Lethbridge’s Isabelle Robinson has been playing the violin for more than half her life. She spends two hours a day honing her skill.
“Sometimes my fingers get sore,” she admitted.
The 11-year-old’s hard work has paid off. She has been awarded a regional gold medal from the Royal Conservatory of Music not once but twice.
The conservatory is one of the largest music education institutions in the world.
Robinson was part of the two per cent who score over 90 on her Level 6 exam.
“The Level 6 that Isabelle has earned – even though she was 10 and in Grade 5 at that time – it would be the equivalent of… doing Grade 10 math,” Lise Boutin, Robinson’s violin teacher, said.
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Boutin says it’s unusual to for kids Robinson’s age to be able to play as well as she does.
“Very few students have earned gold medals and as far as I remember… It’s quite an honour and it’s a special situation when one student wins not one but two gold medals in a row,” Boutin said.
Right now Robinson is learning songs and techniques at a university level.
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“Bow technique and finger technique is just a bit harder and the scales are higher octaves,” the 11-year-old explained.
She’s hoping these gold medals and practices will lead to a long and lengthy career.
“I want to play with some big orchestras,” she said, “and be a professional soloist.”