THUNDER BAY -- Kayla Falkenholt has always loved music.
And it shows in the variety of instruments she can play from the piano, flute and pipe organ to the accordion, guitar and violin.
But it’s the harp that earned the 16-year-old a gold medal from the Royal Conservatory of Music, which she will be presented with Sunday in Toronto.
“This is one of the highest awards that the Royal Conservatory of Music gives out and I was so excited when I found out this was going to happen,” said Kayla.
Born in Edmonton and raised in Red Lake, Kayla now lives in Thunder Bay. She first started playing the harp four years ago after her music teacher in Red Lake, a fellow harpist, suggested she give it a try.
“One day she kind of just handed me a harp and said, ‘I think you’d make a good harpist. You can borrow this harp. Let’s start lessons,’” she said.
With experience playing so many instruments, picking up another one was fairly simple.
“All music is the same for every instrument. All the notes, all the rhythms, so you really just have to learn how to hold it and what the technique is,” she said.
In order to be awarded the gold medal in a category, a musician must score the highest mark in the practical exam in the province and a high mark on the theory exam. Kayla scored 89 per cent on her practical harp exam and 100 per cent on the theory exam.
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Kayla also plays with the Thunder Bay Youth Symphony Orchestra, including a side-by-side performance with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra on Feb. 5. She said playing in the TBYSO gives her orchestral experience, which is valuable experience in learning to play with other musicians.
While music, specifically the harp, can lead to a variety of careers, it’s firstly another form of expression for Kayla.
“It’s a way I can say what I feel,” she said.
And the harp is fun because it’s different and elicits reactions of surprise.
“You can play anything you want and people are usually impressed,” said Kayla, adding she hopes to attend Lakehead University’s music program in the future.
To see her daughter succeed gives Diane Falkenholt a great feeling.
“I’m very proud of her. She’s using the gifts that she’s been given and I couldn’t ask for more.”
Music is also a part of the Falkenholt family and it’s no surprise that Kayla has such a diverse repertoire of instruments she plays.
“It’s what we do. It’s like brushing our teeth or putting our socks on,” she said.
