A melodic journey: one note at a time

Since I was three years old, music has been my faithful companion. Over the years, I've explored all kinds of musical activities — from playing the piano to trying out different percussion instruments, and from singing to dancing. I've also dipped my toes into various musical styles — from classical to pop, folk to jazz. Music has also led me to discover and appreciate different cultures.

In 2015, at the age of 12, I went to Lincoln School in the United States as an exchange student. I was fortunate enough to participate in the school's musical production of Beauty and the Beast. Immersed in the story and its melodies, I found myself exchanging ideas with my classmates about our understanding of musicals.

In these discussions, a local student told us how, in US musical theater, dance is all about expressing feelings rather than showing off skills. By way of contrast, a student from Europe shared that they would probably emphasize more the growth and transformation of characters throughout the story, and how they would portray these changes with nuanced acting. I then introduced some characteristics of Chinese musicals, including that we tend to focus in great detail on telling stories.