Global Learning in Partnership: Cross-Cultural Impact in the Hong Kong Tertiary Music Ensemble

Wednesday 3 July: Conference day one, 2:00pm – 2:30pm parallel session

Venue

Room 1 – 302-G20, Case Room

Presenter

Dr John Winzenburg
Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
jwinzenb@hkbu.edu.hk

Background

Higher education institutions throughout the world have prioritized internationalization and cross-cultural learning as part of their strategies for preparing future graduates. In Hong Kong, global learning is a natural part of the university experience due to the region’s unique connection to Chinese, Asian, and Western cultures. For music students enrolled in Hong Kong liberal arts universities, however, challenges exist in the simultaneous pursuit of international education and professional skill-building because they do not have the long-standing performance tradition found in Western conservatories.

This presentation showcases recent initiatives in global learning and professional partnership as practiced in the research-led curriculum of a Hong Kong tertiary choral ensemble.  The performance-based research in Chinese choral music by Hong Kong tertiary students and conducting faculty has led to new cross-cultural knowledge and programming approaches among international choral practitioners. Utilizing a new Chinese-language art form that draws upon the Western choral genre, their activities have led to changing perceptions of China and contemporary choral music for a wide constituency of conductors, choir members, educators, and professionals.

The presentation adopts the methodology of a case study to evaluate and analyse how student-faculty partnership draws upon cross-cultural strengths intrinsic to certain locales and benefits arts practitioners of various regions. The impact of the student ensemble on Chinese-Western performance practices can be evidenced by ground-breaking publications, commissions, collaborative performances, media outreach, recordings, workshops, and artist testimonials, providing new pathways for performing previously inaccessible repertoire and representing Chinese choral music in dialogue with other cultural-linguistic traditions. Through their involvement in this teaching-research nexus, ensemble students themselves experience novel approaches to global learning, achieve higher professional standards, and become key agents of cultural change.

Presentation topic

Students – Global Learning