Music has been hailed as “the universal language of mankind” as it exists in every society, with and without words. One of the main elements for music are musical instruments. Learning an instrument requires discipline, perseverance, and concentration, which are the same skills needed for academic success and beyond. Learning an instrument also enhances social skills, as children are required to listen and adjust to other players to be "in tune" with the others in the orchestra. Therefore, our school teaches students how to play the violin as early as kindergarten.
As children progress to higher grades, children learn more about various elements of music such as rhythm, melody, harmony, etc. as they delve deeper into music from different cultures and backgrounds through various types of instruments. Ultimately, students challenge themselves by taking international music examinations, such as the preparatory and Grade 1 violin examinations administered by the National College of Music, London.
A large part of appreciating music is making it. That is why we have chosen the violin as the basic vehicle for teaching music in our music curriculum. While our violin curriculum is premised on the violin examination syllabus for the preparatory grade of the National College of Music, London, it is not necessary for children to take the exam if they do not want to.
Children are taught not only the basics of violin playing, but they also get to play together in the kindergarten string orchestra on campus. We are the first in China to adopt such a cutting-edge approach to teaching music, and we are extremely proud of that fact.
