Subject: Panel discussion about teaching qin in the modern age
Time: Sunday July 17th, 3 pm to 6 pm EDT
Location: Zoom Meeting
Live-streaming Video 會議直播錄影: https://youtu.be/-cW6HhcMSyI
1. Guest Guqin playing – Didi Ananda Sushiila (a Taiwanese yoga nun of Ananda Marga in Brazil) – playing and singing Yángguān sāndié 陽關三疊.
2. Panel Discussion ( 170 minutes )
- Andre Ribeiro 林柏儒 – Qin Learning Inquiry
- Alan Yip 葉沛霖 and students, Susannah Miller and Ms. Sarah Bryant– Alan talked about his thoughts and his students shared some feedback of their learning experiences.
- Shuishan Yu 于水山 and his students Ms. Bei Yu 于蓓, Ms. Qing Han 韓慶, and Ms. Fei Han 韓菲- Shuishan talked about his experience with Zoom guqin classes and his students shared their feedback of qin learning experiences.
- Peiyou Chang 張培幼 and students, Mr. Dan Reid and Mr. Andrea Lioy – Her experience teaching guqin nowadays (omitted due to limited time) and students’ feedback of their learning experiences.
- Prof. Mingmei Yip 葉明媚 – From Private Studio to the Concert Stage — Literati Versus Conservatory Transmission (As Mingmei’s request, we blurred her slides.)
3. End Comment – Marilyn Wong Gleysteen
Questions from Andre Ribeiro
- For you, what does studying and teaching Qin music mean today? 你覺得現今教琴與學琴的意義是甚麼?
- Considering the Chinese long past of Qin music, how do you proceed to teach it in the modern world? 考慮到中國古琴音樂的悠久歷史，您如何著手在現代世界教授它？
- Do you consider the students’ native culture, Chinese and non-Chinese, relevant to qin study? If yes, in which sense? Can you give examples? 你認為學生的本土文化，中國和非中國，對學琴有影響嗎？ 如果有，在什麼意義上？ 你能舉例說明嗎？
- If there is one, how do you measure the impact of social media on Qin teaching? 如果有，您如何衡量社交媒體對古琴教學的影響？
Points and questions from Peiyou and Marilyn
With the traditional guqin tablature, it is difficult for students to grasp the sense of rhythm in learning. But the guqin scores with marked rhythms for students, especially those with a western music background, tend to cause students to rely on, and play according to the score, rather than imitating the teacher’s rhythm. The sense of traditional guqin rhythm is often missing . 傳統的古琴指法譜，學生在學習中不易掌握節奏感。 但是對於標示節奏的古琴樂譜, 學生,尤其是有西方音樂背景的學生，往往會依賴於它，并按其節奏演奏，而不是模仿老師的節奏。 傳統古琴音樂的節奏感因而漸漸消失。
Should the expression of self-style be encouraged, or should the expression of self-style be suppressed until the teacher’s style is fully mastered? (Similar to the learning of Chinese calligraphy where students practice by copying many calligraphy models, then develop their own style over the years.) 應該鼓勵自我風格的表達，還是應該抑制自我風格的表達，直到完全掌握老師的風格？(如同學習書法, 先臨帖多年之後發展出自我風格. )
Conclusion: Based on my Chinese culture training and my own learning experience, I tend to request students try to copy the masters’ playing first then develop their own style over the years. At the same time, the teacher individualizes the teaching approach to each student’s aptitude, personality and interest, and the teacher’s way of explanation of the sense of guqin rhythm and the aesthetics are more important now. So the students will understand why and what and how to copy. 結論：現在老師對因材施教及對古琴節奏感和美學的解釋方式更為重要。– Peiyou Chang
Reflections on Peiyou’s points Marilyn raised the following questions:
Does combining guqin fingering notation with western scoring lead to the decline of “classical” guqin playing? 古琴指法與西方樂譜相結合，是否會導致“古典”古琴演奏的衰落?
What do qin teachers and learners think about learning directly from tablature and imitating one’s teacher (including listening to recordings of older qin players), compared to learning from tablature with western scoring with barlines, and given pitches and rhythm? 請問琴師們和學生們, 對於直接從有標示音高、節奏,小節線的西方樂譜學習琴樂, 和模仿老師來學習琴樂（包括聽老琴家演奏的錄音）相比較之下, 你們有何看法？
A qin student’s feedback (Re. Andre’s Q1)
Dear Respectful Teachers,
My name is Tracy Li from Guang Dong Province, China. I am currently living in Kansas City, Missouri. Since 2010, I have been studying and practicing Spiritual formation, Tibetan Buddhism – Bonismo, and I have also been exposed to Taoist philosophy. I express my humble opinion here from the perspective of practice to cultivate myself. Please give your advice.
Guqin is becoming more and more popular nowadays. In a sense, it is welcome. Guqin is no longer a mysterious instrument out of reach. At the same time, the popularity of the guqin has allowed more people to come into contact with and learn Chinese traditional culture. In my heart, the guqin is not just an ancient musical instrument. It carries the wisdom of Chinese culture for thousands of years. It is a magical instrument. It is said that the guqin existed as early as the Fuxi period (around 2000 BC). The qin has acted as a magic tool that links all things in the universe. I have a deep awe for the guqin, just as I do for all things in the universe. Every piece of music, I connect with all things in the universe.
I think the guqin is a very special instrument. In addition to the knowledge of rhythm and playing skills, the player must also implant cultural heritage. When I was young, I thought that if I didn’t read books, I wasn’t be able to understand life; but later I discovered that if I didn’t understand life, I actually couldn’t understand many books. In the same way, I believe that if I do not understand life, I will not be able to understand the sound of the qin as well. Since I started to learn the guqin in 2016, some people have asked me, why do I want to learn the guqin? What keeps me motivated? When I chose to learn the qin, from the very beginning, I studied it with the attitude of practice, just like my attitude towards practicing Buddhism. I hope that through the guqin, in the impetuous and complex world, on the triviality of everyday matters of daily life, I can have a place to live in the depths of my soul, nourish and enjoy my body and mind. Every time I play the qin, I can face every state of emotion within myself. All emotions are fully revealed in the sound of the qin, so that I can see my true self and examine myself. I think that I will insist on learning the qin all my life, not seeking fame and fortune, but hoping to become a better version of myself.
Re. Should the expression of self-style be encouraged, or should the expression of self-style be suppressed until the teacher’s style is fully mastered?
Andre Ribeiro 林柏儒 commented on 7/24/2022: Yes, copying the master’s style does not necessarily mean suppressing the student’s individuality. It could mean opening the path for developing them in the future. Mastering the teacher’s style is a valid (ancient) way of understanding the heritage of Qin transmission and locating themselves in a continuous, uninterrupted history. It will strengthen the sense of belonging. By copying the masters’ style, the student can get to know his limitations better and observe how the masters react using it to their advantage. Furthermore, by copying masters, the students can avoid stressing hard to accomplish their style artificially, out of time. Personality will flourish naturally in cultivated soil.
Click to read the discussion which was exchanged by Email
Click to read the Zoom chat room record
Attendance
Alan Yip, Joao Oliveria, Juni Yeung, Lawrence Kaster, Andre Lioy, Marilyn Wong Gleysteen, Peiyou Chang, Mingmei Yip, Stephen Dydo, Ralph Knag, Andre Riberiro, Andreia Alves , Mandy Szostek, Shushan Yu, John Thompson, Vicki Huang, Sze Ning Chng, Qing Han 韓慶, Lan Chen, Kevin Lee, Erika Chen, Ingo Heindirk, Judy Magaha, Gabby Wen, Dan Reid, Didi Ananda Sushiila, Shanny Li, Susannah Miller, Char Chi Teng 鄧家齊, Bill Mak, Bei Yu 于蓓, Cen Yan, Juliana Wu, Sarah Bryant , Fei Han 韓菲, 葉憶來, JC (unable to confirm)