LIU SHIKUN AESTHETlC EDUCATlON MATTERS

Text by Madeline Weng Photos by Zeng Jian and Liu Shikun Translation by Shi Yu

LIU SHIKUN AESTHETlC EDUCATlON MATTERS

劉詩昆:美育成國家戰略是件好事

Text by Madeline Weng Photos by Zeng Jian and Liu Shikun Translation by Shi Yu

N: NIHAO

L: LIU SHIKUN

N: Though they excel in technique, some Chinese pianists are criticised by some western critics for failing to interpret what's within the music. What do you make of this?

L: Well, this statement was brought up back in the 1950s, when Stalin was in control of the Soviet Union. Technically, techniques and emotions are bonded together. They're inseparable. Piano performance is mostly about the performer's tempo and techniques. If your tempo is nice and fast and your music sounds pleasant, that means you make it both technical and emotional.

N: As a man who witnessed modern China's great changes, and as a man who has met many Chinese and foreign leaders, how do you define a successful life? What kind of a man do you want to become?

L: I never thought about that. I only ask myself to

achieve three points: do things as much as I can, aslong as I can and as well as I can. I was wrongly put into jail for six years. I know how it's like when you hit the lowest bottom of your life. So now I have peace of mind. I won't be so hard on myself. I won't be laden with grief and regret.

I have connections in various fields. In the science field, I have Franklin Yang (well-known physicist), Yuan Longping (outstanding hybrid rice expert), QianWeichang (well-known dynamicists and applied mathematician). In the literature circle, I have Mo Yan, FengYicai, Wang Meng. I also have Han Meilin within the art circle and Yan Bin within the business circle. They are all my friends. Of all the people I know, few of them come from the music fi eld; and my friends from popular music circles are not less than those from classic music circles. I admire them for they are well up in what they do.

However, there is a strange phenomenon going on in China right now: negative images always get more hits than positive ones. Pharmaceutical chemist Tu Youyou, whom I respect so much, discovered artemisinin and made it possible to save about one and a half million lives a year in Africa. But her Nobel Prize winning news still had to make room for the headlines of some celebrity's luxury wedding.

I think young people should learn something down to earth. Do whatever they can with honesty, dedication, earnestness and perseverance. At the same time, I also respect workers from the bottom of society, because they are really making contributions. When it comes to working, hierarchy doesn't really matter. What matters is how signifi cant and excellent the contribution is.

N: China has the most piano students around the world. Also, in North America, Hong Kong, Singapore and other areas, there are more overseas Chinese children taking piano sessions compared to native children. What do you make of this trend of learning to play the piano?

L: The West used to focus on aristocratic education. Now that they've reached a bottleneck in terms of music education, they start to promote science education. However, the current generation of parents in China have gone through poverty and political upheavals (a time when pianos were being burnt). They didn't catch the chance to learn to play the piano and now they are hoping that their kids can fulfi ll that dream for them. When I was young, there were only five cities in China that had piano education. But now we have piano education everywhere, from the east to the west.

As long as a country wants to maintain a sustainable development, it has to focus on improvement of its citizen's cultural qualities. The central government has been investing great efforts into the elimination of illiteracy. From President Hu Jintao to President Xi Jinping, they have been stressing on “nurturing a new generation of Chinese that are comprehensively educated.” The State Council had also issued a document featuring how aesthetic education plays a vital and unique role in education as a whole. Putting aesthetic education on the national strategy list is a good thing.

As a major way of aesthetic education, piano education can definitely improve a child's all-round quality. As an ancient Chinese saying goes: “Ten fingers are connected to the heart”, by heart we actually mean brain. Moving your fingers quickly is a way to enhancethe agility of your brain. That's why some elder Chinese like to grind walnuts with their hands.

N: Can you give some advice to the young learners and their parents?

L: Firstly, the piano is not just for the talented to learn. If those who learn physics have to become Albert Einstein, we're better off learning nothing. If everybody becomes the emperor, then everybody is the servant—because a thing is precious only when it is scarce.

Hong Kong has the highest percentage of young piano learners in the country, but parents are the least strict on their kids. This is right. Parents should always focus on whether their kids are enjoying themselves instead of being anxious for success. Music can be a part-time hobby. The fi rst violin solo of China was composed by Li Siguang a well-known Chinese geologist. Sir Edward Heath, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974, once conducted the London Symphony Orchestra.

Secondly, kids are mostly forced to learn to play the piano. It's very normal for a kid if he/she doesn't like to practice. I myself actually was not really a fan of the piano when I was little. Interest doesn't really determine the performance.

Last but not least, parents need to create an on-stage performing chance for their kids once in a while. Actually, kids have bigger performance desire than adults do. On-stage performances can help them develop their stage style and an outgoing personality.

N: How do you think of pop music?

L: Classical music and popular music are all indispensable arts forms. Each has its own characteristics. Though I'm in classic music, I don't have narrow preference. Although classical music is higher than pop music in the hierarchy of culture and arts, pop music doesn't have to be vulgar. Personally, I do enjoy Michael Jackson's rhythm.

Recently, there is an emerging trend to combine classic music with pop music. For example, Andrea Bocelli can perform a great duet with pop singers. This is a good trend. I believe music is supposed to be diversifi ed.

Arts are hierarchically arranged like a pyramid in this society, because what's on the top is usually the hardest to appreciate. You can't expect most young people to listen to Bach and Beethoven at their leisure. My son and my granddaughter like listening to songs by Jay Chou (Taiwanese pop star) rather than me playing the piano. That's true. However, talking about the culture development of a country, we'd better stay focused on promoting and spreading high-end art forms.

N:一些西方樂評家批判中國鋼琴家擁有高超的鋼琴技巧，卻詮釋不出樂曲的感情，對此你怎么看？

L:這個說法是50年代蘇聯斯大林時代提出的概念。實際上，演奏技巧和感情是統一不可分割的。鋼琴演奏大部分都需要靠速度和技巧。彈得快，以及聽起來舒服，都是因為技巧和感情同時到位了。中國有不少優秀的少壯派鋼琴家，比如王羽佳，他們中很多人只是沒有碰到好的機遇。

N:作為一個見證了中國近代歷史巨變的人，你接觸過許多中外領導。你怎么定義成功人士的人生？你想要成為什么樣的人？

L:我從來沒想過要成為什么樣的人。我只要求自己做到這三點：能做多少做多少，能做多久做多久，能做多好做多好。我年輕的時候坐了六年冤獄，品嘗過人生最底層的味道，所以我的心態比較平和，不會對自己的人生抱有過高的苛求，也不會有什么憂傷和悔恨。

我的人脈涉及的領域很廣。科學界的楊振寧、袁隆平、錢偉長，文學界的莫言、馮驥才、王蒙，美術界的韓美林，商界的嚴彬。他們都是我的好朋友。在我認識的人群中，音樂界的反而占少數；而流行音樂界的人脈并不少于古典音樂界。對于這些在各自領域有造詣的人，我都贊賞和佩服。

我認為年輕人還是應該實實在在地學點東西，誠信、敬業、踏實、努力地做力所能及的工作。我特別尊重做得好的底層工作者，因為他們在為社會作貢獻。工作沒有等級之分，只有成就大小和優劣之分。

N:中國學琴人數已經成為世界公認的第一。在北美、香港、新加坡等地學鋼琴的華僑子女的平均人數大大超過了本土子女的平均學琴人數。你怎么看當代中國的學琴熱？

L:以前的西方教育屬于貴族化教育，而現在美國、歐洲在音樂教育上達到了瓶頸，開始提倡自然教育。而中國的家長一代經歷了貧窮和政治動亂（火燒鋼琴的時代），沒有機會學鋼琴，因此希望孩子能夠替他們圓夢，長大后比他們的文化素質高。我小時候，中國只有5個城市有鋼琴教育；而現在，從一線、二線到西部等地的鋼琴教育都發展得很好。

一個國家要想可持續發展，就必須重視提高人的素質。中央一直在加大投資以消滅文盲，把美育放到了國家戰略，這是件好事。

N:你可以為琴童和家長提一些學琴建議嗎？

L:首先，不是只有天才才能學鋼琴。如果學物理的都成了愛因斯坦，學語文的都成為巴金，學數學的都成為華羅庚……如果是這樣，大家都別學了！

香港學琴的孩子的比例在全國最高，但是他們的家長對孩子的要求最低。實際上這是對的。家長應該抱著讓孩子陶冶情操的心態，不應急于求成。音樂可以是一門業余愛好。中國第一首小提琴曲是地質學家李四光的作品，英國70年代初的首相希斯曾經指揮過倫敦交響樂團。

其次，兒童學習基本上都是強制性的。孩子不喜歡練琴是正常現象，我小時候就是對鋼琴沒興趣的代表。彈得好不好，和喜不喜歡沒有直接聯系。最后，家長可以適當為他們創造一些上臺機會。實際上，小孩的表現欲比大人更強。上臺表演可以幫助他們培養臺風，并成為一個開朗的孩子。

N:你怎么看流行音樂？

L:經典文藝、嚴肅音樂和通俗音樂都是世界上缺一不可的文藝形態。雖然古典音樂的整個文化層次和文藝級別比通俗音樂更高，但通俗音樂并不都是低級的。比如說，我個人特別喜歡邁克爾·杰克遜的節奏。

我認為音樂要多元化。近期，音樂界還出現了一個將古典音樂和流行音樂融合的趨勢。比如，波切利介于兩者之間，和流行歌手合唱時可以達到高度的融合。這是一個好的趨勢。

任何社會的文藝都是金字塔形的，你不能要求多數年輕人茶余飯后都去欣賞巴赫、貝多芬。我的兒子、小孫女并不喜歡聽我彈琴，他們更喜歡聽周杰倫的歌，這是事實。但從一個國家、民族的文藝前進方向來講，還是要注意推廣和弘揚高端文藝。