Bulletin Spring‧Summer 2001

Collaborative Music Research and Exchange The Department o f Mu s ic has since 1991 been organizing the I n t e r n a t i o n al C o u n c i l f or T r a d i t i o n al M u s i c W o r l d Conference for the Un i t ed Nations to p r o v i de an o p p o r t u n i ty for music scholars f r om across the w o r l d t o u n d e r s t a nd th e latest d e v e l o pme n t s, me t h o d o l o g i e s, a n d theories. These c o n f e r e n c es h a v e a t t r a c t ed t he a c t i ve p a r t i c i p a t i on of ma i n l a nd scholars . The department has also been collaborating w i t h mainland scholars o n research i n Taoist music a nd the r i t ua l music of folk religions. C U H K scholars are responsible for coordination as w e l l as q u a l i ty control, w h i le ma i n l a nd scholars i n v o l ve themselves i n data collectio n a nd f i e ld w o r k. T h r o u gh such collaboration, ma i n l a nd scholars upg r ade their research skills and research standard. 'We have a strong c o l l e c t i o n o f m u s i c journals from the mainland, such as a series of People'sMusic from1951, and a u d i o data o fmusicduringtheCultural R e v o l u t i o n . W e a l s o h a v e a g o o d c o l l e c t i o n o f Eastern a n d W e s t e rn musical instruments, and rare Chinese instruments such as the b e l l - c h i me a n d the stone-chime,' said Prof. Chan Wing- wah, chair of the Department of Music. ↑ Prof. Benny Chao (middle) conducting field work in Qinghai with mainland researchers ↓ Prof. Yu Siu-wah (right) demonstrating how to play the bell-chime with a postgraduat e student from the mainland Due to resource limitations, ma i n l a nd academics have so far focussed mainl y on Western music of the Romantic period. They are therefore v e ry interested i n k n o w i ng more about the c u r r i c u l um at the C U H K Department of Mu s ic as w e l l as its rich collectio n of musical materials. Assisting with Curriculum Reform I n the 1980s schools i n ma i n l a nd China f o l l owed th e same curriculum. Diversity was introduced i n the 1990s, w i t h considerable help f r om the C U H K Faculty of Education i n c u r r i c u l um reform. I n 1993, the faculty w o n a b i d to hos t a H K $ 7 m i l l i on project lasting 18 mo n t hs to organize t r a i n i n g for some 1,000 secondary school teachers a nd m i d - r a n k i ng g o v e r nme nt officials f r om Changzhou, Luoyang, an d Shashi. The project was designe d i n collaboration w i t h East China N o r mal University and comprised workshops on mo d e r n education theory and teachin g etc. There were also study tours to Germany, th e UK , US, Singapore, H o n g Kong, an d training courses i n H o n g Kong. I n 1999, Prof. Wo ng H i n - w ah o f the Department o f Cu r r i c u l um and Instruction initiated the first ever Seminar on C u r r i c u l u m Theo ry i n China , w h i c h took place i n Shenzhe n University. Over 20 c u r r i c u l um specialists f r om top n o r mal universities throughout the country participated i n the function . The second seminar of the same series was h e ld in Beijing i n June 200 0 to review c omp u l s o r y education i n H o n g Ko n g, Taiwan, a nd the ma i n l a n d. The t h i rd one was h e ld i n Taipei i n 2001 to explore school-based c u r r i c u l um d e v e l o pme n t, w h i l e the f o u r t h was h e l d i n H o n g K o n g this year to examine c u r r i c u l um integration. 9