Interesting Articles
When in Pyongyang
As a pianist and music lover I often speak in class about the many correlations between learning music and learning to speak a language, particularly a tonal language such as Chinese. In preparation for the New York Philharmonic’s historic February 2008 tour to Pyongyang, Korea, acclaimed conductor Lorin Maazel practiced delivering his opening remarks to the audience in Korean without the help of a translator. This wonderful article from the March 3, 2008 New Yorker Magazine describes how he devised his own ingenious method of transliteration which involved writing musical scores to cue him on the pitch, rhythm and cadences of the language. Perhaps the musicians among you can try something similar for learning Chinese.
To read article see the pdf below, titled "When in Pyongyang."

The "Gao Kao"
The "gao kao" is the rigorous 9-hour entry exam that students in China must take to be admitted to college. Learn about what students taking this test must go through in this NY Times article.

File Music & Language.pdf (pdf file - 38kb)

File When in Pyongyang.pdf (pdf file - 83kb)

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