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‘No, You Can’t Play This’

By Ayako Pederson

UGA Undergraduate Student

"In this recording, I am performing a passage from the first movement of Kodaly's Duo for Violin and Cello with my friend. Both of us wanted to play this piece for our recital, but our teachers advised us against it because it is notoriously hard. We have had many struggles and self-doubts about our ability to perform it, and there have been moments where we have both wanted to quit. However, we kept working together and building each other's confidence to a point where we were proud of our accomplishments. While it is not perfect, we have both learned about how we can collaborate and work together in order to create a stunning performance, and we have also learned to ignore what others may say about our ability and to trust in ourselves."