When Reynold Yang first picked up a clarinet at 7 he thought it would be nothing more than a pastime.
But eight years on, the Pinehurst College student has lined up the opportunity of a lifetime and has been accepted into London’s prestigious Royal College of Music.
“I just fell in love with the clarinet,” Yang told Focus. “It sounded really nice and it also looked amazing.
“I thought it would be my hobby, but it was my mum who kept me going.”
Yang first set his sights on the college last year while training with some of the top master musicians in Europe.
His application, however, needed to meet university criteria, leaving the year 11 student just five months to complete his academic prerequisite.
“It was very clear what he needed to be able to achieve, what requirements he needed so we worked back from that to put together an academic programme that would enable him to get to where he wanted to go,” Pinehurst College deputy principal Chris Wiggin said.
“I had a schedule of when to do what, so after my practice, I would schedule my study, for example, an hour I will do this, and the next hour I would do that,” Yang explained.
He not only passed what he needed but was also awarded a Cambridge Academic of High Achievement in Global Perspectives and Research.
“Mr Wiggin and the school and all of the staff supported me,” Yang said. “It was really helpful and they made the journey easy for me.”
The school claims Yang will be the youngest student in the world to be accepted into the Royal College of Music.
But Yang is not the first student to represent Pinehurst on the world stage.
Pro golfer Lydia Ko finished her senior years with the college via correspondence while on the LPGA tour.
Wiggin said there are similarities in the way they structured both students’ academic programmes.
“We sort of combine a high level of education with sport or with music,” Wiggin said. “It’s certainly much more relaxed than than other other places.
“I think there’s a high, high trust level and I think we get more out of the students because of that.”
Yang will depart for London mid-way through this year where he’ll start the first of four years studying.
“I want to become a soloist and also a conductor,” Yang said. “So that would be my goal.
“I just want to enhance my skills and keep playing.”
The 19-year-old was in the first of many surgeries, her mum said.