I was really struck by the value placed in Classical music and how that valued developed overtime.  I think it is interesting that since China has done a better job of containing Covid and because of state support of the arts that the West is going to need to rely on China to keep classical music and symphonic music alive during this pandemic.  What we fund is what we value so this demonstrates alot about Chinese values.

China's use of classical music as  "soft power". China's heavy consumption of Classical music, due to its 1 billion possible consumers, has saved Classical music from near extinction save for aficionados of: chamber music, orchestral performances, and operas.

China's relentless pursuit of "high culture" through Classical music seems anathema to the Cultural Revolution that derided it. With the "One Child Policy" in different regions of China, parents felt that it was their duty to raise a child who excelled in everything: academics, music, sports. Though realistically speaking every child, no matter how bright, can be valedictorian. Chinese lead the way in Classical music consumption as a reflection of their upward economic mobility in the world.

Music, in and of itself is always changing and developing, giving its own interpretation to the listener. Psychologically speaking, music takes us to places of exhuberance and rememberance, easing the process of pain in its wake. For some listeners, heavy metal releases the rage, while others extole the virtures of big band music, pop music, jazz, classical, and gospel. 

For students who do not like history, music is a great way to engage them.

Yo Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble provides an excellent musical map of the Silk Road(s) through East Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East and Africa.

"The development of the SSO tracks the shifting sands of Shanghai’s interface with external cultures."

Music gave Chinese people an outlet of choice, but also a connection to the rest of the world. Classical music was exotic when it first arrived in China, as were its instruments. It is common for any culture to take food, art, music from afar and make it its own. China has accomplished this.

A few psychologists opine that babies and toddlers who listen to classical music (Bach, etc.) have better math and science aptitude.

Music evokes emotion. For many, playing music or listening to music provides escapism. Perhaps this is why learning to play Classical music took hold in China. It served as a form of rebellion and sabotage against govenmment imposed restrictions in addition to the common pressures of life.

Though Chinese consider classical music a reflection of high society, Russians consider jazz music and Louie Armstrong just as valuable. Some Classical music purists view jazz as a cacaphony of mindless folly, however, if one were to study jazz in its history and composition, it is far more complicated than classical concertos.

If music is form of rebellion, then jazz is a coop.

Russia, by comparison, leans heavily towards jazz, though its classical composers, like Rachmoninov, are numerous. One modern Russian jazz composer was facinated by the ecclectic rhthym of jazz.  It's the notes that you don't play that makes jazz so unique. With its variations, jazz was an escape from Russia's classical, marching band, nationalistic style of instrumental music that is typical in the former (USSR) Russia and China.

Students are always ready to discuss music, what they like, etc. There musical tastes spread far beyond ethnomusicology to trap, rap, punk, etc. A lesson on ethnomusicology would be a great way to introduce China, Korea and the like using a comparative model. I would include the rebellious nature of music as well to explain how music, even classical music, was used as a form of political and social protest in China. Dynastic Chinese rule and the resultant Cultlural Revolution are great examples of this type of protest. Chance the Rapper is very poetic in his discourse of social issues.

Students can discuss and write about current forms of popular music that serve as protestations to current events.

Personally, I have always enjoyed Classical music as a way to reflect, relax, and decompress.

I have found that Chinese students and Russian students love classical music, but also enjoy other forms of music as well. "Old things have become new" as "nerdy" pursuits have become cool again.

There is no doubt that music plays a great role in the identity of China and the crossing of boundaries that took place and still takes place in our lives.  The influence of early missionaries on the musical scene in China makes me wonder about the music that emerged at a later time.  The introduction of the instrument Clavichord also gave place to a new style of music.  As I was listening to the different pieces of music played during the sessions, I had the opportunity to reflect on the other music that I listen to and I wonder how many of those pieces have being influenced by East Asian music roots.

I was immediately intrigued by the running theme of the Chinese selecting role models who had to overcome adversity.  This is a theme that transcends all borders and boundaries.  One of the examples given was Beethoven.  This is a very familiar musician to most Americans so it would be very easy to use the Little Music Magazine from 1905 as a way to draw connections and parallels.

I appreciated the sharing of many examples of music and artistis throughout history.  My understanding of western classical music is very limited.  I would have benefited if the professors could have taken one classical chinese song and pointed out what attributes make it "Chinese" versus "Western" in its sound/format.  

Heartbreaking to hear how the cultural revolution impacted the music community.

As the second presentation dove into the 20th century, I wondered eagerly whether Ms. Melvin and Prof. Cai would talk about "The Butterfly Lovers." I grew up hearing it in movies and my parents had a recording of it. It's a lovely piece of music, and I think very accessible for being a "classical" piece composed in the mid-20th century when Western composers were experimenting with electronic sounds (John Cage) and tones (Schoenberg). Did "The Butterfly Lovers" ever cross over to become popular in the US? If not, why?

I'm interested in exploring the works of some of the composers referenced and interviewed in the NYT article ("The Sound of New Music is Often Chinese"), and exploring how they incorporate folk music into their modern compositions. Would they be similar to the way Bulgarian composers rearranged and reharmonized folk tunes for state-sponsored choirs in the 50s? Or maybe folk elements are woven in more subtly the way Dvořák did with rhythms, melodies, etc? It'd be interesting to use pieces for listening exercises in music classes, to compare how different elements (timbre, rhythm, haronies, structure, etc.) signal different cultures and explore how we learned to associate them as such.

What really surprised/intrigued me about this lesson was how much music impacted the development of China. Through most of our own schooling in regards to China, we learned about their social/political turmoil and how they became an economic power but classical music was never given any form of credit (at least in my early education). To hear that western classical music and art had such an important role in China is new to me because I had always been under the impression that, historically, China had largely isolated itself from much of the outside world and developed its own culture without much help from the outside; of course the Silk Road and other trade routes helped established the country's wealth, but I didn't realize how much their culture, policies, and economy were molded by their reliance on western artforms.