String Instruments Performance Diploma

This is an advanced program designed to prepare erhu players for professional performing careers through private instruction and intensive solo and ensemble performance experiences. A minimum residency of 4 courses (480 hours each) is required.

Course Outline:

String Instruments 101: Basic Skills and Techniques
String Instruments 102: The Hu Qin Family
String Instruments 201: Contemporary Work
String Instruments 202: Erhu Concerto

Brief Course Description		String Instruments 101 focuses on the theory and basic skills of erhu. Through the main teaching repertoire: Liu Tianhua’s 10 pieces as well as “The Song of the Wanderers” enhance students’ understanding of the theory and performance of modern erhu works and to master the essential erhu performing skills at the “master level”.
Course Prerequisites		Passed the entrance examination from YC Music Academy.
Learning Objectives		To learn the erhu basics. To play erhu with a balanced, elegant, and relaxed posture. To understand the right hand’s bow distribution, speed, strength, and source of sound to produce an excellent tone (an erhu’s sound quality). To understand the left hand’s use of fingering to nourish the ability to accurately express musical language. To grasp the accurate position of the notes. To master the techniques of erhu such as détaché, legato, martelé, staccato, spiccato. To be able to comprehend the requirements of erhu music and be able to perform different depths of erhu pieces. To master the scales and modes of major and minor keys. To perform Master Liu Tian Hua’s ten pieces, “Zigeunerweisen”, etc. at a professional level and fulfill a variety of musical requirements. To be able to handle erhu narration and storytelling requirements. At YC Music Academy, we focus on sharing musical emotion and content through instruments. At the end of the String Instruments 101 course, each student is required to perform two erhu pieces. We hope that the audience can appreciate the integrity of the music.
Required Course Materials		Required materials: erhu, sheet music Note: The academy will provide a copy of the needed sheet music for the student.
Course Duration		480 hours

Teaching Methods + Methods of Student Evaluation		Class Lecture Types: 1. Music knowledge-based classes: No more than 10 students per class 2. Profession classes: One on one 3. Ensemble classes: More than 3 students Weight: Assignments (60%) Final performance ( 2 assigned pieces 40%)

Completion Requirements	A score of 70% or higher from the evaluation

Brief Course Description

String Instruments 102 mainly focuses on the theory and performance of the traditional style works of the Hu Qin family ( Zhonghu, Gaohu, Gehu, and Panhu). Through the main teaching repertoire “Horse Riding on Prairie”, “The Beautiful Prairie”, “Moon Lake in Fall”, “Fishing Boat in the Evening” “Chat Between a Couple” and “Visiting Her Fiancé” to enhance the understanding of different Hu Qins, as well as master the special skills and techniques to perform traditional music on different instruments of the Hu Qin family.

Course Prerequisites

Score 70% or higher in String Instrument 101

Learning Objectives*		To master the special skills and techniques of playing traditional and contemporary music on different Hu Qins, students should be able to play assigned music of three out of the following different Hu Qins other than the standard erhu demonstrating different geographic styles and intonations. (a) Zhonghu (Viola Style Erhu): Know the zhonghu basics with strings pitched at low D and G and the other basic characteristics different from erhu Be able to play the zhonghu with a balanced and relaxed posture in the lower scale of the music spectrum Develop good tone and quality of zhonghu sound by understanding specifics of bow distribution, speed, amount of force applied Develop good intonation by understanding the function of the right-hand bow movement and the corresponding left-hand fingering Master the pitch accuracy of zhonghu Master all zhonghu bow strokes and articulations (i.e. detaché, martelé, staccato, slur, fast notes, bow jumping, bow throwing, etc.) Be able to read and understand the requirements of zhonghu music and play zhonghu with different dynamic levels Be able to sight read and shift up to the 3rd or higher positions before returning to the home position Be able to play “Horse Riding on the Prairie” and “The Beautiful Prairie” (both standard pieces written for Zhonghu) at a professional level while fulfilling all requirements and instructions from the instructors of our academy (b) Gaohu (High-Pitched Erhu): Know the gaohu basics with strings pitched at high G and D, the other basic characteristics different from erhu, as well as its Southern intonations Be able to play the gaohu with a balanced and relaxed posture Develop good tone and quality of gaohu sound by understanding specifics of bow distribution, speed, and amount of force applied Switch positions with the gaohu between high positions (Cantonese style) and the standard position (Northern style) Develop good intonation by understanding the function of the coordination of bow movement with the right-hand and the left-hand fingering. Master the pitch accuracy of gaohu Master all gaohu bow strokes and articulations (i.e. detaché, martelé, staccato, slur, fast notes, bow jumping, bow throwing, etc.) Be able to read and understand the requirements of gaohu music and play gaohu with different dynamic levels Be able to sight read and shift up to the 3rd or higher positions before returning to the home position Be able to play “Moon Lake in The Fall” and “Fishing Boat in the Evening” (both standard pieces written for Gao Hu) at a professional level while fulfilling all requirements and instructions from the instructors of our academy (c) Panhu (Erhu with A Board Instead of Snake Skin): Know the panhu basics with strings pitched at high D and A, the other basic characteristics different from erhu, as well as its Northwestern intonations Be able to play the panhu with a balanced and relaxed posture Develop good tone and quality of gaohu sound by understanding specifics of bow distribution, speed, and amount of force applied Develop good intonation by understanding the function of the right-hand bow movement and left-hand fingering Master the pitch accuracy of panhu Master all gaohu bow strokes and articulations (i.e. detaché, martelé, staccato, slur, fast notes, bow jumping, bow throwing, etc.) Be able to read and understand the requirements of panhu music and play gaohu with different dynamic levels Be able to sight read and shift up to the 4th or higher positions before returning to the home position Be able to play “Chat Between A Couple” and “Visiting Her Fiancé” (both standard pieces written for panhu) at a professional level while fulfilling all requirements and instructions from the instructors of our academy (d) Gehu (Chinese Cello): Know the Gehu basics with strings pitched at C, G, D, and A, as well as its characteristics Be able to play the gehu with a balanced and relaxed posture Develop good tone and quality of gehu sound by understanding specifics of bow distribution, speed, and amount of force applied Develop good intonation by understanding the function of the right-hand bow movement and left-hand fingering Master the pitch accuracy of gehu Master all gehu bow strokes and articulations (i.e. detaché, martelé, staccato, slur, fast notes, bow jumping, bow throwing, etc.) Be able to read and understand the requirements of gehu music and play gaohu with different dynamic levels Be able to sight read and shift up to the 4th or higher positions before returning to the home position Be able to play “Largo” and “Without You” (both standard pieces written for Gehu)at a professional level while fulfilling all requirements and instructions from the instructors of our academy
Required course materials*		Erhu: “Moon Over the Second Spring” Jinghu “Deep Evening” Panhu “Hua Bangzi” Zhonghu “Inspiration from the Northwest” Gaohu “Rain on Banana Leaf” Gehu “Dancing Queen”
Course Duration		480 hours


Teaching Methods		Class Lectures (No more than 5 students per class) Demonstrations (One-on-one)
Methods of Student Evaluation		Weight: Course-End Recital – 70% Assignments – 30%

Completion Requirements	A final mark of 70% or higher

Brief Course Description		String Instruments 201 focuses on the study and performance of erhu contemporary works. Through the study of the main teaching repertoire “The First Erhu Rhapsody”, “The Dream of Jinghua”, “Autumn Rhyme”, “Jianghe and Dream”, “Tianshan Style” and “Mengfeng”. students will be promoted to Liu Wenjin, Guan Naizhong, Zhao Jiping, Wang Jianmin, Tan Dun, etc. The modern composer’s understanding of the creation of modern works and his skill and style of play.
Course Prerequisites		A score of 70% or higher in String Instruments 102
Learning Objectives		Review and improve techniques and skills through scales, etudes, and technical exercises. Master skills and techniques of performing erhu contemporary works including advanced bowing and fingering techniques including left-hand articulation, trills, vibrato, and spiccato. Get exposed to various musical styles from different composers such as Liu Wenjin, Guan Naizhong, Zhao Jiping, Wang Jianmin, Tan Dun, etc. Achieve a good understanding of all musical styles Develop mature musicianship and showmanship Prepared to play technically challenging pieces such as “The First Erhu Rhapsody”, “The Dream of Jinghua”, “Autumn Rhyme”, “Jianghe and Dream”, “Tianshan Style” and “Mengfeng” at the professional level fulfilling all requirements from music as well as requirements from the erhu instructors of our academy.
Required course materials		“The First Erhu Rhapsody”, “The Dream of Jinghua”, “Autumn Rhyme”, “Jianghe and Dream”, “Tianshan Style” and “Mengfeng”
Course Duration		480 hours


Teaching Methods + Method(s) of Student Evaluation		Class Lectures (No more than 5 students per class), Demonstrations (One to one basis) Weight: Assignments (60%) Final performance (2 assigned pieces 40%)

Completion Requirements	A score of 70% or higher from the evaluation

Brief Course Description		String Instruments 202 focuses on the various techniques and styles to perform transposed works and large-scale music works. Students will study the essential requirements of playing erhu in an orchestra.
Course Prerequisites		Erhu 201 with a score of 70% or higher
Learning Objectives*		Be able to play erhu with all the techniques and skills mentioned in erhu courses 101, 102, and 201 Master the techniques and skills to play erhu music with an orchestra in a concerto Develop skills to phase in and phase out smoothly when playing an erhu concerto with a small size ensemble (1-10 musicians) where no conductor is present Develop skills to phase in and phase out smoothly when playing an erhu concerto with a large size orchestra (30+ musicians) with a conductor Through the main teaching repertoire “Paganini Capriccio”, “Sunshine in Tashkurgan”, “The Great Wall Cappriccio” and “The Butterfly Lovers”, master the techniques and skills to play erhu music from a foreign source and cooperate with an orchestra in a concerto At the end of this course, the student is required to perform two erhu concertos (one with a small-size ensemble and one with a large-scale orchestra) at a professional level while fulfilling requirements from both the music and the erhu instructors.
Required course materials*		Provided by YC Music Academy
Course Duration		480 hours

Teaching Methods + Methods of Student Evaluation		Class Lectures (No more than 5 students per class) Demonstrations (One-on-one) Weight: Assignments 40% Course end Recital 60%

Completion Requirements	A score of 70% or higher from the evaluation