Darren has been attending piano lessons for a while.  We are glad that he enjoys his music lessons and to learn that he has good aptitude for music *smile*.

Then a few weeks ago, we received an invite from Darren’s school for him to attend trial lessons to determine his early recruitment into the school concert band, as they identified potential in him.

We decided to let him try it out although he does not need to opt for a CCA only till he is in Primary 3. 

But then…..alas, after 3 trial lessons, he didn’t make it into the band.  Reason given was because he lacked discipline to sit properly and did not follow instructions closely.  In short, he is not ready. 

So, we thought…..

Perhaps our boy needs more discipline in taking instructions when he is performing as a group.  We also wanted him to build up his social skills with his peers.

Then, we decided….

We enrolled him early for Chinese Orchestra. We understand that as long as he has interests, he could continue this as a CCA in his school in subsequent years.

We wanted him to learn to be a better team player, follow instructions closely during a group activity and be more disciplined in his concentration. Our little boy has been an active and sporting one but we know there is another side of him especially when we see him on his piano.  Besides we hope he could learn to appreciate the Chinese culture while discovering the beauty of the traditional chinese musical instruments.

[As the teacher was advising "playing as a team in a chinese orchestra is not about each individual rushing through a music score but about how each player observes and listens to the instructions and coordinates with other players in a synchronised manner, while taking responsibility to play his/her own instrument well".]

When we started, we had some deliberations on the selection of a suitable chinese instrument for Darren.

First we let him choose an instrument that he likes and feels comfortable with. So, he tested the flute. Seriously, it looks easy but not at all.

Then our boy did not like the erhu. There are other instruments but there was no opportunity to play them.

So, that’s how we begin the story of our boy with guzheng (chinese plucked zither).

Well, teacher commented that he seems to have a better aptitude for guzheng after some demo and trials.

Haha! Maybe he is better with playing music instruments with his fingers since he is our little pianist :)

[The teacher opined that males can have a leading edge in the playing of guzheng among the girls, in view of the amount of strength used. ] 

Our only concern is whether our little one would get confused while he continues with his music in piano and picks up a new musical skill in chinese instruments.

We will see whether his aptitude for music will sustain his participation in Chinese Orchestra till next year.

For now, hopefully, we meet our objective of getting our boy to build his social skill as team player and be more disciplined while he engages in his music interests *smile*

5 Responses to “Chinese Orchestra : Our Little One Starts His Lesson”