Hannah Ferrill

Mr. Carioto
Band (7)
28 November 2009

Yo Yo Ma was born in Paris. He began studying the cello when he

was four years old with his father. He gave his first recital when he was
only five years old. He later moved to New York where he lived most of
his life. He then made his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of nine. Later
in his life he went to Juiliard School where he studied Leonard Rose and
Janos Scholz. Then he graduated from Harvard University with a
degree in humanities. Soon after his graduation, he started his
professional carrier.
He was awarded the Avery Fisher Prize and later in 1991 Harvard
awarded him an honorary doctorate in music. Ma became known for
his performances and recordings. He started frequently performing in a
trio with pianist Emanuel Ax and violinist Young-Uck Kim. Ma and Ax
received great acclaims with their recordings of Ludwig van Beethoven
and Johannes Brahms.
Mr. Ma was a cellist, and as you know cello music is limited, so
he decided to start writing his own music. He had won 14 Grammy
Awards and has recorded more than 75 albums. His music is mostly
classical but he has done other styles. Some of his other styles include
country and children’s albums. Then, in 2000, he worked on a
soundtrack with a Chinese composer of the film “Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon”. The film won the Academy Award for Best Original
score.
Yo Yo Ma, in 2001, founded the “Silk Road Project”. It studies the
cultural, artistic, and intellectual traditions along Marco Polo’s ancient
Silk Road. The Silk Road was a set of long trading routes that
connected Europe and Asia. When Mr. Ma founded the “Silk Road
Project” he hoped to connect the musical cultures of the United States
of America, Europe, and Asia. Mr. Ma wanted to show how music and
cultures from these different parts of the world can mix, unite, and
influence each other.
Yo Yo Ma and his wife Jill have two children named Nicholas and
Emily. Mr. Ma plays two very old cellos, a Davidoff Stardivarius and a
Montagnana. The Montagnana was made in Venice in 173. The
Davidoff Stardivarius was made in 1712 and once belonged to another
famous cellist named Jacqueline du Pre.
“Songs of Joy and Peace” is Yo Yo Ma’s latest album. He invited
many of his favorite artist from around the world, artists of different
styles of music. He used “Songs of Joy and Peace” to give new life to
his music. He wanted his listeners to experience the idea of combining
familiar material with songs that would offer the listener the gift of
discovery performed by old and new artists. It celebrates things like
hope, dream, and universal good cheer. It also celebrates all the
different holidays in the winter time such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Eid,
Kwanzaa, Yuletide, Winter Solatice, New Years, and Ramadan.
Yo Yo Ma was appointed by President Obama to serve on the
President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. The President’s
Committee on the Arts and Humanities focuses on arts and humanities
education and cultural diplomacy. Mary Schimdt Campbell was
appointed as Vice Chair of the committee. George Stevens, Jr. And
Margo Lion were also appointed to serve as Co-Chairs.

Whenever Yo Yo Ma plays some of his music, he tries to find

connections that stimulate the imagination. Mr. Ma is always searching
for new ways to communicate with audiences. He is an outstanding
performer and will always be.
Yo Yo Ma’s music relates to the music scene today in a lot of different
ways. His music is beautiful and gives you magical thoughts. He keeps
the music today classic. Without music like his everything would be rap
or hip hop by now. Sometimes they even blend classical music such as
Yo Yo Ma’s with newer versions of music. Yo Yo Ma also touches the
hearts of young new musicians. “Often, I meet young people getting
really involved in music early. You know, the child-prodigy syndrome.
Based on my own experience, I tell these kids and their parents:
‘Remember that what you do between the ages of, say, 12 and 21 is
creating your emotional bank account. You’ll be withdrawing from that
account the rest of your life, so make sure you put in stuff that really
counts. If you do nothing but tour during those years, if you are center
stage from concert hall to hotel to limo rides to the airport, that is what
you will be withdrawing from because that is all you’ll know.” These
were words straight from Yo Yo Ma’s mouth during an interview. He
helps people understand that music is not a job of his, but a passion.
He understands that everyone wants to be able to play an instrument
and make beautiful music and that some people don’t, and are gifted
in other areas. Yo Yo Ma’s music is very soothing and wonderful to
listen to. It fills your heart with joy and peace. This is how Yo Yo Ma
influences the music scene today. He shows how wonderful music can
be and how magical the experience is to hear it.
In my opinion, Yo Yo Ma is a great performer. He understands
music in ways others do not. Although Yo Yo Ma is gifted in music but
he was not a child prodigy. He lost many competitions when he was
younger and did not become good until he was older. He worked to be
as good as he is today. This is why Yo Yo Ma inspires me to work hard.
He teaches me discipline and that nothing is just handed to you. While
I was researching about Yo Yo Ma’s life it showed me how good of a
person he is. It showed me what moral values he had and what ethics
he went by.
Yo Yo Ma was a great man. He has worked hard throughout his
entire life to be where he is today. I respect Yo Yo Ma a lot for this and
will look up to him as a role model. Yo Yo Ma really inspires people that
you can do anything you want to as long as you give it your best effort.
Yo Yo Ma is an amazing person and I can only hope that one day I will
be like him.