Yobin Kim ’26 is a four-year Senior from Seoul, Korea. She is co-head of the International Awareness and Service Organization (IASO), a member of Girls JV Volleyball, JV Hockey, and is co-managing Boys JV Lacrosse. She plans to pursue her passion for violin and biological sciences next year at Northwestern University.
What got you interested in the violin?
My parents wanted me to choose an instrument, because they thought it was really important to grow up with. My mom played piano and didn’t want me to pursue it myself, so I chose the violin, because I thought it was simple. I’ve stuck with it since six years old.
Who’s your inspiration, and how have they impacted your music career?
My favorite violinist is Itzhak Perlman. There’s so many other violinists out there, but I tend to still look for his recordings. He’s an inspiration for me; I haven’t changed my favorite violinist since elementary school.
What have you learned from playing the violin?
Discipline. It’s just very technical and you do need to put in the time and effort.
There’s no such thing as pure talent for music; the effort has to be on top of all the talent that you come with. I set a goal where I would have to do at least two hours of practice a day.
What advice would you give to young and aspiring musicians?
Don’t give up. I’ve had many ups and downs, but hard work does pay off.
I’ve had so many instances where I’ve worked so hard and ended up playing really well in performances, which shows that you really can beat the hardships.
Even if I don’t want to become a musician, I’m still going to keep music as a really important aspect of my life.
