Unlike Wang, 17-year-old Mai Tianlong from Beihai, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, does not come from a family with a musical background. Mai's parents run a business and they want their son to learn a musical instrument like his peers.
Though they were unfamiliar with classical music, they bought lots of CDs and DVDs to cultivate their son's musical interest. They have enrolled their son in violin classes since he was 4 years old, driving three to four hours to get to the music teacher's house every weekend for a two-hour lesson.
"I enjoy playing football more. But I have to dedicate many hours to stay home to practice the violin," Mai shares.
Like Mai, many children in China start music classes when they are young because their parents want to expose them to music in the hope that they will one day turn professional.
"Many parents are pretty ignorant about music classes," says pianist Li Yanbing, who has been teaching piano for more than 20 years.
"Some parents want their children to learn so that they can play a song at their grandma's birthday, some want to show off at an uncle's wedding party. Attending music classes are always the parents' decision, and sometimes they put learning an instrument on their children's agenda just because their colleagues' or neighbors' kids are doing it."
Li estimates about 80 percent of her students stay with piano until they reach middle school, after which parents decide whether they should still continue with music or concentrate on schoolwork.
"For many parents, their goal is that their children complete the 10th grade piano exams. Once the kids have reached that, they stop the music lessons," she says. "Such thinking is misguided."
Li says parents nowadays have more money to spend on music lessons, but many are just jumping on the bandwagon without appreciating the real goals of music, such as bringing happiness and relaxation. Many instead treat music as a tool that brings benefits such as that extra bonus to enter top schools.
Cellist Li Yang, 38, who studied under celebrated Russian musician Rostropovich for years, says Chinese children today have a hectic after-school schedule and many parents are too preoccupied with raising another Lang Lang. He says it was different when he was a child - his father, who was a cellist with China National Symphony Orchestra, didn't plan to have his son follow his footsteps.
"My experience with music was a relaxing one. I didn't have to practice for hours," he recalls, adding that he grew up loving music in that free environment.
"One day, I heard the sound of the cello and I fell in love with it. I told my father that I wanted to become a cellist and since then, playing cello has been a joy," he says. "I believe that if a kid loves music, he or she will do it, just like playing a toy or having ice cream."
Li points out that parents believe that hours of practice will lead to success, which is also a wrong idea.
"Usually Chinese children's techniques are better than children in the West because they spend more time practicing. That's why many Chinese kids win at international competitions," Li says. "But as they grow up, they fall behind because music requires more than technique, such as understanding of the music pieces and a personalized style."
Editor: MetalAllen
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