.
Joshua’s prizes included $500 for himself and an extra $500 to go toward his school at Coodanup Community College.
Piano teacher Louise Helfgott said Josh had talent that now needed developing.
His love of piano starting at the age of seven when he heard Mozard.
It was the first music he started to play on the piano and he quickly developed a taste for Chopin as well.
Now 13, Joshua is taking his music talent in leaps and bounds as he creates original music at a rate of at least one a week.
“He just creates this music all the time,” Ms Helfgott said.
“Every lesson he has a new song, sometimes the whole lesson is taken up with him playing things he’d come up with.”
Joshua’s music teacher Miss Pritchard eventually ended up recording several of his songs so they wouldn’t be lost if he happened to forget them,
Ms Helfgott saw Joshua’s result on the website and was amazed he hadn’t been told yet.
“They didn’t even get in touch with him,” Ms Helfgott said.
“If I hadn’t seen on the internet he wouldn’t have known.”
For now Joshua will continue to learn the practical and theory sides to his piano playing, but he hopes in the near future go to the Perth Conservatorium to practice and refine his music.
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