2010 Interview with Dr. Allison So

I admire music making groups, especially ones which are founded by students. These groups need support because they have a special aim. In the same way, I appreciate the objectives of Festive Chamber. They aim to learn musical knowledge and contribute to the community.

I am still learning and studying as a student. I am investigating traditional Chinese culture. Actually, there are different interesting things in the traditional Chinese culture. The word “culture” includes many different aspects of things, e.g. Music, Literature, etc. These subjects are quite attractive and well-worth learning. There are field trips in the course where, I can visit temples and know more about things in different historical periods. Apart from that, we can learn the different ideology in Chinese. Other than that, I have also experienced different identities. I view things from the angles of students and have reflected on my teaching. Last but not least, I am still learning because I believe in “Life-long learning, keep pace with time”.

A good choir embodies well-trained and skillful singing techniques, like accuracy of pitch or rhythm and appropriate use of dynamics. What is more is the sustainability of a group of singers. Keeping a group together is a lot more difficult than starting and forming a group. This depends on the commitment and the acceptance of the group members. A commitment is the promise that members make to join and attend the practices and activities of the group. There should also be acceptance of all members, both founding or newly-joined members. For example, will one be a good listener taking in and accepting others’ opinions? Would the group still exist or disappear if it ended up with only 5 members? And how would the group keep on working if that is the case? Actually there are many ways to sustain it. Again, it relates to the commitment within the group. Apart from that, the learning attitude of the choir is also an aspect which has to be considered seriously. One must have heart, passion and effort as well as self-direction and self-motivation.

I think we should not follow trends in learning music, neither should we choose music to study based on its fame nor focus on the preference of competition adjudicators. Your choice of music may be based on the style of the choir or what the choir is good at. You may also choose music from different nations and languages, for example traditional Chinese folk songs, Jazz types, African songs, musicals, etc. You should not restrict yourself to a particular genre of music, but try to extend and explore more. After satisfying your desire to explore music, you may also try to influence the community through music. Remember, music is the best media to communicate. 

First of all, you girls have an unspoken consensus among all of you. You all hold the same belief and the linkage between every one of you is very strong. Your passion is shown through your will to put great effort on the choir. It is from your heart, it is not being forced. It can be shown by learning by heart a great number of songs, spending time for practices or functions and the will to make improvements. All these are greatly appreciated. Your projective voice also leaves a remarkable impression on me. In my mind, you girls are trying new and different things, which are presented by a combination triad. Apart from that, there is also a special learning mode and effort in your group. You motivate yourselves to learn which is really impressive. Teachers are only facilitators. They only give opinions but not absolute instructions. Anyway, the consensuses among you are somehow special.

First of all, music is for communication in daily life. Different centers provide performance platforms for musicians to share their passion in music. However, you should first identify your aim to perform. For example, you may want to hold joint concerts to interact with different performing groups, to demonstrate your strength to other groups and at the same time gain from them. Your musical horizon will be broadened after holding these kinds of concerts. There are many different ways to present music. Therefore you should extend your community circle and range. Time and resources are also one of the main concerns. Think of the requirements and the suitability also at the same time. Starting a group is easy, but sustaining the group is a lot more difficult. I sincerely hope that you will hold on to your belief and keep up with your good work.