Testimonial
I first joined the Junior Music Course (JMC) in 1997 at the age of four and would go on to complete the Junior Special Advanced Course (JSAC) in my early teens. More than a decade later, after obtaining my bachelor degree in Film Scoring and Contemporary Writing and Production at the Berklee College of Music in 2014, I returned to Hong Kong, where I trained as a teacher at the Tom Lee Music Academy and taught the same classes that have first set me on the path of music.
The Yamaha music courses were instrumental in nurturing my interest in music. And here are four aspects that distinguished them from regular classical training.
Unlike traditional music education, which stresses practice and examinations, the Yamaha music courses are designed to spark their curiosity. Every song in the class tells a story that draws children in. Each JMC class consists of a variety of engaging activities, from singing songs and solfege to dancing and playing the keyboard in groups. As they move towards higher levels, students also play together as an ensemble, learn to improvise with motifs and experiment with chordal accompaniment.
More information about Joyce Cheung @joyce_cheung_pno
Instead of merely training their techniques through drilling, the course encourages students to express themselves in music. For instance, students lend their own interpretation to songs and write melodies based on pictures, a process that stirs their imagination.
Beside challenging students’ creativity, the course enhances their musicality by encouraging them to feel the music through movement. Students learn musical phrases through singing and different movements, before actually laying their fingers on the keyboard. As the electronic keyboard also produces the sounds of different instruments, including clarinet, violin and trumpet, students are exposed to a diversity of timbres and tones, and can recognise and differentiate between different families of instruments, such as strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion.
In overall, students gain a thorough understanding of different aspects of music, including knowledge of chordal harmony, and the fundamentals of composition and improvisation. Instead of just performing individually, they also learn to listen, follow and lead, in the process of making music.
Yamaha Course Sharing from Joyce Cheung
A Biography of Joyce Cheung
Joyce Cheung is a graduated Yamaha Music Program student who has studied at Tom Lee Music Academy. Joyce spent her formative years at the Berklee College of Music, having graduated with first honors in Film Scoring as well as Contemporary Writing and Production in 2014 and obtained her Master’s degree in Contemporary Performance in 2017.
Aside from her performing career, Joyce is also a passionate educator. She has been invited to conduct master classes and perform at the Musicians. Education Festival, Prague. She also teaches the jazz program at the Education University of Hong Kong.
Joyce is a frequent collaborator with Hong Kong musicians, including Chan Fai Young, Joey Yung, Alfred Hui, On Chan, and the Grasshoppers. She has just released two albums “Jazzical Collection” and “Set Loose” under Ginger Muse, a recording label she co-founded that presents local instrumentalists on the global stage.
