Music flows in the blood.
The first time I met Mr. John Yang was at a thank-you dinner after he won the "American-Chinese Music Special Contribution Award". As far as I can remember, that night, Mr. John Yang wore a white shirt, which was distinguished and radiant, and was cheered and applauded by all guests and friends. At first, I didn't understand the significance of such an award. Later, I learned that the "American-Chinese Music Special Contribution Award" was founded by the American-Chinese Business Association (USCN) and is dedicated to commending elites who have made unremitting efforts for exchanges and cooperation in various fields between the United States and China. So far, John Young is the only artist in the Chinese music circle who has won the "American-Chinese Music Special Contribution Award". At the same time, Kissinger, a famous American politician and diplomat, Dai Jiashun, president of Coca-Cola Company in China, and Mr. Huang Yongyu, a leading figure in Chinese painting, won this honor. After learning this, I can't help but respect. Why did you choose accordion, an almost declining art category in China, to win such an award? What is the charm of john young?
John young's accordion love.
John young was born into an artistic family in the early 1960s, and his father was the first talented musician influenced by Soviet art. My mother is the host, a gentle and elegant lady. My childhood music rippled on vinyl records, and the rhythm of my heart began to dance at that time. Later, a world-famous catastrophe changed Yang's life. After returning to the United States, my grandfather was beaten as a cultural spy, my father was sent to the northwest, and finally he was driven out of the cultural compound. The musician's father became a locksmith and was dragged around every day, and his mother almost had a nervous breakdown. Culture became a disaster, and john young's sensitivity to music was rejected by everything around him. But secretly learning violin from his father's friends and accordion from his father's students became his greatest happiness, and playing the piano became the best way for him to vent his depression. Occasionally, he plays "Sea of Blood" from North Korea on the accordion in the house. The hope and fighting spirit contained in the elegy touched the father who worked outside the home. In order not to let this sensitive artistic expression disappear, his father finally agreed to teach him to play the piano.
The catastrophe gradually passed and the days got better day by day. John young loved ballet and worked as a dancer in his early years. 1978 joined the Lanzhou Military Region Air Force Art Troupe as an accordion player. 198 1 entered the accordion major of Tianjin Conservatory of Music after leaving the army, 1984 entered the accordion major of piano department of Sichuan Conservatory of Music. In my student days, I have won a reputation for myself. I not only won the top student scholarship and the title of outstanding Communist Youth League member, but also raised some controversial issues at that time, such as the comprehensiveness of technology, the comprehensiveness of music and the relationship between music and people. After graduation, he stayed in school to teach and began various artistic explorations and teaching practices.
199 1 won the accordion performance award in the art competition jointly organized by sctv and Taiwanese TV stations. 1992, Taiwanese TV station recorded a special program specially for him, making him the first mainland accordion player introduced to Taiwan Province province. In the same year, at the invitation of relevant British parties, he held his first solo concert in Shanghai, and was invited to hold concerts in Britain and Australia. From 65438 to 0994, the john young Accordion Symphony Concert held in Beijing Concert Hall was a great success. John young broke the stereotype and became the first accordion player in China to cooperate with the symphony orchestra, which fulfilled his dream of cooperation between accordion and symphony for many years. His youth created another one in the field of accordion music. He also published a solo CD album. In the film Peacock directed by Gu Changwei, a sad accordion runs through the story. In Zhang Yimou's movie "The Love of Hawthorn Trees", this melancholy accordion is also telling a touching story, and john young is also involved. It was john young who gave the film story more life, and with the international promotion of two film and television works, john young and his accordion began to receive more attention outside the professional field.
John young's New Concept of Education
Perhaps because of his grandfather's influence, john young has a deep-rooted sense of mission to education. In the teaching and learning of music education, the teaching concept of "passion with emotion" has been well reflected in john young's teaching.
In the 1990s, accordion still held a place in China, and people born in the 1950s and 1960s grew up to be a new generation of young parents. In their growing footprints, civilizations such as "learning from the Soviet Union", "Big Brother of the Soviet Union" and "Paul Kochakin" run through their study and life. Accordion, an instrument that has a close relationship with Soviet culture, has attracted much attention and is deeply loved by the public. Coupled with its beautiful timbre, easy to carry and moderate price, a large number of children born in 1980s and 1990s joined the team of millions of piano children and began to learn accordion playing skills.
With the arrival of the new millennium, China culture seems to be experiencing a more drastic impact of change. In the music life, more people began to appreciate the glory of the European and American classical music era, and more young people who grew up preferred the fashion styles of Europe, America, Japan and South Korea. It seems that in an instant, people picked up the guitar, turned to the piano, and abandoned the accordion, a bulky instrument that seems to be going out of the elegant art hall. Today, with the continuous downsizing of various music colleges and art education, the popularity of accordion education has been greatly impacted. In this way, an art category with such individual characteristics has been neglected, which makes Mr. John Yang feel sad and sorry, and it is not just this that makes Mr. Yang feel sad most. ...
"Look at john young's performance, you can forget any skills. It seems that people can forget the poet's lips and teeth and completely indulge in his affection. " For such praise, Mr. John Yang replied: "Technology is the simplest. Real music shows the spiritual feelings brought by experience, and people prefer the feelings I convey to them with music. My music can make people laugh and cry. In my opinion, accordion and piano, including vocal music, are all the same to me. It is just a means of expression, a tool. I just use it to convey my inner feelings ... "I was lucky enough to visit Mr. John Yang's class in person. I have to say that he is a very strict teacher, "enthusiastic" and "loud". His teaching method is only for students to truly experience the profound language and artistic feelings in music. For education, Mr. John Yang's sorrow lies in his discovery of the mechanical nature of music education in China. "Music can't hear the player's emotions. His music is not clever, only skillful and lifeless. His music can't impress himself. How can he impress others? Such educational ideas and training methods are gradually making students lose the stage on which to live in the future. In art education, why can't we stimulate students' true feelings as a way? In addition, in today's art education, many teachers do not pay attention to their own professional quality and artistic accomplishment. In their 30 s and 40 s, they say that their functions are degraded, they don't give students demonstrations, money is paramount, and they are irresponsible for the content of the class. These are serious problems in China's fine arts education now, and they are the sorrow of China's education. If this continues, we can't imagine what education in China will be like. "
Of course, in teaching, Mr. john young does not only pursue the emotion of music without paying attention to the basic skills. In class, Teacher Yang often emphasizes "pick" and "vigor". He objected to the "rigidity" and "clumsiness" of finger keys when playing. Vividly use a word "pick" to describe the action when pressing the key. "Inability of Qi and Pulse" is also a common word used by john young to describe students' performance. Teacher john young thinks that "music, like human language, also has a language, and the pulse runs through the whole language, so it naturally runs through the whole music. Qi pulse not only connects emotions, but also closely connects fingers with technology. "
John young also has his own views on accordion music creation: "There is no hierarchy in art, and there is no distinction between high and low. Accordion is a musical instrument that can wander around the audience, and it is a good art category that can please people's body and mind. New attempts in modern works can be used as reagents for music, but not as medicines for treatment. As a music carrier that reflects people's social life and emotional thoughts, it must also keep pace with the times, strive to adapt to the ever-changing times and people's appreciation tastes, and can't be closed in the narrow world of self, divorced from other instrumental music and art categories, stuck on its laurels, and its expression methods are outdated, leading to the loss of audiences. This also applies to accordion and other music creation. "
In modern society, more and more people begin to pay attention to the leading role of psychology in human behavior, and john young pays special attention to psychological education. "People are people, not gods, nor electronic machines. As long as people with emotions have complicated psychological changes and musicians are very sensitive, it is not surprising to be nervous on stage, but just saying' Don't be nervous' will never reduce our complicated inner feelings before going on stage. At this time, understanding and encouragement are often the best medicine in the soup. Integrating an understanding into a tense situation will make the performer's mood more relaxed. "
"I attach great importance to the details of students' lives. It's hard to imagine how emotional an adult who can't take care of himself will be. His heart stems from rich life experience, which can't be learned by books alone. I not only require students' professional skills, but also often tell students how to deal with people in life. Long-term accumulation will be of great help to students' self-cultivation. Therefore, I also hope that parents can have the awareness of cultivating their children's living ability. When we educate and cultivate children's music, we don't have to make them musicians. The most important thing is to let children cast their positive attitude towards life and pursue perfect artistic accomplishment in the atmosphere of music and art, thus enriching their lives. "
Some people say that john young is a magical performer. That's because of his talent in accordion music, he got rid of the shackles of China's backward educational thought, and realized the playing concept of keeping pace with the world's leading level in accordion playing. The students he trained are more successful. In the Sichuan "Huaxi Cup" accordion competition, his students won almost all the first, second and third prizes. With his unique interpretation and understanding of music teaching, he has formed a set of self-contained teaching methods after long-term painstaking research, and the students who come here are in an endless stream. It is reported that the "Fan Hai Yin Da Education Science and Technology Center" founded by Mr. John Yang will be launched soon. By then, more accordion and music lovers will feel the joy of music company.
"Fan Hai"-The Stage of Music
Anyone who knows john young knows that he has a dual identity: a musician and the general manager of Fanhai Bar. "There is Sanlitun in the east and Fan Hai in the west", which shows what position his bar occupies in Beijing. So, how does john young view his seemingly unrelated career? In his own words: "opening a bar can only be regarded as a sideline, and music is my eternal theme."
Some people say that john young is an emotional madman. That is to be able to share your accordion music with more people. He will wander the streets and perform passionately, so that all ferrymen will be fascinated by classical music, and passers-by in the square will get together and listen to it, so that the police can intervene and guide them. In Fan Hai Bar, people can often hear john young's passionate performances. Someone once asked john young that you are a master, and the bar is a place for mass consumption. Do you think people can feel what you want to express by putting this elegant thing in a bar? "Real aristocrats, even beggars, have noble blood in their blood. As for music, when I was in college, my teachers talked about masters. A really good musician doesn't care where the venue is. Mozart did the same, walking through john young step by step, whether I was playing music in a bar, in the street or anywhere. My goal is to let more people hear their accordion music. "
postscript
Some people say that john young's performance is sensational. In fact, he danced on the keys with the music melody. This kind of dance is sincere and natural. Therefore, john young sincerely and successfully used his art to open people's hearts and let people's hearts dance with his accordion melody ... Teacher john young said in an interview, "What we lack in this era is people who constantly achieve self-transcendence. They are not only satisfied with material life, but more importantly, they are still thinking about their dreams and doing something for this country and people. Maybe this life is very tiring and the road will be difficult, but I always believe that there will be such strength and the strength will gradually become stronger. I am grateful for my suffering, which makes me strong. I have vowed to be a first-class artist since I was a child. I also hope to use my meager strength to achieve more next generations, and I hope that more people can join this team. "