In Chinese culture, music is an expression of the perfect harmony between the Earth, human beings, and the heavens above. Many ancient Chinese scholars composed music and poetry to praise the moon’s celestial power and its beauty. The Mid-Autumn Festival began in the early Tang Dynasty (618–907). It is now almost as important as Chinese New Year as one of the top traditional Chinese festivals.
The Mid-autumn Festival is associated with the moon and “moon appreciation” (shangyue) parties. This is partly because the moon is at its brightest during this time. This Festival is also known as the Reunion Festival. Not surprisingly, mooncakes, shaped round like the full moon, signify reunion. Origin stories of the festival can be found here.
Called Mid-autumn because it falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, the Festival is on 13 September this year. As you celebrate it, remember the connection between music and the moon – whose eternal nature inspired Chinese artistic tradition.
People always recall this song “The Moon Represents My Heart” during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Given the significance of the moon in Chinese culture, it expresses a love that is unchanging, like the moon. You too can learn how to play this piece on an acoustic guitar or the piano!
Have you always thought the ukulele was for children? Watch the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain play Lady Gaga's Born This Way, live At Sydney Opera House. Ukeleles whether small or large, can play intricate melodies, simple tunes, or complex chords and surprise you with the sound. You'll never look at ukes in the same way after this!
The ukulele is a fun instrument. Some may call the ukulele a toy but it really isn’t a toy at all. It’s a true instrument that you can do wonderful things with. Are you inspired to learn to play the ukulele? You will need to practice to master it, but even when you only know the basics it is already so much fun!
Say what?
For the record, Hawaiian’s say “oo-koo-leh-leh.” So, since the ukulele originated in Hawaii, it makes sense that they get first dibs on how to say it.
If you pronounce ‘ukulele as “you-ka-lay-lee” that's no surprise as this is the most widely used pronunciation outside of Hawaii. Call it what you will but appreciate this four-stringed instrument for what it is and remember its roots!
Fun Facts
The first pineapple ukulele was created by Kamaka, a Hawaiian maker of ukuleles. The idea behind the design was to produce a small ukulele with a fuller and warmer sound. Most pineapple ukuleles have a somewhat flat bottom to them.
VCR4, held on 29 June 2019, comprised lively pop hits from different genres.
Our playlist was an eclectic mix of familiar favourites like Bohemian Rhapsody, Perfect and Rosanna to Chinese, Japanese and K-pop tracks and even a jazzed-up version of Chopsticks and an original teacher-composed Cabbage song!
Click on the link to see more photos of our students lighting up the stage!
Are you feeling inspired? Do you want the experience of playing in a real band in front of a live audience?
Just sign up at Vinnie Classroom and you can be part of a band and join in the fun at our next recital!
2020 promises to be a year of great musical expectations!
Star Wars fans out there will need no reminder that May 4th is Star Wars Day!
Remember too, Yoda’s famous quote:
Do. Or do not. There is no Try (From The Empire Strikes Back).
Commit yourself to something completely, win or lose.
May the Force be with You!
Vinnie’s guitar heroes at the Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentation Guitar Ensemble.
When Practice makes almost Perfect
A big pat on the back for our student,
Nigel Oh who was awarded a distinction
for his Grade 1 Acoustic Guitar exam,conducted by the London College of Music.
Nigel started learning the instrument a
little more than a year ago. Nigel’s teacher
Mr Tan Swee Siang said, “It’s a
pleasure to teach Nigel. He’s a keen learner and
always
interested. I’m seeing talent in him
and I’m proud of his achievement!”
Nigel said, “I feel this sense of accomplishment
and satisfaction for my first exam! I am
determined and looking forward to
master more from my mentor!”
Well done, Nigel!
The fact that Avengers: Endgame was 3 hours long and no one so much as complained says something about this epic superhero movie. We pay tribute to the Avengers theme song which carries so much power and heart. Vinnie Classroom salutes this iconic finale with an acoustic fingerstyle arrangement, so enjoy!
YouTube Drumming Sensation in Singapore German drummer Anika Nilles built up a name for herself with 17 million views of her videos. Anika’s playing style is distinguished by her strong groove, her finesse in technique, and her unique sound! Born into a family of drummers, she started drumming herself at age six. Anika is conducting a Masterclass on 18 May at 6.30pm, B1 Star Plaza at the Star Vista. The event is open to the public. We will be there to watch this drum maestro live in action, so join us if you can!
Upcoming events
14 -16 May Vinnie School Holidays
15 May – 12 June Registration open for ANZCA Exams Series 2
(Speak with your piano teacher if you think you’re ready)
1 May – 25 Sept Registration open for Rockschool Exams Tour C.
(If you want to register let your guitar/drums teacher know)
29 June VCR 4 (watch this space for more details)
10 – 12 June Rockschool Tour B Exams
16 – 18 June Asian Supreme Drum Competition Qualifying Round
Music Facts You Didn’t Know Listening to music while working out can improve performance. It’s true! Music provides an ideal accompaniment when you exercise. Not only does music divert the mind from sensations of fatigue, loud, upbeat music can also
“psych you up”. Musical tempo helps synchronize movements which leads you to perform more efficiently and trains endurance! So next time you work out, choose a
playlist that will make you feel good. And also lets you burn more calories at the same time!
Is your child a Mozart in the making? How does one identify a child prodigy? At some point in parenthood, we all wish that our kid will one day become a child prodigy. But what is a prodigy? Is it possible to cultivate a child prodigy or does it take certain prerequisites? In this article, we discuss how to discover the prodigy in your child and how you can help your child become one.
Step 1: Start early!
LIKE FROM 9 MONTHS OLD!
Recent research show that the golden window for music education starts as early as 9 months old and can significantly enhance a child’s neural response to both speech and music. While music lessons for babies are readily available, bringing an infant for music lessons may seem like a far-fetched idea to some. So here are some ways you can provide your child with music education from the comforts of your own home:
Play soothing and easy-to-listen to music to your child regularly. While listening to the music,
Tap to the beat on their hand (or buttocks if you wish).
Gently move their arms and sway to the rhythm.
Do the good ol’ peek-a-boo but in sync with the beat.
Dance rhythmically in their view as a form of entertainment for them.
Hold their hands and assist them in playing simple rhythms on any percussion.
Let them watch you play a music instrument.
Sing the pitch C when you teach the alphabet C.
The ideas are endless! Simply run a search on Google and see them flood in!
Step 2: Create a musical environment at home!
Studies have shown that children who learn music from young age also show signs of excellence in other aspects of their development. Playing music is like doing a workout for your brain. As we play music, our brain forms signal paths in our nerve system to perform the complex task of playing a piece of music.
Let us illustrate this remarkable process with a step-by-step example:
*Ryan plays the C major scale with 4 correct notes and 4 wrong notes*
Ryan's brain records 8 notes played
*Teacher points the wrong notes out to Ryan*
Ryan's brain updates and replaces the wrong note
*Ryan attempts playing the C major scale again but with 2 wrong notes. Teacher corrects Ryan.*
Ryan's brain updates and replaces the wrong note
*Ryan attempts playing the C major scale once more, and this time he played every note correctly*
*Teacher notes that Ryan has now corrected his neural connections and encourages Ryan to continue practicing to strengthen neural plasticity*
This is an ideal situation where the student learns quickly under a teacher's guidance, usually possible with children who have been exposed to music from as early as 9 months old (as described at Stage 1 of our article). What has happened seems straightforward – the student is able to play correctly soon after the teacher points out the mistakes. However, the underlying process is more complicated than that; it involves the child's cognitive ability to read the music score, converting that information into fine motor skills, receiving feedback from the various sensories (eg. sight, sound and touch) before forming a neural path and then into the memory storage. There are multi-level neural processes that happen simultaneously even though the student only has to play one note at a time, and they take place at various speeds, depending on the child’s brain development (remember the golden window for music education?). Some children are able to acquire new skills after just one lesson while others may some take months. However, it is almost certain that as long as the brain gets its required amount of training, the neural paths will always be able to form to achieve the desired outcome.
In early childhood education, play is crucial. Unstructured play, especially, enhances the child’s brain development and nurtures their creativity when they form their own play rules and come up with solutions to problems.
In early childhood stages, children spend most of their time at home when not in school. By creating a musical environment at home, parents set the stage for creative learning with games like guessing the note, drawing a picture based on what a song makes them feel, pretending to be a rockstar at home, call-and-echo games and creating a dance to a song. The ideas are endless, but it must be noted that it is important parents set aside some time to engage their children.
If parents are equipped with basic music knowledge and are able to engage their children in musical activities right at home, it could be a very rewarding bonding experience that is efficient at the same time. Imagine saving thousands of dollars a year on music education!
This is testing the limits of Dylan’s ears. Dylan has been exposed, from 5 months prenatal,
to the same high information music education system now available in the baby brain training app found at nuryl.com
Our students and teachers put up a fantastic 16-band performance during our 3rd annual recital!
Held at the Gateway Theatre Black Box, VCR3 tracked the different music genres through a timeline that started from the 1940s all the way through to the 21st century! Educational as well as inspirational!
Thank you to all our students and parents... for all the kind words of encouragement, and for giving us the opportunity to showcase what the teachers and students of Vinnie Classroom can achieve together!
VCR2 was held at the iconic Substation, Singapore's first independent contemporary arts centre. A fitting venue for our recital because our students' performances were a diverse range of styles and instruments, allowing them to show what they have learned and how they have improved.
The term brain fitness reflects a hypothesis that cognitive abilities can be maintained or improved by exercising the brain, in analogy to the way physical fitness is improved by exercising the body.
In order for us to be smarter, we need to exercise our brain. This can be achieved through music playing. It is a common sight to see top students doing well in music. It is an equally-common misconception that these students are able to play a musical instrument well because of their ability to study well. Actually, this could work both ways.
There are indeed many ways and methods to do cognitive training but what else can be more fun and enjoyable than picking up a music instrument?
Watch former U.S. President Bill Clinton on the saxophone!
2) CREATIVE THINKING
In music, there is never a one-way path or model answer. Music is an art form and because of that, there are always multiple ways to solve a problem using different approaches! This improves how a child would tackle daily problems – they would be able to come up with various ways to complete a certain task better! Creative thinking is also something that is fundamentally-lacking in most people born and raised in Singapore. Most of us are “model answer” and “10-year series” students. But in life, there is hardly a model answer to things.
Watch our how our lessons are conducted!
3) TEAMWORK AND SOCIAL SKILL
In a musical band, there is no place for anyone to stand in a corner and simply ‘play along’. There is a high need to interact with the other musicians. The next time you see a ‘getai’ performance, take a walk to the back of the stage area where the band is. You’ll be surprised they are able to communicate to each other without the need to talk. The common words used in the music industry to describe this would be “tight” or “solid”. This refers to the band being able to play as one. Try clapping 10 claps with someone next to you now and try doing that with a group of 5 or more. You will realize it gets more difficult as the number of members increases. This is when teamwork comes into play. Behind glamorous stage performances, band members often have to go through multiple conflicts and conflict resolutions. They will learn to exhibit a high level of teamwork as they grow as a band. They will learn how to be more sociable, which in turn increases their EQ level.
Watch the Vinnie Classroom Band perform Mr Big – Nothing But Love! See how important teamwork is in a band!
4) LEADERSHIP SKILL
Needless to say, in order to get a group of people working together, there must be a leader. I’m sure you’ve been into this awful situation where you meet up with a group of friends but have no idea where to head after dinner! This doesn’t mean that everyone will need to fight to be the leader of the band. There’s always the possibility of taking turns to have a say in a band and that’s what playing in a band is about. Students lack sufficient opportunities to develop their leadership skills in a typical classroom environment. Or even, should they join any CCA, they’ll need to be the the selected few in order to have any say. On the contrary, in a typical 4-piece band for instance, your child is responsible for 25% of the overall decision making.
5) GAIN CONFIDENCE AND BE HUMBLE AT THE SAME TIME
There are only a few types of activities that will help your child gain confidence and be humble at the same time, and they are usually extreme sports and the less extreme music. A budding musician will learn that there are many others who can play as well or even better than them. This keeps them checked and forces them to stay humble. They gain confidence by gaining valuable experience from performing their music. Be it on camera or in a live performance setting, their confidence levels increase as they perform.
Watch a performance from our first recital last year!
CONCLUSION:
Here at Vinnie Classroom, we want to empower the next generation through music. We believe music education is the key to bringing out the potential in everyone, young or old. Music lessons can be a great alternative to boring tuition which often comes at a hefty price. If your child has never learned any musical instrument, why not give it a try? If they took lessons but stopped, find out why and encourage them to pick it up again. If you are the child, show this article to your parents and start your musical journey! ☺
We held our inaugural Vinnie Classroom Recital in December 2015 at The Analog Factory. The atmosphere was cosy and family-like and this maiden performance was an unforgettable experience for our students. Definitely a good learning event for us and we have built upon that for our subsequent recitals which have become bigger and better over the years!
interested. I’m seeing talent in him
