Ms. Chika Tokunaga and Ms. Urara Yamaguchi in the Program in Music Culture Education, School of Education, have received a prize respectively at music competitions.

This music competition is regarded as one of the most difficult competitions in Japan, comprising of 3 stages; Regional Qualifying, Regional Final, and the Final. At the Final held at Hikifune Culture Center in Tokyo, Ms. Tokunaga was placed 5th in the category of Piano in the university female students group.

Having been participating in this Competition since in High School, this was the first time for Ms. Tokunaga to get into the Final. She said, “The performance levels of participants were high so I got very nervous. I would like to improve my piano skills while in University.”

In this competition which attracts a large number of participants every year, Ms. Yamaguchi was placed 2nd in the category of free-choice piece, piano duo, Group D in the Final held at the Iris Hall, Katsushika Symphony Hills in Tokyo. She paired with a second-year Ehime University student and they have gotten into the Final after competing in the regional qualifying and the regional final.

Ms. Yamaguchi participated in the competition pairing with her friend who has been also learning the piano from the same teacher since in Elementary School. According to Ms. Yamaguchi, the duo had difficulty in taking time to practice together because they go to different universities located far apart. However, she also said, “I think our performance of enjoying ourselves playing together was recognized well.”

Ms. Yamaguchi is willing to take part in the competition again in the future.