The primary school students who don’t miss a beat
Print Edition
JOINING the waist drum team at Zhuanqiao Primary School is considered the coolest thing to do by students.
“My son loves sleeping in, but he’s willing to sacrifice that for morning drum practice,” said the mother of student Luo Weimin. “He’s self-disciplined about it. He gets up at a quarter to seven every morning even before I get up.”
Luo did grumble a bit about the hours in the first week of practice, but since falling in love with the waist drum, there’s nary a complaint.
The school offers drum classes from the third grade, and only the best players are tapped to form the 60-member drum team. Students in lower grades look up to those on the team and dream of their own chance when they reach third grade.
“Competition is fierce because there are limited slots on the team,” said coach Xie Chunyan. “Everyone wants to be on the team. Every year the school holds a ‘drum king’ contest to choose the best players in the school.”
In addition to team rehearsals, drummers are required to do physical exercise every morning.
“A good waist drum player needs sense of rhythm and precision, as well as the strength to beat the drum and release its spirit,” Xie said. “Due to regular training, some team members developed bruising about their waists, but I never hear them complaining.”
Parents are really supportive, she said.
“Of course, there are parents who expect their children to focus only on their homework,” Xie added. “But the children love playing and it contributes to their development. I try to communicate that to parents, and I monitor students so they don’t fall behind on test grades.”
She recalled the long rehearsals ahead of one summer competition. It was hot, she said, and the drummers broke out in sweat within half an hour.
But the diligence paid off. The team won a title in a Shanghai arts competition. The performance of the team has distinguished the school among Shanghai’s 246 primary schools and the drum activity has been designated one of the city’s 16 “Excellent Projects.”
The waist drum is deeply embedded in Chinese culture. It traces its origins back to northwestern China more than 1,000 years ago. Legend has it that drum art was passed down to humans from immortals in heaven to dispel evil spirits and communicate positive vibes to people.
Drumming at the school traces its origins back to 1997, when students were struggling to perform in Minhang District’s first arts festival, according to Tang Weimin, headmaster of Zhuanqiao Primary School.
“I found a waist drum teacher in Ansai, Shaanxi Province, who was willing to give lessons to students and teachers,” he said.
Three months later, a 400-strong drum team presented an impressive performance at the opening ceremony of the festival.
“I saw the high spirits of the children as they were beating drums,” Tang said. “This art form highlights the vigor of the nation as expressed through culture.”
Today, the school maintains exchanges with the Ansai Cultural Department. Xie is one of the teachers who has travelled to Ansai to study.
“Every village there has a drum team,” she said. “I went to Ansai three times and stayed for a week on each trip to learn how to play.”
The school here has written a book on its drum playing, assisted by experts in Ansai. It includes an introduction to drumming and lists the achievements of players. Students can also write their own pieces for the book.
“Twenty years have passed away since we started the drum classes,” Xie said. “Watching players develop over that time fills me with many happy memories.”
The first members of waist drum team have grown up and gone their separate ways, but memories of their years as drummers unite them forever.
One of them, Ma Chao, now works in the culture-related industry. He fondly remembers the years spent drumming.
“As a kid, I gave teachers plenty of headaches because I didn’t show much interest in anything,” Ma said.
“But then I took up the waist drum and it changed my life.”
Another founding member, Yu Huili, is now the father of two.
“We had more sense of responsibilities than our peers,” he recalled. “I still remember the days on the waist drum team, and the experience taught me to encourage my children to develop hobbies.”
Qiao Min, who now works in Party building services, said her days as a drummer left bruise scars on his waist.
“The drum was quite heavy, but nobody complained,” Qiao said. “I watched the school drum team perform at the 2010 Expo and I felt really proud.”
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