January 13

Someone once said that “Music is the Universal Language” and it was this exact quote that carried me through the musical aspect of our trip. It was so interesting to hear and learn about the Chinese Orchestra. There are two important aspects of Chinese music and these are religion and folk. This is interesting because it seems to be a common trait throughout HK and I am sure China's entirety. The instruments in the orchestra are very similar to that of Western instruments. The orchestra consists of four sections: bowed-strings, plucked-strings, woodwind and percussion. During the rehearsal I asked if I could see a score. It was amazing how I was able to follow along. It was through the conductor's gesture and expression that I was able to follow him and the orchestra. Music is universal, even though I didn't speak the language or play the instrument, the markings whether they be dynamics or tempo were written in the same Italian musical markings that musicians from all over the world can distinguish. That is pretty incredible. Where can we as human beings find any other language that everyone knows and understands?