“As explained in ‘The Book of Songs,’ playing music is a way to better understand oneself and engage with others.
We hope that Pao School students can reap these rewards too through playing music.”
——Philip Sohmen
Executive Deputy Chairman
Whole-person education helps students develop not only technical skills, but also deeper cultural understanding. To that end, music education is integral to cultivating aesthetic appreciation skills and talent, and it forms an important part of the academic curriculum and co-curriculars at Pao School. The school hopes that music education will help students develop their artistic expression skills, better appreciate beauty, and understand how music bridges the past and present. Finally, learning how to play music can also help students meet new friends.
In early December, the Hongqiao campus held the unveiling ceremony for the Violin Exhibition at the Infinite Music Center. Attending the ceremony were the founders, the school’s senior management, parents, teachers and student representatives. Philip Sohmen introduced to the audience the history the violins, shared his personal experience, and inspired students to be better musicians.
Philip Sohmen talks to the students about their daily music practice, and encourages
them to learn about the instrument’s history and culture as they learn how to play
Philip Sohmen and student representatives from all years played a splendid version
of Pomp and Circumstance Marches, Op. 39, by Edward Elgar together
A solo violin performance by Philip Sohmen
Executive Deputy Chairman Philip Sohmen, President Xu Yongchu, Executive Headmaster Mark Bishop
and Principal of the Hongqiao campus Caroline Xu unveil the exhibition’s violin collection
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Held annually in December, the Winter Concert is a longstanding tradition at Pao School. This year’s concert, as in the past, featured performances on all three campuses of string, wind and choral music. At the Primary School more than 200 students participated in the performance of 17 songs this year.The concert began, as it traditionally does, with the Chinese Ensemble playing “The Good Life” with added vocals by members of the ensemble and ended on a fine note with a string performance of “Moondance”.
The Hongqiao campus’s Music and Art departments jointly organized the "Stream of Arts" themed event. The "Music Through the Ages" concert hosted by the Music Department was divided into three special sections for choral, wind and string performances that in total featured about 300 student performers. They played a wide variety of instruments, including the flute, clarinet, saxophone, euphonium, violin and piano. The choral performance even featured the use of a paper cup as an instrument.
The High School holds both an Autumn and Winter Concert, together featuring more than 100 students performing 30 outstanding pieces. The students’ virtuoso singing and playing dazzled teachers, their fellow classmates and other spectators alike.
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These are the highlights from this year’s concert:
"My Neighbor Totoro" was the special string performance this year at the Middle School. Under the guidance of the music teacher, six violinists wearing Totoro tiaras delighted the audience with their melodic and cheerful playing.
The musicians’ dress varies depending on the performance, with creative accessories added to enhance interaction with audience and make the atmosphere more festive. Year 7 Selena shared: "We wore the Totoro tiara and we played the music as we walked onto the stage. It felt like we were getting closer to the audience!”
Ms. Chen, head of the Middle School Music Department, said that some Year 6 students were musical novices, with very little experience playing musical instruments. It was a big challenge for them to be prepared to perform on stage in just over three months of time. For these beginner musicians, the selection of music was very important.
Head of Primary Music Dominic Murtagh said: “We select songs and pieces that will challenge the students, but more importantly, we choose things that we think may enjoy and be inspired by. We also try to keep a balance between Chinese and Western selections.”
With regards to which aspect of the concert students felt best about, undoubtedly it was the fact that the performances went off without a hitch. Given the amount of time and energy students devoted to preparing for the Winter Concert, they truly felt fantastic to successfully perform in front of a live audience.
"The concert requires me to play together with other students, which improves my teamwork skills and makes me more confident."
--Y5 David
Year 4 Michael is the lead erhu player in the Primary School. Of both Chinese and American heritage, Michael was attracted by the charming sound of the erhu that he heard when passing by someone playing the instrument on the side of the road. He decided to learn how to play erhu in school with the support of his parents. He shared: “I made some mistakes during practice, but when it came time to perform onstage, everything went smoothly. This is what I am happiest about.”
This year's concert coincided with the Middle School’s Art Week with the theme of “The Stream of Arts,” bringing everyone a rich audiovisual extravaganza.
The large-scale hanging pottery installation “Jupiter Symphony” (No. 41 in C major, K. 551 by Mozart) is displayed right at the entrance of the art corridor on the fifth floor. Visitors to the installation can listen to the symphony with earphones and appreciate this pottery work that corresponds to the musical score.
The work "The Planets" was inspired by Holst Gustav Theodor’ssymphony of the same name. To enhance the olfactory experience of this work, Year 7 students used essential oils to produce various fragrances, and placed them next to it. Visitors to the exhibit could choose the fragrance they preferred for each planet. Visitors were delighted by the intense sensory experience produced by the students’ creativity.
“I have come a long way as an artist since primary school. The encouragement of my teacher at the time helped me to gain confidence,
and I am surprised and touched to see my present work featured in the school’s art exhibition. Looking at the way
my work is being exhibited, it is hard to believe I have improved so much, and it really has helped me gain confidence."
--Y7 Steve
"Every student's work is a labor of love, imbuing this exhibition with vitality and creativity.
What moves me is not the specific color, but the overall diligence evident in everyone’s work."
-- Y7 Ima
The crossover element of this year’s Primary School Winter Concert is reflected in a poster designed by Year 5 Kate: “The work looks like a galaxy overgrown with plants, but what I really want to express is that each plant represents my good memories of the concert.”
The Middle School string ensemble’s passionate performance of "Swedish Rhapsody” was especially moving. It featured more than 60 performers spanning three years, and brought the Winter Concert to a rousing conclusion. Year 7 Tiffany said: "It was really a sight to behold; I have never seen so many of my classmates performing together at the same time.”
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The unique design of the music teaching space at Hongqiao showcases Pao School’s integration of Chinese and Western music education. At the center of the Infinite Music Center stands two pillars, one adorned with musical notes from Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” and the other with Peking Opera masks. Decorating the walls are photos of graduates of the three Pao School campuses performing drama and musical concerts. A special thanks to the donors of the Pao School Foundation for their generous support which has helped create an excellent overall learning environment for the students.
In addition to the violins from Philip Sohmen’s collection, other
musical instruments the students are learning also displayed
Ten-faced gongs and five-tone drums from the Songjiang campus
Chinese folk instruments the pipa and zhongruan from the Wuding campus
Western brass instruments French horn and trumpet
Chinese folk music instruments also from the Songjiang campus
Musical instruments from different countries with distinct local
characteristics (such as from different ethnic groups and cultures)
Pao School’s founders have worked assiduously on the design of each campus. At the Violin Exhibition unveiling ceremony, Philip Sohmen urged the students to enhance their appreciation of art and culture while enjoying the new buildings and facilities. Learning music should not stop at the practice of instruments. Rather, students should also explore the deeper meaning behind the instruments. By focusing on the long and storied history of violin craftsmanship, they will then have a fuller understanding of these instruments, as well as the culture and history of music. This is the core ethos of whole-person education.
Philip Sohmen pointed out that the violins on display here are not just for ornamental purposes: It is there as a reminder to students to practice diligently. Students who perform especially well in competitions and other performances will gain the opportunity to play the violins on display. It is hoped that these ancient musical instruments that have endured centuries can imbue the students with vitality, just as the annual Winter Concert does, with different musical performances each year. It is a musical journey during which students evolve, ultimately carrying on music education’s legacy and spirit of innovation at Pao School.
