Photo by Andrew Brown ’18 – Sebastien Taillieu ’19 leads the piano club, 88 Keys, having played the piano since he was only 5 years old.

By Jack Cahill ’17
THE ROUNDUP

Sebastien Taillieu ’19 is one of the school’s skilled musicians, specifically with a love for the piano.

Taillieu has been learning and practicing his piano skills since the age of five, and he still “has room to get better.”

“I first started playing when I was five years old,” Taillieu said. “Initially, for the first while, I disliked piano, and then I began to like it as I understood more songs. For a period of time, I disliked the amount of work. However, for the last few years, I’ve really appreciated piano. I usually practice when I get home, and practice for 10, 20, or 30 minutes. “

Taillieu is also the leader of the 88 Keys Club, a Brophy club for both skilled and prospective pianists. He said that the club has different practices for different skill levels.

“With more advanced players, we have them try to learn songs based on their skill level,” Taillieu said. “For beginners, we try to teach our basic songs and piano movements. Once a quarter, we have a ‘jam session’ to show off what we’ve learned.”

Taillieu’s classmates, such as John Paul Rabusa ’19, said they have noticed Taillieu’s musical talent. Rabusa is a musician himself, and he plays the guitar and a little piano.

“He always showcases how hard working he is, and he can read sheet music easily,” Rabusa said. “What’s best about him is he will try to figure out how to learn a song when he first hears it.”

Taillieu has explained this quality himself, saying that he enjoys learning how to play new songs just by hearing them in short periods of time.

“The time required to learn a new composition varies,” Taillieu said. “The shortest it took me to learn a composition on the piano was Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing.’ The longest composition I learned took me a month.”