走进王府|漂洋过海，音乐为伴

关于作者
John Esparza, 16岁，来自美国北卡罗来纳州罗利。自6岁起开始学习打击乐，后学习马林巴演奏。现为北京王府学校高一年级的交换生，交换项目为期一年。在天赋与才能音乐工作室提供的各类音乐课程中，他选择AP乐理以及作曲课，并参加了学校乐队担任鼓手。

▲高一年级交换生John Esparza

Nearly three months ago, I was just leaving PEK in a van on my way to Beijing Royal School.I just found myself looking out the window at this city that was completely new to me.

大约三月前，我坐上驶向北京王府学校的车，透过车窗我看到一个完全崭新的世界。

Everything at BRS was rather standard except I was struggling to find where and when I could play music. I was very excited with my music theory class, I went to the music composition interest class and also met a band member there, but still nowhere where I could play any instrument besides a piano.Thankfully that all changed when I found a drum set and a djembe in the band rehearsal room.

我很快适应了在王府学校的学习生活，唯独不知道在哪或者在什么时间可以继续我的音乐学习。后来我非常兴奋的选择了音乐理论课以及作曲校本课，也在那里认识了学校乐队的伙伴们。很庆幸的在钢琴之外，我在乐队排练室里找到了架子鼓以及非洲鼓，得以让我练习。

▲排练室中布满复杂的电子音乐设备器材

The next day I met my new band mates at lunch time, I had no idea what was actually coming. Before this I had never really been in a band and I wish I did because it was nothing short of amazing. It was the first time I was really making music with people, I had done some of that before, but nothing as much as this. Whenever I played with them I felt like home, but it was a different home, it was a new home. The band was a huge leap forward for me here. With the band I had become much more comfortable here. The band acted like a doorway where I felt like it was so much easier to accept this place as my new home. This place is my new home, I have to realize that, I know no matter what, this place is my home, whether I like it or not, but with the band and its members I was much more at ease with acceptingmy new home. I love all the people in the band, they have helped more than I can explain.

第二天我和新认识的乐队小伙伴们一起吃午饭，当时完全不知道接下来迎接我的是什么。尽管我觉得玩乐队是一件超级炫酷的事情，可实际上，我从来没有参加过。而参加乐队，让我可以与其他人一起演奏音乐，这种体验是前所未有的。当我与他们一起排练表演的时候，我感受到了家的温暖，可却又与真正的家有所不同，我有了一个新家。乐队是我在学校的动力，它让我逐渐觉得自己更适应了新的环境。无论我喜欢与否，这里就是我的新家，我别无选择，但是有了乐队以及伙伴的陪伴，我越来越接受我的新家，他们对我的帮助真的难以用语言形容。

▲John与小伙伴们每天都会来到乐队排练室排练，相互沟通，共同创造美好的音乐

Of course my bandmates aren’t the only ones I can accredit my well-being to here. Of course I would be nowhere without my teachers. All of my teachers are great here. In America there were always one or two teachers that I never liked or couldn’t agree with them on almost anything. Here is much different, all the teachers here I really enjoy learning from them, and they all seem to be extremely knowledgeable and are each truly masters in their own field. However I feel like the biggest difference is that I feel like I’m friends with all my teachers. This sounds lame because usually teachers are just lame old people who are annoying but that cannot be said about any of my teachers here. It amazes not just me but all of us foreign students.

当然让我迅速适应环境的不仅仅是乐队的朋友们，还有我的那些老师们。这里所有的老师都非常棒。在美国的时候有那么一两个老师我永远无法认同他们的观点，在这大有不同。我享受和每一位老师学习的过程，他们一个个都知识渊博并且在自己的学术领域都非常出色。我最大的感受就是我感觉所有的老师都是我的朋友。这可能听起来有点不太实际，因为通常来说老师年长又很烦人，可是这里的老师却不同，我们这些留学生也认同我的观点。

Music has always been a huge aspect of my life and I hope that it can one day be a career musician. I love music so much and I’m so grateful for the music courses and activities that BRS provides. Music theory is great because it teaches me so much with music structure. I use this knowledge so much in all of the musical connections in my life.

音乐一直是我最大的爱好并且我希望未来有一天可以将音乐作为我的事业。我非常感谢王府学校为我们提供的音乐课程及活动。乐理课对我帮助很大因为它教会我音乐的结构，我可以将课上学到的一切知识运用到日常的音乐活动中。

▲有了音乐的陪伴，即使远在他乡也并不孤单

In conclusion, there are so many more things that I can say about these past three months. You will realize that different countries are not different worlds.I know that many of my classmates plan on attending a foreign university for their future studies.If you ever plan to go somewhere far away, make sure you make friends, make sure to provide your own sense of home wherever you go, but most importantly don’t put what you love to do on pause, especially if you are young and learning like me.

总之，过去的三个月发生了太多太多的事情。你会发现不同的国家之间其实并没有太多的不同。我知道我很多的同学在未来会到国外的大学学习。如果你像我一样年轻又好学，并决定要到很远的地方去看看，那就把那个远方当做你的新家，但是更重要的是，永远不要放弃你的所爱，坚持走下去。

（文|John Esparza  翻译|陈雅函  图|毛小龙）