Sornthong Sornthong

Thai Classical Music Competition

This is the fifth year that the Luang Pradit Pairoh Foundation (Sorn Silapabaanleng) has organized the Thai classical music competition to promote development by primary and middle school level students.

In the past two years, the contest happened online but this year, 3 representative students from Concordian - Don (G5), Dol (G5) and Tiger (G7), had to perform their talent on the real stage. Of course, that was the first time that they had to show in front of 5 judges, with the last 30 competitors in the final round from all over the country and the audiences in the auditorium at Kasetsart University on January 14th and January 21st, 2023.

They all performed their best on the stage and finally Dol (G5) earned the third place in Sornthong Contest 2022-2023 in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti. It was a great success this year and they would like to share their experience from the contest with us.

Dol (G5)

Ranad (Thai Xylophone) is an instrument, but not just a regular instrument - it is a Thai instrument, an instrument that defines Thai culture. Recently on the 14th of January , I participated in the final round of a Ranad (Thai Xylophone) competition called “Sornthong” and it was one of the most memorable days in my life. That was not the start of the journey since when I was in 1st grade, I signed up for Thai instruments @SA with Kru A alongside many others. Since then, I have trained a lot and first entered the “Sornthong” competition when I was in 3rd grade, and surprisingly I got 9th place amongst the hundreds who entered. When I was in 4th grade, I trained harder with Kru A and I learned methods from other teachers too who also helped me throughout this. I got 5th place that year which I was really proud of and had the motivation to go on.

The following year, I practiced countless hours everyday to achieve a higher ranking, even though this year we had to do this live, which was an experience I have never had before. This year I even got 3rd place and made some friends there! All of this couldn’t be possible if not for Kru A and everyone else who helped me along this journey. I would also like to thank my parents for supporting me and motivating me to go on and Concordian for helping me and giving me support.

Don (G5)

I am very thankful to have played the Thai instrument “Ranad”. It gave me a lot of chances I never had. I feel very proud that I achieved something beyond my dreams. Sornthong is a huge competition and to have been able to reach such a high rank was beyond my imagination. I had practiced for over 7 months and going to the competition was extremely exciting. As it wasn’t taped and was live, my heart pounded very hard. I didn't know I would get a good rank, it was encouraging to be the only international student to go to the finals.

Even though I didn’t get 1st place, I have no regrets and know I will try harder next year, and make everyone proud. I am extremely grateful that Kru A invited me to play in the competition Sornthong, it gave me the experience to win and lose, it made me patient, and it improved my Ranad skills. I feel incredibly lucky to have a teacher and school as supportive as Kru A and Concordian and it has been an immense pleasure to learn under their guidance. I will learn from my mistakes and change them. Please cheer me on. Thank you.

Tiger (G7)

The Sornthong competition has been one of the greatest priorities of my life. But honestly, I’ve always had high hopes for myself because of just one win. This experience has been scary, but gave me a new perspective. Something I have appreciated the most in this competition is how easy I can make friends with other competitors. The stakes are extremely high, but since this is my first time competing in the real stage, I got to meet new people that have been here since they were my age. Most of them are in Grades 10 to 12, and I am just one of the few that are younger but have passed to the final round. It is almost inevitable to not talk to anyone in this competition, because you could literally sit next to the winner of the competition and you wouldn’t know it. Everyone supports each other, especially if you are a newcomer. If you play your song wrong, no one will criticize you.

I have made a few friends in this competition, and I told one of my friends to see each other next year, back in the finals. I would like to thank my Mom and Dad for always supporting me in every circumstance, and also every teacher that has taught me all of the skills that I know to this day. I feel extremely grateful for everyone that has supported me and I will try my best again next year.

The result of the contest is important but not more than what a risk-taker you are and how friendly you are with others. I truly believe that experiential learning is one of the best educators. This contest, of course, will bring you to be not only a good musician but also a good person in the future. We are so proud of you. Go Dragons !!!