In just a few weeks, Yebin Yoo will make the move from Melbourne to Boston, where she will be studying at the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music.
The teenage musician has already garnered a reputation as a disciplined and gifted performer, but the role of being a professional violinist is not something Yebin takes lightly.
“I push myself to learn pieces very quickly. My teacher said I’m one of the fastest when it comes to memorising, he thinks I have a great attention span,” she said.
“But that is the nature of being a musician. My profession is one where it’s very high pressure, and you have to be at your highest attention.”
The pieces Yebin memorises for concerts are usually around 50 minutes long - but it’s the lead up to the concert that can be the most taxing on the young musician.
“I had to give up, or pause, my social life in the last year"
“I normally practice five to six hours a day, but in the lead up to concerts, it can be eight hours,” she said. “It’s normally in three to four hour blocks.”
While Yebin prepares for her move to the US, she finally has some downtime to practice and rest.
But it was last year, as she balanced her final year of school with her responsibilities as a performer that Yebin’s attention span was put to the test.
Yebin Yoo. Source: Saber Baluch
“When I was in school, I would practice from 4pm to 9pm, and do my homework from 9pm to midnight,” Yebin said.
“It was very taxing – being in year 12, it was very busy, and I was constantly going against my limits.”
The job of a professional violinist also comes with personal sacrifices – making Yebin’s life very different to most teenagers.
“I had to give up, or pause, my social life in the last year or so – there was just so much to do, and there was no time for it,” she said.
“Whenever I finish a big concert, I do catch up with the outer world.”
As Yebin prepares to take the next big step in her burgeoning music career, she knows her brain - and its remarkable knack for concentration - will play an increasingly important role in her career.
“I am interested in that area, the psychological aspects of attention, and how people improve it,” she said.
“I feel my attention span will get better, but at a point, it will start to decrease with age.”
