On Jan. 14, junior Jaxon Lau performed a piano piece at Carnegie Hall after earning the “Celebration of Excellence” award for his level 8 examination by the Royal Conservatory of Music.

The examination is a way for musicians to showcase their skills to a broader audience. Musicians can choose which level they would like to be tested on. Some musicians may start at level 1 while others start on level 8.

The program which conducts these examinations, the Royal Conservatory of Music, is one of the largest and most prestigious music teachings institutions. The program helps to give musicians a drive to meet certain benchmarks, like Lau and his level 6, 7 and 8 benchmarks.

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Opportunities range for musicians based on their scores, but the celebration of excellence can be showcased at the state or national level. Lau achieved national recognition, giving him the chance to perform at Carnegie Hall.

“I needed to prepare two smaller pieces and one piece from four different time periods,” Lau said.

For his examination, he played music from the baroque, classical, romantic, and impressionist periods. Then, Lau needed to showcase his technical skills, “like chords, scales, along with ear training like playbacks.” This is a way to test a pianist’s ability to recognize things like melodies and intervals solely by listening to it.

He was also tested on the speed at which he could prepare certain music.

“I was given a brand new sheet of music and needed to perform it the following day,” Lau said.

Although Lau started playing piano when he was 5 years old, his passion for music has solidified in the last few years.

“Because I’m getting increasingly passionate about piano for myself, I am happy I could showcase where I am at so far,” Lau said.