Wang Jinghan prepares backstage for a concert at the Middle School attached to the Central Conservatory of Music, where she has studied violin for four years. Zou Hong / China Daily

More Chinese parents are sending their children to music classes. Chen Nan discovers that some are jumping on the bandwagon for the wrong reasons.

While some children are playing at a park near Fangzhuang area of Fengtai district in Beijing, Wang Jinghan's fingers are fiddling vigorously on her violin.

At 11 years old, she is one of the brightest stars at the Middle School attached to the Central Conservatory of Music, located just opposite the park. The school has been churning out virtuosos in recent years.

"Like many students who impress us here, she is great, self-disciplined, hardworking and passionate," Russian violinist Nazar Kozhukhar says. "Before I came to China, I was told that the future of classical music is here. Now I believe so."

Kozhukhar has chosen Wang to give a solo performance at a concert in the school to celebrate the completion of two weeks of master classes conducted by nine Russian musicians.

"I will perform Bach, my favorite," says Wang, who came from Zhengzhou, Henan province. "But I still need more practice."

Wang was born into a family of musicians - her father, aunt and grandfather are all professional violinists, working with singing and dancing troupes. Following in her father's footsteps, Wang started learning violin at 3 and was enrolled at the school four years ago, paying a tuition fee of 20,000 yuan ($3,138) a year.

Her mother quit her job in their hometown to accompany Wang to Beijing. They rent a house near the school.

Wang describes her early days of learning violin as "a nightmare" because of the hours spent practicing. She did not have time for other forms of entertainment, not even to watch television.

"Now that I've grown up and I am able to play much better, I love the sound of the violin. I am willing to spend time on it," she says.

The successful stories of pianists such as Lang Lang, Li Yundi and Chen Sa have encouraged more parents to enroll their children in the music classes.

"My mother often tells me stories about Lang Lang to encourage me. She says that by playing music, I can one day be as rich as Lang Lang," Wang says. "And she would say 'you are just one of the 30 million children learning music, so don't complain.'"

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."

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 08/04/2012 page11)