To some, music is something that plays in the background of their lives. To Senior Eliot Arolovitch, it is a commitment and a passion that has totaled numerous hours of piano practice across his career.
Arolovitch has played the piano for over 13 years, starting at age five with a push from his mother. He has spent high school balancing singing in multiple school choir groups with outside practice, which can last from 3-9 p.m. Arlovitch’s commitment to the piano allows him to continue to grow in his skill and express himself through his music.
According to Arolovitch, practice fueled his progress, but he relied on motivation and self-confidence to get through the six-hour piano sessions every day after school.
“I always lacked a lot of self-belief because music is a very competitive field,” Arolovich said. “Only a few years ago, I got my first piano competition win, and that was something that really turned around the way I saw my practice. I started taking it a lot more seriously.”
Arolovitch said that it can be hard to balance music with school work, but it is also something that has helped him grow as a person.
“It helped me have a portal outside of everyday life. I think that it was something like a refuge that I could really turn to when things got tough,” Arolovitch said. “Right now, it’s something that’s really shaping how I view the world. Music and art, generally, are very intertwined with the world. They both define each other.”
Senior Zac Roffman, a close friend of Arolovitch and a fellow piano player, said that he admires Arolovitch’s ability to play quick and difficult pieces with such precision.
“I’ve heard him play a lot of times, and what stands out to me every time is how much control he has and just how fast he’s able to play,” Roffman said. “He’s just really, really good at it, there’s no other way to say it.”
Dr. Michael Driscoll, a choir teacher at the high school who taught Arolovitch for his first three years of high school, said he has a lot of technical skills that help with piano, such as finger dexterity.
“[Arolovitch] has just a natural instinct for music. He’s a very strong piano player and a very good reader, too. He certainly ranks among the top pianists that I’ve had,” Driscoll said.
Arolovitch acknowledged that in performance, musicians can often struggle with stage fright and self-confidence. According to Driscoll, however, Arolovitch has always been ready to go, no matter the situation.
“He’s always had a good stage presence. He’s always appeared confident, whether he was or not in reality, but he always gives the impression of being confident and a competent musician and pianist,” Driscoll said.
Roffman said Arolovitch is not only a talented musician, but also a good student and friend. He said Arolovitch makes time for his friends even with his six-hour practice days.
“He definitely has to choose at times whether or not to prioritize school over piano, and I think he does a good job of recognizing which one is more important in a given situation,” Roffman said.
Roffman said that when Arolovitch plays, he plays professionally and grounds himself in the moment.
“We’ve played for each other and played for teachers, and I’ve seen videos of him performing as well, and he’s definitely very professional,” Roffman said. “He doesn’t mess around; he just does what he needs to do and does it well.”
