Art education in a Chinese village school

By Zhang Lulu: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, September 30, 2014

The orchestra of the Duan Village Primary School puts on a performance on Sept.13, the first day of the school term. [Photo/China.org.cn]

When a string of melodious music began drifting through the air in Duan Village Primary School, the sponsors of the art education program were convinced that their work had paid off.

Duan Village is located in northern China's Hebei province. Like most villages in China, broad streets and well-furnished houses are not often seen. Art performance and art education are even rarer. But now, thanks to assistance from charities, it has now become a reality.

Several charity foundations took part in a program that renovated the campus more than three years ago. Rebuilt from three dilapidated schools, the Duan Village School started construction in 2011 and now can house over 1200 students. It has become a landmark in the village.

Apart from well-equipped classroom buildings, the school also has professional ballet dance rooms and vocal training rooms, which are not often found in some city schools, let alone village schools.

Students there can not only study required courses, but also attend arts courses such as orchestral music, fine arts, ballet dance and drama.

Art performances as school opens

The art courses in the school started on Sept.13, when the students put on an art show.

Under the guidance from a professional dancing academy, the students presented classics such as the Swan Lake and also dances they devised themselves.

After the dance, 54 students from the school's orchestra team performed the "Ode to Joy," part of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

The 40 minute performance by the orchestra and the chorus included both Chinese folk songs and Western classics, bringing some of the audience who had come from the country's capital to watch the performance to tears.

After the orchestral performance, Liu Yipeng, one of the performers, was awarded with a clarinet. She held the instrument tight in her arms.

“The students' instruments only cost a few hundred yuan. The quality is not that good; you can hear some noises. I hope I can give every one of them a quality instrument so that they can play better.” said Li Feng, founder of the Hefeng Art Foundation, a sponsor of the art education program.

“Art has a particular power. I hope my foundation can promote art education among children in rural areas of China, so that they can become more confident and enjoy the beauty and pleasure that art brings them.” said Li.

Li's foundation aims to bring art education to more village schools in China and provide free art training for teachers.

1 2 3 4 5 Next