Art and culture﹕Instruments aren't just tools

【明報專訊】Hi, I am Chattie. I am a cloud. I have been travelling around the world and have seen a lot of people and places. Last time, I told you I like music. I listen to different kinds of music every day.

Last Saturday night, I flew into a factory building after I had heard some rock music. I was surprised that there was a concert in a factory building. There were some solo singers and more than eight bands. They performed with different musical instruments. Some played the guitar, others played the electric piano or the drums. They all played very well, and the music they played was very special. There was a girl who sang by herself with a tiny ukulele. Her voice was so lovely that she sounded like a bird.

Unlike people in a theatre or a concert hall, the audience there often gave standing ovations. I could see how very much they enjoyed the performances. Many even remained on their feet and moved their bodies with the music throughout the concert. We should enjoy music this way. As the Chinese saying goes, we dance when we listen to music (聞歌起舞).

I can't forget the special experience I had in the factory building. I keep imagining how good it would be if arts were everywhere. Busy adults would stop rushing and enjoy some soft music after working all day long. They would relax and regain their energy before they go home and see their family members. Elderly people would gather together and sing in a park. Then, they wouldn't feel bored or lonesome and would not have to stay home alone all the time. Students would be amazed by the live music they hear in the street. They would broaden their world and think about other things than their online games, homework and exams.

There will be thousands of advantages if arts are really everywhere, especially in a busy city like Hong Kong. I have read that Hong Kong is the busiest city in China. In my view, that is quite horrible. That means many Hong Kong people live to work. Please give them some arts before they lose themselves in the material world. There should be artists performing in streets, under trees, in the subway, in train stations, in restaurants, in shopping malls, in factories, in parks and any other places you can imagine.

I have heard many children are learning to play different kinds of musical instruments in Hong Kong. Some learn to play the violin, while others the erhu. Some learn the trumpet, while others the suona. That sounds good but, at the same time, I have heard many children cry and are stressed out when they learn to play instruments. This is because they do so to get into good secondary schools, to seem better than other children or to show they are cultural. Of course, it is not they but their parents that set such goals. Their parents believe that would do them good. The fact is that many such children will never touch their instruments again after they've finished their music exams or quit their school bands.

What a pity it is if children who play instruments do not enjoy making or listening to music. In my experience, a child who loves playing an instrument will keep practising and looking for opportunities to perform because he loves "playing with" his instrument, which is his friend.

I have now to join a concert in a rooftop. See you soon. Let's keep looking for ways to bring music to everyone.

■Vocabulary

rock music 搖滾音樂

musical instrument 樂器

guitar 結他

electric piano 電子琴

drum 鼓

ukulele 夏威夷小結他

violin 小提琴

erhu 二胡

trumpet 小號

suona 嗩吶

◆Jeffrey Chan

An artist, theatre director and English teacher.

He is interested in breaking frames in his living, direction and teaching.

A co-founder of Sparky Creative.

◆Travis Ying

An artist, theatre stage designer, illustrator and registered teacher.

He is interested in spotting arts in daily life and he cannot stop sketching at meetings.

The creator of Chatties and Friends, a co-founder of Sparky Creative.

(c) Copyright 2015 Chatties & Friends. All rights reserved.