Music
“Music is the universal language of human beings, who can use it to speak to anybody, express their emotions, and be understood.” – Franz Liszt
Music, borderless and timeless
Our curriculum integrates instrumental pieces of all time throughout the world. Students have the chance to go on this music history journey, listening to the classical European music from the Baroque Period to the 20th Century Music, returning to the appreciation of local traditional Chinese and folk music, and even experiencing contemporary pop music in the globalized world. All these extend the scope of music exposure and students’ perspectives when appreciating music. Music theories being part of the curriculum is essential for students to create their own music after they have mastered the basic skills it takes.
Nurturing the skills of music appreciation
Our curriculum emphasises nurturing students’ ability of music appreciation. Through listening to different pieces in the lesson and going to concerts of different music groups, students are exposed to different genres of music. Along with the knowledge learnt in music lessons, students can distinguish features of different music genres to enhance their musical taste.
Skill elevation sessions
Apart from listening to pieces, students are even provided chances to perform and create music on their own. Our curriculum includes lessons on rhythms, instrument performance and composition. These can nurture students’ senses of rhythm, musical interpretation technique and composition skills, enhancing students’ musical ability in an all-round manner.
Song composing course
The school is equipped with iMacs located in the Multi-media Workstation where students learn to edit and compose songs of their own using high-end devices and applications such as Garageband.
Cross-curricular collaboration
Music as a medium of art is very suitable for cross-curriculum collaboration. It helps students to engage in the lesson in a fun way. The S1 Musical co-organized by the Music Department and the English Department provides a platform for students to learn English from music and drama. With our Music teacher arranging the songs and teaching singing techniques, students do not only learn musical genres and interpretation, but are also given opportunities for teambuilding.
Students’ Original Songs CD Production
Numerous songs composed by our students all these years have been recorded in CD albums on off-campus occasions and school anniversaries, including:
Professional training of music teams
Members of our music teams are all elites in their own musical domain. They participate in various events, be they off-campus ones, school functions and joint-school music competitions.
School Orchestra
String Ensemble
School Choir
Zheng Ensemble
Off-campus programmes with renowned musicians
School Concerts
Multiple Intelligences Courses
Form Association Inauguration Ceremony: English Musical
The Music Department collaborated with the English Department, whose Page to Stage programme provides a chance for all S1 students participate in an English Musical for the annual S1 Form Association Inauguration Ceremony. Students act and sing, experiencing the whole process of producing a musical. It is where the school discover talents of performing art.
Achievements
Various awards in various song composing and lyric writing competitions
Since song composing was established as a curriculum module, students’ original songs have been commended. More than 20 songs have entered the final rounds of Hong Kong Secondary School Students’ Original Song Competition all these years, while some were awarded 1st, 2nd, 3rd places and merit prizes in joint-school and pubic events.
- Hong Kong Secondary School Students’ Original Song Competition 2013: 1st, 2nd, 3rd places and merit awards
- Mi Voz (Hong Kong Original Song Competition) organized by Grace Track merit awards
- The Song Composition Contest for The 80th Anniversary of The Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong 2016 : “the Most Popular Online Award”
- “Be a Superstar” (Original Song and Lyric Rewriting Competition) 2017 organized by The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong: merit award in lyric rewriting
- “Love-Link” (song writing and lyric writing performance competition) 2019 by Hong Kong Sheung Kung Hui Welfare Council: “Champion in song and lyric writing (public)” and “My favourite song” award”.
71st Hong Kong Schools Music Award
- S2 Lee Erica Zitong : Pipa Solo (Intermediate) 1st Runner-up
- S2 Chau Uen Ying : Vocal Solo – Foreign Language – Age 14 or under – Female Voice – Secondary 1st Runner-up
- S3 Chung Yung Denise : Vocal Solo – Foreign Language – Age 14 or under – Female Voice – Secondary 1st Runner-up
- S4 Yeung Cheuk Gi : Vocal Solo – Foreign Language – Age 16 or under – Female Voice – Secondary 2nd Runner-up
Joint School Music Competition
- School Orchestra : Gold Award (Secondary School): for 2 years in a row
- S1 Tang Hay Yan Cherry : Silver Award (Secondary School Solo-Explorer)
- S2 Kong Yee Ki Katie : Silver Award (Secondary School String (Violin) Solo-Senior)
The 14th International Music and Arts Competition
- The Zheng Ensemble was the Champion
Others
- S2 Chang Lap Man Laurie : 2019 Hong Kong Children and Youth Piano Contest – Gold Award (Senior Group)
- S2 Chang Lap Man Laurie : The Hong Kong International Tourism Convention – Outstanding performance with the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of Hong Kong
- S3 Chan Ka Yan : The 15th International Music and Arts Competition – Gold Award in Grade 8 Zheng
Music Tour
UK Music Tour: Flowers in the Mirror performances and music exchange
Our school staged a large-scale Cantonese/Putonghua musical ‘Flowers in the Mirror’ upon the successful application of Quality Education Fund. The project was a collaboration between the Music Department and the Chinese Language Department. It was where students showcased their creativity and talents. In music lessons of senior forms, students composed original songs for the musical in music and lyrics. After strenuous practice, the show was staged in university theatres and those in the UK. Students gave it their all in singing, dancing and acting and their performance was highly commended.
True Light Joint-school Vienna Music Master Class and Cultural Tour 2017
The four True Light schools coorganized a musical and cultural tour to Vienna in July, 2017 with broadening students’ horizons, elevating their aesthetic sensitivity musically and performing skills and developing confidence as the objectives. Various modes of master classes and public performances were conducted for their improvement in performing skills while their musical aesthetics and understanding of the history of musical cultures were enhanced through visits to local scenic spots related to music and attending concerts.
Music Tour to Shanghai 2018
To enhance students’ learning interest and widen their horizons, the Music Department has organized a music tour with the Primary Section to Shanghai in June 2018. 41 students engaged in a rewarding music exchange with their counterparts from Shanghai Hanghua Middle School, Minhang Teenagers Activity Center and Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Their performances received great appreciation from students and teachers there.
The Sound of Pearl Music Tour 2019
A joint-section music tour to Salzsburg and Wien took place in 2019, entitled The Sound of Pearl. A group of students from our Secondary, Primary and Kindergarten Sections formed a singing group, participating in a wide range of music activities. At the masterclass in Augarten Palais, Prof Wirth taught the team how to sing better, and Jessica Chan (S6) piano technique. The Deputy Artistic Director of VBC, Prof Erasmus Baumgartner conducted a choral masterclass for the girls singing Vivaldi’s Laudamus Te.
During the ten days of the tour, the girls visited the gems of Austria: Vienna State Opera for Lelisir Damore, Musikverein for Vienna Radio Symphony, VBC, Schonbrunn Palace, Melk Abbey, Mirabell Gardens; and presented concerts at Votivkirche, Peterskirche, Salzburg Cathedral, as well as flash mob style singing at Vienna’s Stephansplatz, Salzburg’s Mirabell Gardens and Kapitelplatz, and Frankfurt Airport. They visited Mozarthaus and Mozart Birthplace to see how the genius musician lived.
St. Catherine College Cambridge
- Conductor Dr. Edward Wickham came to our school to visit our Music Department and conduct a choral workshop to our school choir on 16 May 2017 . Dr Wickham is the Music Director of St. Catherine College Cambridge. During the KTL 2016 UK Music Tour, we had a music collaboration with Dr. Wickham’ s Girls Choir in Cambridge.
The Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong Limited (CASH)
- The Panel Head has been attending the general annual meeting of the Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong Limited (CASH) from 2005.
K. Sky Music
- The Panel Head has been working with K. Sky Music on professional interflow, CD recording, mixing, arrangement and production from 2016.