For young musician Malik Alick, a high point of day one at the Berkeley Institute was checking out the school’s music room. The 14-year-old S1 student ended up forming a band.Along with Malik, the group, called Simply Perfection, comprises fellow students Caleb Ball on bass, Jeron Clemendor on drums, Jordan Renfroe on saxophone and Peter Rosar on guitar.“We saw each other’s talents and we decided to fuse together and create a band,” Malik explained.Having played with the Chewstick Foundation, and at the Careers Fair held at Bermuda College, Malik has performed with the group at various school events in Berkeley.At the moment, however, his extra-curricular activities have been cut a little short by studies for next month’s grade six music theory exams, with his practical exam on the piano coming next, in April.Malik’s ongoing musical education included a chance this week to sit with jazz trumpet legend John FaddisA disciple of jazz icon Dizzy Gillespie, Mr Faddis flew to Bermuda as part of the Bermuda Festival.He delivered a jazz workshop yesterday at the Bermuda Institute attended by about 200 of the Island’s students, at which Malik and another student received the once-in-a-lifetime chance to sit at the piano with a master.“I see the piano as a way to arrange songs. I transfer the notes that I play on the piano; sometimes I write the notes out, or I just pick them up by ear.“Arranging music is what I want to do, and the piano has also helped me to pick up other instruments that I hadn’t taken seriously, like the saxophone.”Following in the footsteps of his musician father Melvin, he described his musical terrain as “R&B, some hip-hop, some gospel music”.Artists he admires range from Alicia Keys to the genre-mixing Bruno Mars.Asked if he composes his own pieces, Malik said: “I used to, but now I’m focused on trying to get my grades up with the piano, to improve my technique. Back when I wrote my own music, I didn’t really know that much.”A side-interest in computers comes in useful for composing, as well as the occasional repair job.“It was nothing major, just software, but I’ve fixed some of this school’s computers,” Malik said. “There was a problem with the audio system a few months ago.“The speakers kept losing sound and nobody could fix it, not even the IT department, but I just Googled it and did some research, and got it to work.”A former head boy at Clearwater Middle School, Malik maintained a 92 percent grade average, and so far at Berkeley, with 91 percent, he has qualified for honours.“Principal’s honours is 92 percent,” he added.At Clearwater, he took part in Drumline Bermuda, but trying out the piano at home led him in a different direction.“When I first started playing the piano, I was into drums, but I found the piano more exciting,” he said. “With drums, I was not progressing as much. Drums come more naturally since I started with the piano.”He hopes to pursue music in further education, possibly at Berklee College of Music in the US. To forge out on his own as a musician, Malik expects to spend more time overseas.“There’s not that much opportunity in Bermuda for some musicians,” he explained. “You can only go so far.“In the US or in Europe you have more opportunities. There’s more opportunity in the big cities, musical cities like Los Angeles.”His advice to other young people aspiring to a musical career is: “Keep your head in the game.“When you practice more than others, you will progress more,” he said. “In the long run you can look back and see that it helped. When things get tough, just keep at it. You’ll succeed in the end.”Useful websites: www.berklee.edu, www.bermudafestival.org, www.johnfaddis.net.