A slightly nervous but excited Arries McQuarter walked to the piano as students rushed the stage.
McQuarter had just sat through an outreach assembly at Kent-Meridian High School where classical pianist Alpin Hong performed for the student body.
Taking his seat at the piano, McQuarter knew trying to get Hong’s attention would be difficult as a mob of students surrounded the musician. So instead of raising his voice, McQuarter slowly raised his hands to the piano keys and began playing “One Final Effort” by Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori, the theme song from the video game Halo.
In that moment as McQuarter played the thrilling tune, Hong decided this precocious Kent-Meridian junior would not only join him on stage at his concert that night but also would be his new prodigy for years to come.
The story began in 2009, when Rhonda Billerbeck from the city of Kent booked Hong to participate in the city’s Spotlight Series, an opportunity for performers to showcase their skills and give back to the community. Hong, who believes “a good way to introduce classical music is to start with the popular music (kids) identify with,” became the perfect candidate to tour local schools.
“With students, it’s really about hooking them in somehow,” Hong said. “(So) I use Darth Vader to introduce Beethoven. I use Harry Potter to introduce Chopin (and) I use Super Mario Bros. to introduce Ragtime.”
Before Hong’s first performance at K-M, McQuarter – a skeptical, self-taught pianist – sat down in the audience, waiting to see what all the hype was. To his surprise, Mcquarter found a kindred spirit in Hong, someone who enjoys playing piano and video games just like him.
“(Arries) came up (after the show) and was like, ‘Oh my god, you’re a gamer and music lover,'” Hong said of his first conversation with Mcquarter. “(So) I gave him my Xbox gamer tag.”
From then on, Hong and McQuarter would virtually join forces, playing on the same Halo team every now and then for the next two years until Hong’s return for his second Spotlight Series performance. Only this time, McQuarter would blew the mind of the classically trained pianist.
“(Arries said), ‘I heard you’re coming back to Kent, (and) I’d love to play for you,'” Hong remembered. “He sits down (after the assembly), plays me all these classic video game themes, and he crushed it for me. I was jumping up and down because it was so good.”
Intent on sharing the stage, Hong asked McQuarter to join him in writing a piano duet composed of various video game themes.
“In the medley, I had something for all the people who are closest to me,” McQuarter said. “(I played a song from) Final Fantasy X, which made by older brother cry, a song from Final Fantasy VII for my (other) brother who couldn’t be there, Zelda for my friend Violet, Mario for my parents, and I played Halo for me.”
What made the performance special was that McQuarter kept the duet a secret from his family in order to surprise them the night of the concert.
“When they saw the second piano, they were angry at the fact that I didn’t tell them,” McQuarter said. “(But) they loved the performance.”
McQuarter lived out “a dream come true,” something that many believe only happens in movies. But according to Hong, “the movie isn’t done yet.”
Because Hong believes in the power of arts education, he’s agreed to mentor McQuarter, helping him choose the best university to attend and fine tune his piano skills.
“We need innovative minds to save the planet,” Hong said. “I always felt that on my way to the top, if you don’t bring other people up with you, you’ll be alone up there.”
Billerbeck, moved by the time and effort Hong is dedicating to helping McQuarter, wants Hong to come back next year for an even bigger event involving not only McQuarter but the school choir, orchestra and other musical groups as well.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time now,” Billerbeck said. “I always say that the educational outreach components are sometimes the most challenging to put together. But it’s always one of the most rewarding pieces of the program that we do. This was one of the most touching and exciting things I’ve ever seen.”
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COURTESY PHOTO BELOW: Arries McQuarter, with his mentor, classical pianist Alpin Hong.
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