Yo Yo Ma

Yo Yo Ma

An Early Start Yo-Yo Ma was born in 1955 in Paris, France, into a musical family. His mother was a singer, and his father played the violin and taught music. His older sister, Yeou-Cheng (YOO- CHANG), had also played the violin since she was a small child. Yo-Yo's parents were both born in China. They moved to France so his father could teach at a music school there. When Yo-Yo was seven, the family moved to New York City. Once there, Yo-Yo's father founded the Children's Orchestra Society to teach classical music to kids.

Yo-Yo's parents gave him a violin when he was only three. Ma says he sounded terrible and thought he wasn't any good. Yeou-Cheng says he smashed more than one violin in frustration. He quickly quit playing.

Yo-Yo didn't stay away from music for long. A year later, his parents took him to a concert in Paris. Yo-Yo saw a double bass and decided he wanted to play it. A double bass is about 6 feet (1. 8 m) tall. Yo-Yo's parents thought it was much too large for a four-year-old. Instead, they got him the second-biggest stringed instrument-the cello (CHEL-oh).

The Mas pushed both of their children to play difficult music. Their father said that any task could be broken up into smaller, easier parts. Their mother taught them to learn the notes so well that they wouldn't have to think about them. That way, they could think about the feelings behind the music instead.

A Young Star In 1962, seven-year-old Yo-Yo performed for President John F. Kennedy. The following year, Yo-Yo and Yeou-Cheng played together on TV for millions of people. Most children that age are playing their first notes on the recorder. Ma was already one of the most famous musicians in the world.