Hello Everyone,
My name is Venus Elektra Hinds and I am a Year 8 student as of September 2024. I am a Grade 3 flute player and today I would like to share my musical journey with you.
I am visually impaired due to having discovered a tumour behind my right eye which is in-between the front of my brain and the back of my eye that blocks my vision. I had to have two years of chemotherapy at Royal Marsden and Royal Alexander hospitals. Everywhere where I do my activities, they all give me lots of support to help me with this. At school I have access to an iPad and during school lessons and music lessons, I have all my music enlarged to a size that I can see comfortably.
How It All Began.
When I was younger, I used to play the piano but had to stop because my teacher left and at the time we didn’t know anyone else. A few years went by and I wasn’t playing any instruments …until… when I was in Year 5, Christina (my now flute teacher) came into my school and showed us a few instruments that would be available to learn. It was there and then that I saw the flute and knew it was for me because I didn’t want to be someone who couldn’t play an instrument. I started on something called the fife, which is like a mini-flute, but in my opinion much harder to play. After that I moved on to a rented, round neck flute to help me when holding it. Once my teacher felt that I was getting good with that I was moved to a proper flute, but we still rented it. Then June last year, I went to ‘Just Flutes’ to get my own flute.
What Are Some Things I’ve Done with the Flute?
I have been to Summer Music School at Saint Andrews Prep. School in Meads, Eastbourne two years out of the last three. I have also entered the Rotary Club Young Musician of the Year competition two years running. Then last but not least, I have performed locally, like to my neighbours and family. I have now been playing the flute for just under three years and can’t wait to see where it takes me.
How Did I Start the Piano Again?
It all began when I started to take a liking for the instrument again, I had one in my house so I tended to play little tunes on it. The way I really got to play though was when I was taking my Grade 2 in December on the flute, the person who accompanied my pieces was actually a piano teacher. We had a few rehearsals with her and once I found out she taught people I asked to have piano lessons. Fast forward to March this year, I started and no one could get me off the piano, I was stuck like glue (which I still am) lucky for me, my piano teacher only lives a three-minute walk away, like literally, I timed it.
How Did You Come Up with Your Composition ‘Rise of the Scorpion’?
This one is a bit of an unusual one. So, one day I had a piano piece I was supposed to learn, it was the same rhythm and the beginning of my composition. At the time I was still learning base clef because flute is only treble clef and the main melody in that piece was on the left hand. That’s the catch, I was supposed to start the tune on a C, but I read it as an E at the time. When I was playing it, I couldn’t stop thinking about how nice of a tune it was and how it would be great to make a piece with it but I was scared of copyright. The day I found out that I was playing it on the wrong note was one of the best days of my life because I knew I could then use that and make a piece. Most of the piece just came to me but other parts came from other music which I felt inspired by. My piece has come along so far now and since I played it at the Young Musician competition, I have already added so much more depth to it as more ideas have come to me.
How Did You Come Up with the Name?
I am a Scorpio star sign and I really felt the piece should be related to that. It took a very long time coming up with the name. I mean originally, my Mum suggested ’Dance of the Scorpion’. I thought that was too sweet though and didn’t sound anywhere near as mysterious and dramatic as I intended. I had to ask myself many times, ‘What is the piece about?’ Then one day when I was washing my face, I asked myself that question and that’s when the name came to me, just like that. I then went running to my dad jumping up and down about the new name I came up with. I was practically screaming with joy.
What Do You Plan to Do with This Piece?
I plan to make more sections to it and give each one more depth before getting it out into the world and making it a well-known piece all over for everyone to play.
Why Do You Want to Play Musical Instruments?
Well for starters my mum plays the flute … but the main reason is because I know so many people who wanted to play an instrument or more when they were younger but never got the chance or had to give up for whatever reason, or maybe quit because they found it boring or too hard. Maybe they didn’t have the right teacher or weren’t in the right mindset at the time to be ready to deal with the pressure of learning. I don’t want to be like that though and have that regret weigh me down every day so I thought, ‘You know what, just go for it and play anything you want’. So, I did and it has led me to incredible things.
What’s Your Message to Everyone Out There Who Wants to Play an Instrument?
I would say to just go for it and follow your dreams because it’s never too late and you don’t want to regret it.
Do You Have Any More Musical Talents?
I can sing and rap. I go to a singing and dancing group called RAD (Rhapsody Artist Development). It’s on Friday nights and is based in Seaford. Everyone there is really friendly and they’re like a second family to me. We do many performances each year to help encourage young people like myself to develop their musical talent. Each rehearsal consists of a warm up, practising our songs for the next performance, a break and then another practise. They have different groups for different age ranges which is nice. At the end, all the instructors give out a point to someone who they think did well during that rehearsal, the person with the most points at the end of the year will get a prize. It really pushes us to do our best. I would highly recommend joining.
Thank you so much for reading everyone,
Thousands of Wishes.
Venus Elektra Hinds 🎶💫
Celebrating Seaford 