因为热爱，所以坚持
2022年的夏天，对于谷润心和谷润天姐弟来说，既紧张忙碌，又收获满满。
谷润心 谷润天在第四届中白“丝绸之路”国际青少年艺术大赛荣获四手联弹一等奖
姐姐谷润心和弟弟谷润天小的时候大部分时间在美国东海岸生活，但每到逢年过节暑假寒假，都会回到北京和长辈、朋友团聚。2022年9月，全家搬回北京后，他们先是在北京乐成国际学校上学，后来又分别转入北京汇文中学和板厂小学，回归公立学校体系。
姐姐谷润心和弟弟谷润天
姐弟俩都是5岁开始学习弹钢琴，8岁开始学习小提琴。在美国的学习环境相对宽松，启蒙老师并没有强制练琴时间都要求，但是需要保证效率。他们基本每天坚持半小时钢琴，20分钟小提琴的练习节奏，逐渐培养期对音乐的兴趣。
自从回到国内，学习压力自然比在美国时大了不少，特别是转入公立学校以后，紧张的学习节奏无疑压缩了他们的练琴时间。但幸运的是，姐弟俩在北京遇到了非常好的钢琴老师——战华娜老师。她不仅能够因材施教，根据他们自身特点安排练习的曲目和考级节奏，同时通过高质量的比赛锻炼使他们认识到和国内同龄练琴孩子的差距，进而保持的练习状态。孩子们也很喜欢战老师，但主要的原因，据说是战老师经常给她们好吃的和小礼物。
马格努斯皇家青少年国际钢琴比赛中国区半决赛四手联弹（姐姐谷润心和弟弟谷润天）
谷润心、谷润天与他们的钢琴老师战华娜
在战老师的悉心指导下，姐弟俩接连荣获了2021年马格努斯皇家青少年国际钢琴比赛中国区半决赛四手联弹一等奖，2022年第十届斯坦威全国青少年钢琴比赛北京赛区半决赛独奏二等奖，决赛四手联弹三等奖项。
谷润心
谷润天
谷润心、谷润天
根据战老师的建议，谷润心和谷润天报名参加了 4月份由白俄罗斯文化部、白俄罗斯教育部、白俄罗斯国立音乐学院和中白文化促进会等单位组织举办的，第四届中白“丝绸之路”国际青少年艺术大赛。遗憾的时候，因为北京疫情的缘故，比赛被延期。而且，由于姐姐早已申请到美国一所历史悠久的全日制住宿制暑期学校，弟弟也将在华盛顿附近接受为期3周的冰球营训练，在暑假来临之际，两姐弟只得带着遗憾离开北京。
临行前，他们把琴谱收在随身带行李里，特意嘱咐妈妈，在预定酒店或者民宿的时候，一定要优先选择有钢琴的住所，这样，他们就可以抓紧所有可能的机会练琴。同时，他们也和战老师约定，在有条件的时候，继续坚持远程钢琴网课。毕竟学习钢琴是基于从小对音乐的热爱，不能因为一时错过比赛就放松对自己的要求。
在美国的行程比想象中还要紧凑一些。因为是全日制夏校，谷润心白天有三门不同的课程附加一个小时赛艇训练。下课后除了3个小时的夏校作业以外，还需要见缝插针的完成国内学校的暑假作业。谷润天每天从早上8:30到下午4:00，一周五天参加高强度的冰球训练。回到家也要进行中文和数学的学习，为新学期开学做准备。
即使如此，他们两个还是按照原定计划，抓紧一切零碎的时间找琴来弹。有时是酒店大堂旁的伴奏琴，有时是夏校宿舍走廊里一架快散架的电子琴，有时是民宿里的老旧古董。从5岁学琴开始，他们还从未有这种碰到什么琴就弹什么的经历，但这样“艰苦”的练琴机会反而激发了他们对音乐的坚持。
7月底，战老师带来一个好消息，北京疫情缓解，中白钢琴大赛预计在8月10日在北京音乐厅举行，因为他们两个的情况特殊，战老师为他们争取到组委会的特别许可，可以通过提交视频的形式参加比赛。两姐弟得知后先是很开心，紧接着又忧虑起来。因为当时两姐弟身处美国不同的城市，平时各自练琴已经很不容易，如何能凑到一起完成四手联弹的录音成了更大的难题。
但是面对这个得来不易的机会，两姐弟决定“没有条件，创造条件也要上”。
姐姐找到暑期学校的老师说明了特殊情况，被学校特别批准可以使用音乐系上课的专用琴房录音。但是因为琴房只有平时开门，于是每天下课，谷润心就要先赶到琴房去练习，晚上7点以后才能回到宿舍开始完成当天的作业，经常忙到半夜，第二天一早又6:30爬起来开始新一天的学习。
弟弟的一位当地冰球队友愿意提供家里的钢琴让他完成录制，但是距离冰场开车往返两个多小时。于是，他每天下了冰就带上简易的晚餐上路，往往弹完琴回家已经是晚上10点多，一周如是往复，期待把自己的状态调整到最佳。
姐姐谷润心、弟弟谷润天
就这样，姐弟俩先是分头把自己的独奏曲目完成，然后等待四手联弹的合体。8月5日谷润心的夏校正式结束，参加完结业式她就赶忙和全家开车一个多小时到波士顿的练琴房。此时两个人已经有5周没有见面，但是各自的坚持让他们的默契还在，终于在比赛日以前顺利的提交了所有的比赛曲目。
如今，谷润心和谷润天已经回到北京开始隔离，战老师再一次带来好消息，他们的独奏分别获得二等奖，四手联弹荣获一等奖。虽然成绩不是目的，但却是对他们两人在假期中努力坚持的一种肯定。贝多芬说：“音乐是比一切智慧、一切哲学更高的启示。”有了音乐的陪伴，相信他们会在人生的道路上收获更多的快乐。
Persisting, Because Of Love
The summer of 2022 was hectic and fruitful for Cece Gu and Terrence Gu.
Cece and Terrence spent most of their childhood in the east coast of the United States, but every summer and winter holiday, they would return to Beijing to meet their extended family and friends. After the family moved back to Beijing in September 2022, they enrolled at Beijing City International School, then later transferred to Beijing Huiwen Middle School and Banchang Primary School. Respectively, returning to the public school system.
Both siblings began learning to play the piano at the age of five and the violin at the age of eight. The learning environment in the United States is relatively relaxed and calm, and it didn’t put a lot of pressure on the siblings. Because of this, their first piano teacher did not require many hours of practicing, but he needed Cece and Terrence to ensure efficiency. They practiced the piano for half an hour and the violin for 20 minutes every day, gradually cultivating their interest in music.
Since returning to China, the learning pressure is certainly much greater than in the United States, especially after transferring to public schools, the intense pace of learning has undoubtedly compressed their practicing time. Fortunately, the siblings met a very good piano teacher in Beijing - Mrs. Zhan Hua Na. She teaches them in accordance with their atitude, and arranges the repertoire for practice and the rhythm of grade examination to try and fit in with their schedule. Mrs. Zhan also makes them realize the gap between them and other Chinese children of the same age through high-quality competitions, so as to maintain their focus when practicing. The children also like Mrs. Zhan very much. She often rewards them with various snacks and small gifts.
Under the careful guidance of Mr. Zhan, the two siblings won the first prize of the Chinese Semi-final of the Magnus Royal Youth International Piano Competition in 2021, the second prize of the Semi-final solo of the Beijing Division of the 10th Steinway National Youth Piano Competition in 2022, and the third prize of the Final Duet.
According to Mrs. Zhan's suggestion, Cece and Terrence signed up for the 4th China-Belarus "Silk Road" International Youth Art Competition in April, which was organized by the Ministry of Culture of Belarus, the Ministry of Education of Belarus, the Belarusian National Conservatory of Music and the Sino-White Culture Promotion Association. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic acceleration in Beijing, the competition was postponed. Since Cece has already admitted to a long-established residential summer school in the US and Terrence would be training at a three-week ice hockey camp near Washington, the two siblings had to leave Beijing with regret as the summer holiday approached.
Before they left, the siblings packed piano books in their carry-on luggage and told their mother that when booking hotels or renting out homes, they would like there to be pianos so that they could practice as much as possible. At the same time, they also agreed with Mrs. Zhan, that when conditions were available, they would continue to adhere to the remote piano online lessons. After all, learning piano is based on love for music, so no one should not meet their requirements just because they missed a competition.
The schedule in the United States was a little tighter than expected. Because it is a full-time summer school, Cece has three different courses plus 2 hours rowing training during the day. After, in addition to three hours of summer school homework, she also had to complete homework from her middle school in China. Terrence ran the day from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., five days a week, intensive hockey training. At home, he had to study Chinese and math to prepare for the new semester.
Even so, the two of them still followed their original plan, and seized every spare time to find the piano to play. Sometimes it was the accompaniment piano by the hotel lobby, sometimes it was the electronic piano falling apart in the corridor of the summer school dormitory, and sometimes it was the old antique in the rented home. Since they learned to play the piano at the age of five, they never had the experience of playing any instrument they come across, but such a "diffucult" chance to practice the piano has inspired them to stick to music.
At the end of July, Μrs. Zhan brought a good news that the pandemic situation in Beijing was alleviated, and the Sino-White Piano Competition was expected to be held in Beijing Concert Hall on August 10. Because of their special circumstances, Mrs. Zhan obtained special permission for them to participate in the competition by submitting videos. The two siblings were very happy, and then worried. At that time, the two siblings were living in different cities in the United States, and it was not easy for them to practice the piano separately. How to get together to complete the recording of the Duet became a bigger problem.
But faced with this hard-won opportunity, the two siblings decided, "If there are no conditions, we will make them."
The elder sister found the summer school teacher explained the special situation, was specially approved by the music department's special recording room. However, because the piano room is only open a couple of times during the week, Cece has to go to the piano room to practice after every day. She can only return to the dormitory after 7 p.m. to finish the homework of the day. She is often busy until midnight and gets up at 6:30 the next morning to start a new day's study.
A local hockey teammate offered Terrence their piano for practice and recording, but it was more than a two-hour drive to and from the rink. Therefore, he took a simple dinner with him on the road every day after the ice, and often returned home after playing the piano at more than 10 p.m., repeating this for a week, hoping to adjust his state to the best.
In this way, the siblings completed their solo pieces separately, and then waited for the Duet. On August 5, Cece’s summer school officially ended. After attending the completion ceremony, she drove to Boston with her family for more than an hour to the piano practice room. At this time, the two had not met for 5 weeks, but their respective persistence kept their tacit understanding, and finally successfully submitted all the competition songs before the match day.
Now, Cece and Terrence have returned to Beijing to begin quarantine, and Mrs. Zhan once again brings good news, their solo won the second prize, and first on their duet. While the grades were not the goal, they were a validation of how hard the two of them had persevered over the holidays. Beethoven said: "Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom, all philosophy." With the company of music, they believe that they will reap more happiness in the road of life.
