Lisa Liang

Broadening Horizons

beijingkids — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:00:00 +0800

The old saying goes: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Perhaps that's where the idea of summer vacation came about.

It's good to stop every once in a while to let yourself unwind. And after nine months of sitting in a stiff chair and listening to an adult talk at the front of a classroom while the sun teasingly shines outside, kids deserve a long break - preferably out of doors.

But that doesn't mean that the act of learning stops. In fact, gaining knowledge about the world - and life in general - frequently happens outside the classroom. It's one thing to read about or see a photograph of the Sistine Chapel in a book; to be in the presence of a centuries-old edifice and have your breath taken away by the awe-inspiring work of a celebrated master painter - that is another thing entirely.

For the Love of Music

beijingkids — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:00:00 +0800

It is a fact that music positively affects a child’s development. Learning to play an instrument has been shown to enhance growth in areas of the brain involved in language, reasoning and spatial intelligence, and research has shown that those who play instruments do better on standardized tests and achieve higher grades in school.

Playing a musical instrument teaches children the value of self-discipline, showing them that perfection can indeed be achieved through practice. It is also a way for children to learn how to overcome anxiety and be comfortable with taking risks – whether through playing in front of an audience or simply in experimenting with the different ways a particular note can be played. Moreover, participating in a band or ensemble (either in school or as an extracurricular activity) builds a child’s ability to cooperate with others and work as a team.

Take Note

beijingkids — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:00:00 +0800

It must have been when I was 5 or 6 that I was first introduced to the piano. My fingers were not yet strong enough to grasp the subtleties of forte or piano, nor were my hands able to span intervals beyond five keys. Nonetheless, those wedges of black and white ivory that bowed at my fingertips entranced me, and thus began my lifelong love affair with the piano – and with music.

I continued studying piano until I graduated from high school. It was perhaps the one thing that remained steady for me during a period of consistent change – moving from southern to northern California and back again; changing schools, friends, cities and addresses every couple of years. Yet, week in and week out, in spite of tests or homework (or the frequent spout of rebellion), there I would find myself, at the Yermakovs, sitting by the side of Marina, my devoted teacher, and warming up my fingers with scales.

Off the Cuff

beijingkids — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:00:00 +0800

Name: The Insomniacs
Age: 15-17
Nationality: Various
Instrument: Various
Genre: Improvisational jazz

How did you each begin playing your instrument?
Megan: I started saxophone in 4th grade.
Laurie: I always liked singing. I started off in choir.
Grace: Before trombone I played flute. I got sick of the keys, so I just chose something without them! Now I love the trombone.
Janet: I’ve been playing piano since I was 5.
David: I started off playing piano but was terrible at sight-reading notes, so I picked up the drums and just kind of stuck with it.
Christian: I started off playing trumpet and piano, but a good friend of mine had a bass guitar. I thought it was really cool, so I got one and taught myself how to play.

Perfect Harmony

beijingkids — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:00:00 +0800

Name: May MacLeod
Age: 11
Nationality: British-Chinese
Instrument: Voice
Genre: Choir/Theater

How did you become interested in singing and performing?
I’m not sure where it came from, but I have lots of pictures of myself dancing and in costumes since I was in nursery, maybe 5 or 6 years old. When I was in Year 4 in England, around 7 or 8 years old, I started going to drama school, doing one hour of singing, one hour of dancing and one hour of drama. They thought I was very good at singing and asked if I was interested in joining the choir. Then I starred in a school performance as Alice in Alice in Wonderland. That was 2005.

How do you think being in a choir has shaped or molded your personality?
I used to be kind of shy, but now I’m not! It’s made me a lot more confident, and I’ve gotten to know more friends.

What’s the best part of being the lead singer/soloist?
Lots of little children look up to you.

I Want To Be a Photographer

beijingkids — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:54:24 +0800

Jacopo Della Ragione may have grown up along the avenues of Florence, Italy, but Beijing has provided the backdrop for his photographs for the past six years. From working with digital equipment to traditional film cameras, to understanding the difference between taking personal and professional photographs, Jacopo explains to students from the Australian International School what being a photographer really means.

Chase Blout, 11, United States
How long have you been a photographer?
If you consider being a photographer as someone who gets paid, not long – more or less three years. But if you mean being interested in photography with the hope of one day selling pictures, that’s longer – 12 years.

Visions of Art

beijingkids — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:15:23 +0800

Most people can attest to having been in the presence of art at least once in their lifetimes. Even the youngest of kids will experiment with it during their very first year in a classroom – see this month’s Blank Canvas for proof! Yet, when it comes to defining what exactly art is, it can be quite difficult; just ask BWYA art instructor KC Connelly, who chimes in on this month’s Teacher Talk.

So what exactly is art? Is it the paintings you might find on the ceilings of the Vatican? Or perhaps it could be a primitive handprint on a cave wall. Could it be a comic book, a poem, a movie or a play? Doodles in a notebook? Or might it even be food?

Brother Knows Best

beijingkids — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:53:26 +0800

Role models can come in all shapes and sizes. For some, they are movie stars; for others, they are athletes. They can be historical figures, someone old and wise, or even a youngster living right here in Beijing. For me, my role model was my brother.

My friends used to always envy the fact that I had an older brother. Little did they know what a nuisance it was to me. He was always bossing me around, telling me what to do, tricking me out of my allowance, not letting me play video games “just because.” Or, worse yet, kidnapping Wrinkles, my favorite stuffed dog, and torturing her before my very eyes.

I Want to be an Author

beijingkids — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 12:00:00 +0800

By day, Sydney-native Peter Osborne is the Senior Trade Commissioner of the Australian Trade Commission of China. By night, he spends his time consorting with fortune-tellers, mingling with temple dwellers, and chasing dragons in between. Peter is the author of the The Golden Dragon, a children’s fiction book about two kids, Aaron and Elly – based on Peter’s two eldest children in real-life – who must solve a series of riddles in order to save the last golden dragon. Between traveling across China for business and working on the sequel to “The Golden Dragon,” Peter sat down with LeeAnn Hicks’ Grade 3/4 class at Kinstar International Bilingual School to answer questions from students.

Ethan Liang Zheng, 8, New Zealander
Why did you want to write a book?
I wrote the story as a present for my kids as a way of remembering what is was like to live in a Chinese culture as a foreign kid, so when they got older or had kids of their own it would be a great way to remind themselves of living overseas.

Gathering Around the Fire

beijingkids — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:32:54 +0800

When I was growing up, hot pot was a weekly event in my household. It was a simple yet extravagant occasion. Simple in that my parents, my brother and I would sit cross-legged on the floor around our living room coffee table, plug in a portable hotplate and eat as we watched TV. Extravagant in that it involved a multitude of elements working together to create a delicious experience: tender slices of beef and pork, my mother’s homemade meatballs, fish-paste balls, oyster and enoki mushrooms, fresh tofu, spinach, cabbage and big leaves of lettuce that would soak up whatever happened to be the evening’s dipping sauce. When I was young, the salty and spicy satay was my favorite, combined with a dash of soy sauce and rice vinegar, and hearty helpings of freshly chopped garlic and cilantro. Nowadays, my favorite is sesame paste – thick and creamy like smooth peanut butter, with a rich, nutty taste that lingers in the mouth.