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The sound of student music fills the air
By Xu Wenwen |
March 18, 2010, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
MANY children are these days obliged to learn to play musical instruments - ambitious parents think it will give them "class," improve their intelligence and give them extra marks in the all-important college entrance examination.
Millions of Chinese parents, who themselves play no instrument or know little about music, pay for piano, violin or Chinese traditional instrument lessons for their children. The kids then must take music exams and get certificates with grades one through 10 - 10 being the highest.
Of course, in addition to forced study, there is also genuine passion for music in China. Many people love to play, there are many concerts and performances of all kinds. This generation is better educated in music than any other in Chinese history.
China produces around 300,000 pianos a year, said to be the highest in the world.
Today, because of sufficient qualified musicians, many schools can set up high-standard music communities, orchestras and bands.
And although most students were initially forced by their parents to learn an instrument, today many of them love their music.
Two Hangzhou schools are excelling in music.
Last month, the Hangzhou No. 14 Middle School Chamber Orchestra won first prize in the National Primary and Secondary School Arts Contest. Instructor Feng Xianqun says every musician must have at least a Grade 10 music certificate.
The orchestra has 10 members playing the violin, cello and piano. They generally rehearse two hours a week. Half of them are enrolled in a provincial key school as students exceptionally gifted in art or music. All have won prizes as individuals.
Around one-third of their peers play instruments, but most give up because of lack of interest, lack of talent or lack of time. Many give up when they earn a minimum satisfactory grade.
"Although many students have learned to play instruments and received certificates, only a few can play music properly," says orchestra instructor Feng. "Insufficient knowledge of music theory means they simply read music without knowing how to inflect or improve during a performance."
The orchestra's pianist, 17-year-old Qiu Tian, started learning when he was 7.
"I was once tired of all the tedious practice and quit for a while," he says. "But I finally realized the truth - play it as a game. Now I can enjoy playing."
Another student (not in the orchestra) is fascinated by the dizi (traditional Chinese bamboo flute) - there are several kinds. The student, 17-year-old boy Luo Shuai, just wrote a 30-page paper on adjusting the tone on one kind of bamboo flute. The paper will be entered in the Provincial Innovative Technology Competition.
The young man is so fond of flutes that he seeks out many well-known flute makers. In his conversations, he discovered an old theory about bamboo flutes' tone without any scientific confirmation. He spent three months and carried out more than 600 trials to prove it.
"A child with a happy life can study music better and give a better performance on stage," says Zhao Guanchao, director of student affairs at the No. 14 middle school. "And music can give children a happy life, if they learn willingly."
In addition to classical instruments, some musicians pick up the guitar, bass and drums and join school bands, including rock bands.
As attitudes toward music are more open, most people no longer believe that "bad students" take up hip-hop, rock and other alternative music.
The Electro Acoustical Band at the High School attached to Zhejiang University has around a dozen guitarists, drummers and keyboardists - who all learned music from childhood.
They are stars at the school and they play pop, rock and jazz about campus life, love and the future. But when the band was formed in 2007, songs with lyrics about love were prohibited for fear of "puppy love" and distracting students from their education. Playing in a band was once considered harmful to academic performance.
The facts demonstrate that student musicians in bands perform well academically and since they are happy they appear to get more out of class, say some young musicians.
Players told Shanghai Daily: "I learn teamwork in the band," "I gain happiness on the stage," "I feel relaxed when I play," "I must be responsible to the band."
The school has spent 30,000 yuan (US$4,390) on instruments and equipment for the band and hired an instructor three hours a week. "Love" lyrics are okay.
Everyone knows that practicing an instrument is repetitious and boring to some extent, and it's hard work.
"Parents should consider learning an instrument as a positive experience for their children in itself, or a way to cultivate talent that they have expressed," says Zhang Minghong, a pre-school education expert at East China Normal University in Shanghai.
"But using learning musical instruments as a utilitarian stepping stone to certification or college will be a pain in children's neck," she adds.
Millions of Chinese parents, who themselves play no instrument or know little about music, pay for piano, violin or Chinese traditional instrument lessons for their children. The kids then must take music exams and get certificates with grades one through 10 - 10 being the highest.
Of course, in addition to forced study, there is also genuine passion for music in China. Many people love to play, there are many concerts and performances of all kinds. This generation is better educated in music than any other in Chinese history.
China produces around 300,000 pianos a year, said to be the highest in the world.
Today, because of sufficient qualified musicians, many schools can set up high-standard music communities, orchestras and bands.
And although most students were initially forced by their parents to learn an instrument, today many of them love their music.
Two Hangzhou schools are excelling in music.
Last month, the Hangzhou No. 14 Middle School Chamber Orchestra won first prize in the National Primary and Secondary School Arts Contest. Instructor Feng Xianqun says every musician must have at least a Grade 10 music certificate.
The orchestra has 10 members playing the violin, cello and piano. They generally rehearse two hours a week. Half of them are enrolled in a provincial key school as students exceptionally gifted in art or music. All have won prizes as individuals.
Around one-third of their peers play instruments, but most give up because of lack of interest, lack of talent or lack of time. Many give up when they earn a minimum satisfactory grade.
"Although many students have learned to play instruments and received certificates, only a few can play music properly," says orchestra instructor Feng. "Insufficient knowledge of music theory means they simply read music without knowing how to inflect or improve during a performance."
The orchestra's pianist, 17-year-old Qiu Tian, started learning when he was 7.
"I was once tired of all the tedious practice and quit for a while," he says. "But I finally realized the truth - play it as a game. Now I can enjoy playing."
Another student (not in the orchestra) is fascinated by the dizi (traditional Chinese bamboo flute) - there are several kinds. The student, 17-year-old boy Luo Shuai, just wrote a 30-page paper on adjusting the tone on one kind of bamboo flute. The paper will be entered in the Provincial Innovative Technology Competition.
The young man is so fond of flutes that he seeks out many well-known flute makers. In his conversations, he discovered an old theory about bamboo flutes' tone without any scientific confirmation. He spent three months and carried out more than 600 trials to prove it.
"A child with a happy life can study music better and give a better performance on stage," says Zhao Guanchao, director of student affairs at the No. 14 middle school. "And music can give children a happy life, if they learn willingly."
In addition to classical instruments, some musicians pick up the guitar, bass and drums and join school bands, including rock bands.
As attitudes toward music are more open, most people no longer believe that "bad students" take up hip-hop, rock and other alternative music.
The Electro Acoustical Band at the High School attached to Zhejiang University has around a dozen guitarists, drummers and keyboardists - who all learned music from childhood.
They are stars at the school and they play pop, rock and jazz about campus life, love and the future. But when the band was formed in 2007, songs with lyrics about love were prohibited for fear of "puppy love" and distracting students from their education. Playing in a band was once considered harmful to academic performance.
The facts demonstrate that student musicians in bands perform well academically and since they are happy they appear to get more out of class, say some young musicians.
Players told Shanghai Daily: "I learn teamwork in the band," "I gain happiness on the stage," "I feel relaxed when I play," "I must be responsible to the band."
The school has spent 30,000 yuan (US$4,390) on instruments and equipment for the band and hired an instructor three hours a week. "Love" lyrics are okay.
Everyone knows that practicing an instrument is repetitious and boring to some extent, and it's hard work.
"Parents should consider learning an instrument as a positive experience for their children in itself, or a way to cultivate talent that they have expressed," says Zhang Minghong, a pre-school education expert at East China Normal University in Shanghai.
"But using learning musical instruments as a utilitarian stepping stone to certification or college will be a pain in children's neck," she adds.
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