10 Nov 2015 (Day 3)

At National Taiwan University of Arts

Watching the seniors learn Guzheng

I learnt that we should be appreciative for what we have. We should not always complain about what we do not have. We should appreciate what we already have. I also learnt how to respect their culture and communicate with them. Even though this is the first time we met them, they were very friendly and they show us great hospitality which made us felt like home. The seniors took care of us like we are their younger sister. We should also learn to adapt to the environment given to us. We are actually quite fortunate to have big and air-conditioned room. The seniors there are really great Guzheng players and they can actually perform really well at any environment. Teamwork is really important when we are performing. I also understand more about other Guzheng members after we were split into groups with different level so we can actually mix together with each other and know more about each other.

Siang Ting, 3D

Attending a music lecture in the University

We observed that the classroom for practising Guzheng in the National Taiwan University of Arts is small and rather messy as it is filled up with many different types of percussion instruments. We sat beside a senior for an hour and felt quite bored at first. However, our teacher told us that after we watched and learnt from them we will be able to play better later. Although their classroom was small, it did not deter them from playing well in the small space. We were all very impressed by the wonderful music they played. We felt that we were very fortunate as our classroom is much bigger and comfortable as compared to what they have here. Hence, we should be thankful for what we have and what our school have given us! After the session, we attended a music lesson by their local university professor.  It was a little difficult to understand as the whole lesson were conducted in Chinese and there were many musical terms that were mentioned in Chinese.  Finally, we got a chance to attend a Guzheng lesson conducted by their very own Guzheng instructor from the University. It was a very fruitful and interesting lesson. We managed to learn a song within an hour and even performed a song for them. This is definitely a memorable and happy trip to the university.

Janelle 1N3

Li Ri 1C

Learning Guzheng skills from their very own lecturer!

After the visit today, I felt very fortunate that we have a very comfortable environment to practise Guzheng in our school. During their Guzheng lessons, they began by doing simple Guzheng movements,which we do not usually do before they start practising their songs. They were also very synchronised when playing the songs together. I have learnt a lot by listening to their lessons even though it is a little bit different from ours as they learn c notes while we do not. The art school curriculum time is very unique, as all the lessons are based on music/art. They could be learning a new language during the other lessons. We also learnt a lot about their culture through this exchange programme.

Qiuya 2C