PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS – A Plett youngster's angelic voice hit all the right notes during the Royal School of Music exams recently, leading to a score that very few manage to accomplish.
Fourteen-year-old Wittedrift High School learner Logan Olivier managed to not only obtain a distinction, but also a score of 140-plus (out of 150) in the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music Grade 7 exam.
"This is a very rare accomplishment, especially among young music students. We are very proud of Logan," says his music teacher, Martinet Nel.
She says that Grade 7 is the second highest grade one can achieve and Logan has already set his sights on the final Grade 8 exams, which he hopes to complete over the next year.
Logan completed the singing performance exam in the classical music syllabus.
Because of the global pandemic, the exam had to be submitted online. Logan had to perform four songs, all in one take. If he made a mistake, he had to do it all over again. "It is quite difficult singing to a camera and still needing to 'perform' as if you are performing for an audience," the youngster says.
But, Logan persevered and it paid off. Nel says this is one of the characteristics in Logan she admires, persevering even though it sometimes means missing out on other activities that he enjoys.
Often the avid mountain bike rider and hockey player has had to cut short practice for these activities to make it to a music lesson. "Even if he shows up in his sports clothes, fresh off the track or field, he never misses a lesson."
Nel also admires his humility. "Logan is a very humble young man. I always believe that as soon as a musician becomes over-confident, they start losing the magic. Logan has never let his success or talents go to his head."
Logan says he started taking music seriously when he started formal lessons with Nel at the age of eight. Since then he has also learned to play the guitar, ukulele, piano and drums - an instrument his grandfather plays.
Logan has performed in front of large crowds in the past. "I do get nervous, but I fall back on technique and then the nerves start to disappear," he says.
Logan enjoys not only the support of his music teacher, but also of his parents, Lizelle and Ollie.
His talent is not limited to music. He also loves art and hopes to study graphic design when he finishes school. "Music will however always be a part of me."
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