Mimi Wallace, a mother, turned to TikTok to ask strangers to play her daughter Olive’s sheet music, which resulted in a mass concerto, with many people responding. Mimi Wallace explained that Olive loves playing the violin and clarinet at school and likes writing music in her free time.
A Concerto From a Sheet of Music
Last week, Olive wrote down the notes for a new song she was practicing. The next morning, Wallace found her daughter’s sheet music on the kitchen counter. Mimi Wallace also shared that she comes from a family of music teachers and could read music but didn’t have perfect pitch. Apparently, she was just curious to learn what Olive’s music sounded like, so she asked people on TikTok.
In a video posted by Wallace, which has now amassed over 4 million views, she requested TikTok musicians to play a piece of sheet music written by her 10-year-old daughter, Olive. She expressed her desire to know whether the music was any good or made any sense. To her surprise, several TikTok musicians began playing Olive’s composition in beautiful renditions. One music teacher even split-screened her performance of the song on both violin and piano. In her video, she shared her insights about the piece and the key signature, saying it was fun and swearing that there were a couple of sharps indicating a key signature reminiscent of D Major but apologizing that they would make theirs sound a little different.
Olive’s Music Is Everywhere
Other TikTok users played Olive’s song on different instruments, including the clarinet and bass. One harpist even said they were always happy to help budding composers. Dr. Christopher T. F. Hanson, an assistant professor of music and the director of music education and orchestral activities at Seattle Pacific University, praised Olive’s music and the collaboration it sparked. He and other music educators from Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming came together to play Olive’s piece at the National Association for Music Education’s Northwest Conference.
The attention that Olive’s music received was both amazing and incredible to her, but also a bit overwhelming. People she didn’t know said they were moved to tears by her song. However, Olive did admit to one mistake – her staff had six lines instead of the usual five. Despite this, the song is still playable.