Old-time musicians

Clark and Elizabeth Yin began to distribute the printed "Old Symphony Orchestra Chorus Textbook".

Watching the boys and girls holding them on the table and flipping through them as if they were treasures, Fanning's eyes were in a trance.

He remembered himself in his previous life.

At that time, he was studying in a comprehensive university without an art major. When the freshmen reported, the first thing they did was to join the college choir with great enthusiasm. Then they found that the chorus performance of these people was that the sound system played, the male voice played once, the female voice played once, and then they played together once.

The only separated voice part should be the high octave or the low octave.

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Fanning was shocked. Is this a choir? It's more like a "chorus".

It was also related to the teacher's inaction and his incompetence towards everyone, but fortunately, the year he joined, the school just established an art center and replaced a new chorus conductor. This music teacher was not a famous artist. Looking back now, he was a person between "moth" and "bridegroom", but he was professionally trained, experienced, and responsible.

Fanning joined the group as a piano accompanist (artistic director). After he became familiar with the teacher through his skills, he proposed to him to promote the "Koda Yin teaching method" - that was a byproduct of his study of Western music history.

Koda Yin graduated from the Liszt Academy of Music, yes, the school named after Liszt. He and another master Bartok were close friends. The two were committed to promoting Hungarian folk music education. When he designed this system, he defaulted to being able to accommodate the worst start for children.

——Born in poverty and humbleness, without the influence of a musical family, with a chaotic family education, even the cultural level and understanding of language and numbers are problematic, far less than those pampered aristocratic children.

Those children really find it difficult to understand fixed pitch, key signature, interval, rhythm duration, etc.

This method breaks the dependence on the piano and relies entirely on tapping into the students' inner hearing. It uses the five-line notation and music theory knowledge as a means of later accumulation, rather than a threshold for strangers to stay away from in the early stage.

Fanning searched for information on the Internet and the library, compiled teaching plans, and relied on this system to cooperate with the conductor teacher. In less than two semesters, the level of the choir was raised from zero, and the repertoire style was gradually enriched. Later, he successfully led two classes of younger students to win awards in provincial competitions, and the name of "God" gradually began to spread.

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Those students who listened to the stage of the cultural and artistic activities also suddenly found that, wow, it turns out that a real chorus sounds like this! Not to mention other styles, even folk songs or pop songs can be arranged to create a refreshing effect!

For the first time, Fanning personally felt how great and pleasant it was to open people's ears and hearts to contact solemn music.

This is the original intention. But in an overall impetuous environment, the narrative seems too grand and a bit "pretentious", and he has never shared this feeling with anyone.

Keywords such as fun, interest, expanding social circles, and finding a place to practice piano for free are enough to express his motivation in casual chats.

He became famous and received attention from school leaders, which led to the establishment of a student symphony orchestra later, and he was able to have more valuable practical experience.

But this system, except for pilot projects in individual regions or schools at that time, did not seem to be taken seriously in the overall music education in the country.

Especially in the popularization of art in non-professional fields.

After the choir became famous, there were several exchanges with other schools. He went to several junior high schools with good admission rates, but the musical literacy of most students was simply terrible, including many people who had learned specialties since childhood and had "childhood skills" in certain instruments. The latter could not read the five-line score and play the test songs very well, but they did not know much else, unless they were preparing for the music major.

The most impressive thing was that when he tested a class of 52 people, he found that 44 people could not sing the unfamiliar song score. He also selected 6 students who sang popular songs well and asked them to sing the harmony part of the familiar songs. Only 1 person could sing a fragment.

But what could he do? At that time, Fanning could only influence one school, a small group, a slightly larger audience, and a few years.

Seeing Clark and Elizabeth Yin waiting for his instructions after the distribution, Fanning took a deep breath and came back to his senses:

"I have already annotated all aspects of this teaching method in great detail. Both of you are excellent academics, so it should not be difficult to implement it."

"I will give you a simple demonstration of the contents of each unit."

Clark and Elizabeth Yin each held their own books, and just like marking the key points before the exam, they continued to add the key points shown by Fanning.

The first unit started with a few simple vocal exercises, and then they found that there were illustrations on it. It was the sign language used by Fanning before to indicate the pitch - one of the most important components of the Koda Yin teaching method: "Kirwin Signs".

They not only contain seven original notes, but also five raised and lowered notes.

In addition to pitch, there is a set of colloquial syllables that indicate rhythm, which Fanning also demonstrated.

He asked the boys and girls to follow him and tap the table slowly, and then everyone made some distinctive and simple syllables together:

"ta-a-a-a" "ta-a-ta-a" "ta-ta-ta-ta"

Clark and Elizabeth immediately knew that it was first a whole note, then split into two half notes, and then into four quarter notes.

Then Fan Ning's speed became faster and faster, and his expression became more and more enthusiastic.

"ti-ti--" "ti-ri-ti-" These are eighth notes and sixteenth notes.

His expression took on a hint of interest.

"ti-ta--ti-" "ta-m-ti-" This is a syncopated rhythm pattern and a dotted rhythm pattern.

Finally, there were several practical and fun tapping games, such as asking them to find four different ways to "make noise". So in addition to tapping the table, they also chose to stamp their feet, clap their hands and tap their fingernails. Fanning had them each occupy different positions of "ta-ta-ta-ta," then rotated and emphasized different accent pianissimo.

The children in the audience had a great time.

As experts, Clark and Elizabeth Yin suddenly realized in surprise that Fan Ning had almost not taught them any music theory knowledge so far!

Yes, the composer who could write the First Symphony and so many shocking large-scale works

In the "Introduction to Harmony" course, this musician came up with various professional terms and examples from masters at his fingertips, and made professors and scholars listen attentively in the audience.

At this moment, he didn't even talk about how to read the pitch of the staff, how to recognize the key signature, how to count intervals, or the difference between the duration of whole notes, half notes, and quarter notes!

But the group of teenagers and girls in the audience not only sang a decent chord progression, but also hit a very accurate beat.

And many of them had their faces flushed with excitement.

"Professor Fan Ning, your alternative teaching plan for music reading is so creative!" Clark exclaimed with sincere admiration.

"Alternative plan for reading music?" Fan Ning smiled and shook his head, "No, it's not as simple as you think. These pitch sign language and rhythmic syllables are not just for reading music."

“They are an important part of choral training and choral conducting methods, and you will come to realize that they can still play a huge role even in a professional choral performance.”

The second unit is the teaching of first-melody solfa using a large number of folk songs as material.

But here, Fan Ning asked them not only to sing, but also to "listen" and "write"!

During the demonstration, Fan Ning made a set of melodies in sign language. He only sang the first note and asked the students in the audience to watch and memorize it. However, they were not allowed to sing out the sound. Instead, under the guidance of spiritual guidance, they sang " Inner Hearing Training”, sing it one last time.

He also demonstrated on the blackboard, teaching students how to "dictate" these pitches and rhythms and write them on paper as prompts.

It doesn't matter even if you are illiterate, because the set of symbols is also very simple and highly visual.

Starting from the polyphonic chorus teaching demonstration in the third unit, the two discovered that Fan Ning's entry point was a training that he called "stubborn accompaniment."

For example, the first example is a song called "Two Tigers". Lisa Yin recognized that this seemed to be the major-key version of the theme of the third movement of Fan Ning's "Symphony No. 1".

He asked a student to sing "Two Tigers" again, and when the last three notes were "so weird", he began to repeat them in a joking tone. This was the "stubborn accompaniment". At the same time, another student began to sing the entire melody from the beginning, And let the two people practice alternately.

The effect is very interesting.

Then he encouraged the students to try another "stubborn sound pattern", such as the three sounds of "run fast".

In short, Fan Ning asked them to adapt to how to stabilize their own notes under the "interference" of other voices, and then slowly listen to other people's voices and blend them together.

When it came to the canon rotation, the two finally knew what "inner auditory training" and "music memory training" were for.

Canon is all about imitation. The second person staggers the measures and sings on top of the first person. Those training methods make imitation extremely easy!

When it came to the difficult free two-part segment, Fan Ning used his left and right hands to sign different pitches, matching the rhythmic sound patterns in his mouth, so that the students knew how to sing.

The fourth and fifth units transition from two voices to three voices, still using pitch sign language/rhythm syllables/simple notation as the carrier.

The two finally understood why Fan Ning said that these clever sign language symbols were not as simple as "substitute for reading music" at all!

In a professional choral performance conductor, the notes are definitely not required to be played throughout the whole song, but the notes are highlighted when swinging the beat.

When they are displayed at different heights, they can indicate which part it is, and the speed and softness of the gesture movement can specifically indicate how a note in a certain part that needs attention should be handled, whether it enters or disappears. Is it a sudden crescendo or a crescendo, how to fine-tune the pitch and level, and how to let the colors of the harmony bloom.

Clark never dreamed that a chorus conductor could play like this and control it so finely!

In the sixth unit, we have just arrived at the content that we have accumulated a lot, and we started teaching staff notation + transitioning to four parts.

Fan Ning commented here: "When these children, whose musical instincts and practical literacy have been fully stimulated, begin to come into contact with staffs and music theory, you will feel that their receptive abilities are like musical geniuses."

These two people also listened to the entire "Introduction to Harmony". At this time, they felt that the teaching method written by Professor Fan Ning was completely inferior to it!

Although the students selected for today’s demonstration were those students with the strongest understanding, so the initial results were immediately seen

But for other students, if they practice like this week after week, they will definitely have no problem at all!

When the training results of this choir are demonstrated on the stage, when everyone knows their origins and musical foundation, and when this teaching method spreads, I am afraid it will overturn the basic music education pattern of Tioleon and even the world!

Fan Ning spent a total of 90 minutes in this classroom this afternoon.

It has not been long, but he has opened the door to the holy kingdom for the children.

In the rough timeline envisioned by Fan Ning, the first month or so awakens their musical instincts of listening, memorizing, and singing. In the next month, they begin to learn staff music and music theory. They make their first stage appearance at the New Year’s Concert and accumulate stage experience. The mid-term goal is It is the chorus part of his own "Second Symphony".

The time is indeed a bit tight, but considering that they are focused on studying and the huge bonus of joining Meng Qiming Church, they should be able to implement it.

In fact, whether he is providing dream exercises, innovating theories, giving lectures, conducting, piano or chorus teaching, Fan Ning can always experience a sense of spiritual transparency.

Just as he felt that night when he was promoted to a high rank and saw Huita for the first time, he had devoted himself to the pursuit of enlightenment for all people in the world. He wanted to see through the essence of art at infinite heights, no matter what the price.

In a sense, this is exactly the same as Fan Ning's solemn ambition in his previous life.

Today these undertakings are part of his quest to explore the secrets of high places and pursue the path of "enlightenment."

"The study of serious music has always been the preserve of children from musical families and nobles. It may still be the case for a long time to come, but changes will begin today."

Behind him, the voices of two people leading a choir who were familiar with sign language began to sing, and Fan Ning gently closed the door.

"Thirty-thirty in the afternoon." He opened and closed his pocket watch, his steps light and happy.

It's time for the orchestra's coffee break.

The corridors are bright and spacious, furnished with carpets, green plants and small classical paintings.

When Fan Ning walked around a short distance and returned to the rehearsal hall, the girl in a white cake skirt happened to be the first to push open the joint door, and then the musicians who were taking a break between rehearsals filed out one after another.

"Here." Fan Ning threw a small bright silver keychain over.

"Wow!

! Xilan shouted excitedly and caught it with both hands.

Looking at her sparkling eyes, her delicate white shoulders and her long brown hair that was loosely pulled up, Fan Ning couldn't help but smile.

"There is one with your initials written on it. It is your usual guest room on the second floor."

"Thank you." She raised the keychain in front of her eyes and swung it around deliberately, "So I can move in whenever I want, right? What's behind that?"

"My office door and the living room door further inside are also on the second floor. There are also several important rooms, including"

"What are these for me?"

"Save. If I accidentally forget it, I'll ask you to open the door for me."