Caopu Primary School, a medium-sized public school in Luohu District, is located in an urban village in the Qingshuihe area, the majority of whose students come from migrant workers’ families.

The school recently made headlines in Chinese media after it was named one of the 10 model schools in art education in Shenzhen, thanks to its successful teaching of recorder playing.

Music brings out vitality, says Xu Chunsheng, headmaster of the school. He also believes that art education can permeate every aspect of children’s life and warm their hearts, as these children sometimes suffer neglect from their parents who are too busy trying to earn a living.

The school has chosen to teach the recorder, since this instrument is comparatively easy to learn, portable and affordable.

The three music teachers, Xu Guang, Chen Haiyan and Zhao Yonggang, have spent many hours together researching teaching methods, tutoring talented students and compiling a syllabus. As leader of the recorder club, Zhao offers after-class tutoring to the club members in addition to teaching seven regular music classes each week. Graduating with a master’s degree in wind instrument in 2017, Zhao had the opportunity to transfer to other prestigious schools but chose to stay. “These children are very diligent and have hearts of gold,” he said. “I don’t want to leave them behind.”

To better teach the students, the three teachers themselves attended training programs during their vacations and have expanded their teaching by incorporating appreciation of music pieces alongside teaching playing skills and expressiveness in performance. All 1,300 students at the school can play the recorder, with first- and second-graders taking a training session in the instrument each week and three- to six-graders playing the recorder for 15 minutes of each music class.

The recorder ensemble at the school is the first such troupe in Luohu, and the members have shined at various art festivals citywide. In the past six years since recorder was first taught to the students in 2016, the school won several first prizes in district-level art performance competitions.

More importantly, music has enriched the lives of students and planted confidence in them. Lu Zitong, a second-grader, brought her recorder with her when forced into a weeklong quarantine with her family earlier this month. Her playing cheered everyone up in the quarantined building.

Another student, a shy boy, had been a loner and somehow unhappy. He has become more extroverted and confident since joining the recorder playing club and winning a district-level prize with his classmates.

The effort is also endorsed by parents. “My son plays the recorder after finishing his homework every day,” Guo Liping said. “It’s like we have our own family concert now; his practice has also set a good example for his baby sister, who became interested in music too.”

Another parent Lin Danhong said she was very thankful for the school. “I feel very lucky that my son can join the recorder club and learn an instrument. I hope he can cherish this passion and continue playing,” she said.

(Li Dan)