|
Post by jetz320 on Oct 8, 2006 3:34:26 GMT
Hi everyone! I love these instruments more and more everyday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want to study more and more and it's so interesting!!! I want to go to a conservatory when I'm around 16 or so. Is that possible? Could I just take summer courses? And what are some of the best conservatories for erhu and dizi? I only know of Beijing and Central (Is that right?). Does anyone have information on this? It will be greatly appreciated!!!!
|
|
|
Post by calden on Oct 8, 2006 5:01:50 GMT
I think a good course of action for you would be to take a summer language course in Beijing or Shanghai, and find a good erhu teacher, before you go, and study while there. I would definitely advocate language study along with music study to really immerse yourself in the culture. You'll have a blast.
Carlos
|
|
|
Post by Charlie Huang on Oct 8, 2006 9:27:58 GMT
Shanghai Conservatory is also good.
|
|
|
Post by song on Oct 9, 2006 2:59:19 GMT
If you're really serious about it, I can help to arrange lessons with the professors in Shanghai/Beijing conservatories.
Thanks, Sung Wah
|
|
|
Post by wanggx on Oct 9, 2006 11:11:38 GMT
Can you arrange for learners from Singapore too?
|
|
|
Post by jetz320 on Oct 9, 2006 14:30:17 GMT
That would be so cool!!!! I'd have to do a lot of studying then!!! Would I have to learn Mandarin then?
|
|
|
Post by calden on Oct 9, 2006 14:43:37 GMT
Jetz320 :
If you went to Beijing or Shanghai, you wouldn't HAVE to learn Mandarin, but if you learned even a little, and took language courses while there, it would help your erhu studies immensely. It would also greatly increase your enjoyment of being there, and for the most part people will love you for it. You will get much more into the culture by doing so.
You could start preparing for an eventual study there by pursuing Chinese here, now. Living in teh Bay Area you've got a gazillion (or more) resources to learn Chinese (and erhu for that matter.) Even a buy-at-the-bookstore travel guide with a CD will get you acclimated to the four famous tones (sisheng) and get some vocabulary in your brain. If you could audit a college course in Chinese 101 you'll pick it up in no time. DO NOT believe the common American myth that Chinese is difficult to learn. This country is still suffering from many 19th century misconceptions of Asian culture, and that's one of them.
I envy your position! You've got the interest and drive and youth to do this. I know of several young people in my city who had an interest in Japanese culture starting in middle school and sought out language classes and cultural opportunities. One of them is a kid of 17 who is now teaching elementary Japanese in college, and has lived there on and off. He just wanted to do it and applied himself, and because he was young and enthusiastic he got lots of help and encouragement along the way. THe Japanese who come to this university just love him.
I tried to pitch Chinese as a viable, modern language to my kids' high school by talking to the coordinator of the languages program. This college educated language expert said, totally without irony, "But there are so many dialects...which one would you teach?"
Carlos
|
|
|
Post by jetz320 on Oct 9, 2006 21:06:46 GMT
Thanks Carlos. I speak Cantonese. Although I'm not fluent, I plan to take Mandarin classes offered in high school. My parents and grandparents speak fluent Cantonese and Mandarin, so they could help me out. And many things about erhu I know in Chinese since my erhu instructor explains the name of a technique in Mandarin and then explains in english. But I might start learning Mandarin soon. Also, the erhu is starting to be a big thing in my life. I'm studing erhu a lot. I've attended about 4 classes so far and the teacher said that I just have to work on the bow technique of Racing Horses and I can get into the most advanced group for erhu in my orchestra. It's not simple though. A conservatory would be so interesting. Learning from the masters and mastering the instruement for me is like a must in my life right now. So they have summer courses at Conservatories in Beijing and Shanghai?
|
|
|
Post by calden on Oct 9, 2006 21:32:07 GMT
Find syburn on this forum - he is living in Shanghai and studying guqin. I'm sure he could help out with getting information about what's available. My impression is that you'd probably want to exercise all the guanxi you could and find a private teacher, but I'd bet there are lots of summer institutes, especially for Huaqiao.
Cantonese, huh? I learned to say "M'ho gang gangdong wa" or "Bu hui jeang Guang Dong hua." to impress my southern Chinese friends, but more than four tones and my brain starts frying. Are you from Oakland? My wife's Aunt grew up in Oakland Chinatown and speaks Cantonese, but never learned Mandarin or to write characters. When we were dating before marriage, mid-1980's, we'd go down to some of the dim sum places in Oakland on a weekly basis. Since then we've tried dimsum in Hong Kong, Guanzhou, Taiwan, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC, and only the Vancouver and Taiwan places have compared favorably with those little Oakland places.
Carlos
|
|
|
Post by Charlie Huang on Oct 9, 2006 23:41:02 GMT
TBH, I was thinking of doing guqin at Shanghai...
|
|
|
Post by song on Oct 10, 2006 3:13:29 GMT
Yes Wanggx. Just give me a call, drop me mail or just drop by my shop and we can talk about it.
Jetz, if you know a bit of mandarin it'll definitely help in your studies in China. Then your teacher can explain to you as well as show you.
|
|
|
Post by Si on Oct 10, 2006 12:29:23 GMT
I think its common to get to the conservatory a bit early for extra chinese lessons so that when you start the course you will have some basic knowlwdge. Anyway seem you are not a new comer to the language so I think you will be Ok.
Im sure all infor should be obtainable on the internet - but maybe i can help somehow. I think they have dorms for foreign students to live in too.
BTW shanghai conservatory is a bit of a construction site at the mo, but the proposed finished complex looks brill!
t'other week i even saw a new guqin lesson / shop just down the road from the conservatory.
|
|
|
Post by Charlie Huang on Oct 10, 2006 12:31:19 GMT
|
|
|
Post by jetz320 on Oct 10, 2006 22:06:38 GMT
Thanks guys. I hope I will get a chance in the near future. Not at the moment though. I'm still enjoying the last of my childhood. '_'
|
|
|
Post by jetz320 on Oct 10, 2006 23:51:31 GMT
Also, how are the schedules like. I'm pretty sure you don't just take a lesson each day. So you have a lesson, studies of music, etc. What are those? Thanks!
|
|
|
Post by Si on Oct 11, 2006 13:30:22 GMT
I thought you were planning to study in London!
I imaging the other all cost might be cheaper to study in Shanghai - not to mention all the experts here!
|
|
|
Post by Charlie Huang on Oct 11, 2006 15:57:34 GMT
Pft! I want to do an MMus Performance at SOAS but they said I don't have much (music) qualifications for them to accept me! I probably could get in if I do MMus Ethnomusicology, but I still have to do a lot.
My other option is Sheffield to do an MA Ethnomusicology or MMus Research degree. I've sent them an e-mail to see if I have a chance with my current credentials; no reply yet...
If I can't get in to either, Shanghai is my last option. Surely they'll accept me (plus, good chance to make connections in preparation for my PhD thesis on qin construction in the future).
|
|
|
Post by Si on Oct 11, 2006 16:31:47 GMT
qin construction - wow are you planing to make your own qins someday?
|
|
|
Post by Charlie Huang on Oct 11, 2006 17:17:32 GMT
Yep.
|
|
|
Post by edcat7 on Aug 18, 2011 22:08:42 GMT
I dreamt of learning at a conservatory. Before I found my music teacher I trawled the net for a hulusi teacher. I found one place in San Fransisco and another place up in the Wudan mountains.
However with a weekly lesson and every spare minute inbetween practicing I don't need to go to a conservatory. It seems the Chinese music world is very small. He knows directly or through another friend professors in Shanghai and Beijing.
He's probably just saying it but he said when my dizi playing is competent he will introduce me to his friends. I have but don't make use of my wife's airline concessionary fares.
|
|
|
Post by edcat7 on Aug 18, 2011 22:12:16 GMT
If I was jetz320 I'd be in China now, what an exciting vibrant place Shanghai is!
|
|