Their Story Documentary: Riley Kernick | movie | 2023 | Official Featurette
An independent short film documentary directed by and starring high school students that focuses on life passions, music | dG1fTXVsUDI2RnNWYnM
Category
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Short filmTranscript
00:00 Music has always been a part of my life.
00:04 It's been very important in my family and now that I've grown older, it's become more of a part of my identity.
00:08 My name is Riley Kernick and this is my journey with music.
00:12 When me and my brother were growing up, my parents kind of forced us to go into music lessons
00:16 and I was playing drums and my brother was playing piano. I wanted to play a violin instrument,
00:20 something that was more manly and...
00:24 But after about two years, I made the switch to piano because I hated the drums.
00:28 It was just so boring and there was no way to practice here at home.
00:32 So when I made that switch to piano, it really kind of changed how much I really cared.
00:36 I've been doing piano ever since. It's been about seven years now.
00:40 One of my favourite memories of playing the piano was when...
00:44 It was probably in that first year, year and a half. It was right after the Muppets movie came out
00:48 and I loved the song "Rainbow Connection" and my piano teacher spent the time to write out a duet for the two of us.
00:52 The one person that really influences me and my music in a whole is...
00:56 Well, just one second...
01:00 Of course I'm talking about Elton John.
01:04 The dedication that he has for his music and for his own life really inspires the way that I play the piano.
01:08 I think that's the most important thing.
01:12 I think that's the most important thing.
01:16 I think that's the most important thing.
01:20 I think that's the most important thing.
01:24 From having a difficult childhood and not really having a future in music,
01:28 but then getting his scholarship and working in bands and in pubs
01:32 and then becoming the massive star that he is today,
01:36 really inspires and puts a dedication in my mind to work towards and work more on my music.
01:40 really inspires and puts a dedication in my mind to work towards and work more on my music.
01:44 And last year in September, I was able to actually see him in concert
01:48 And last year in September, I was able to actually see him in concert
01:52 in Toronto, and it was one of the most influential moments of my entire life
01:56 for music and just my own life in general.
02:00 Being able to see a 75-year-old man, after having a horrible life,
02:04 really stand on stage in front of like 50,000 people in the Rogers Centre
02:08 and perform a wicked show was just so cool.
02:12 My advice for anyone starting to play any instrument
02:16 or piano in particular would be to not give up
02:20 if you aren't succeeding how you think you should be,
02:24 because it can take a long time. It took me about four years to learn how to read sheet music
02:28 and I was going every single week and practicing all the time.
02:32 So it can be a long and dedicated process to actually get to a position
02:36 where you want to be.
02:40 The last kind of thing that I want to say is just remember, you're never too old to start something that you want to do.
02:44 Your dreams are your dreams and you should be able to accomplish them if you try hard enough.
02:48 Thank you for listening and I just hope everyone's able to
02:52 succeed in the things that they'd like to do. And as always, God bless America.
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