Piano Classes Count as Fun for Math Whiz

It’s a good thing Albert Chiou rested up this summer, because back-to-school for this 15-year-old entails more than the usual notebook-buying and last-minute summer-reading activities most students are currently engaged in.

Albert, a sophomore at El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, said he happily took a summer respite from his honors classes so he could tackle Franz Liszt’s challenging piano piece, “St. Francis Walking Over the Waves,” in preparation for the Los Angeles Liszt Competition in November.

Then there’s that advanced calculus class he just started at Pierce College. And all of this before he’s even strapped on a new fall backpack.

“Playing the piano is very relaxing for me,” the West Hills resident said of his diversion from academics. “All the other life distractions go away. I just get into the emotion of the piece I’m playing. I really love it.”

A music enthusiast who has studied piano for 11 years, Albert is also proficient on the violin. He has placed first in two prestigious local contests: the Southwestern Youth Music Festival’s Bach competition two years ago at Cal State Los Angeles and the Music Teachers Assn. of California’s Piano Concerto Competition earlier this year at Glendale Community College.

“Albert’s a very exceptional piano student,” said Carl Mapphes, his piano teacher. “He has a wonderful combination of intelligence and expression and passion in his playing. Technically he’s also grown a great deal. His development has been astounding.”

The same could be said of his academic career. After sitting in on algebra sessions with his father and older brother four years ago, the sixth-grader tested out of every math course at Portola Highly Gifted Magnet Center in Tarzana. As a result, he developed an independent study program to learn geometry and his subsequent middle-school math.

El Camino’s administration is permitting the straight-A student to attend Pierce College for advanced calculus, a class not offered at the high school.

“Sometimes I feel a little pressured with my work schedule, but not too much,” said Albert, an aspiring scientist. “It’s just that I’m interested in so many things. Whenever I do something, I feel I want to do it to my absolute best.”

EVENTS

Close Encounter: Like the explorers who set out 500 years before them, the fifth-graders at Gridley Street Elementary School in San Fernando have discovered San Salvador Island, and they are offering “boat trips” to the West Indies destination this morning. Culminating a study of the Spanish explorers, the students have converted their classes into a rain forest and an Explorers’ room, where visitors will “disembark” to attend “Encounter,” a show based on the popular Jane Yolen children’s book. [

PROGRAM NOTES

What’s Shakin’?: Students interested in seismology--the study of earthquakes--are invited to enroll in Kate Hutton’s Geology 120 class at Glendale Community College this fall. The Caltech scientist and manager of the Southern California Seismograph Network will discuss the causes and properties of earthquakes and explore ways to reduce the dangers posed by temblors. For registration information, call (818) 240-1000, Ext. 4111.

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