Renowned pianist Joja Wendt leads piano exploration workshops

Returning to Wellington College International Shanghai for the third time, renowned concert pianist Joja Wendt held a series of short music workshops for year 2 pupils on Thursday 16 November. Designed to encourage our younger children to consider the many benefits of playing the piano, Joja’s workshops gave them the opportunity to explore this extremely versatile instrument in a fun, relaxed manner. “The piano is such an intuitive instrument; you simply press a key and you can make a perfect note. This is part of what makes it so accessible and enjoyable for children, they don’t need to struggle with difficult breathing techniques, they can sit down, touch the keys and immediately understand how to make music. From this simple start, they can begin to experiment with hitting the keys hard or softly, quickly or slowly, it’s an extremely intuitive process to pick up, even at a very young age.” Not only did the workshops allow the Pre-Prep pupils to experience a taste of what a piano can do under the nimble fingers of a master, they were encouraged to take a hands-on approach and try to make music of their own. Between them, Joja and the pupils improvised in making different sounds, tunes and melodies, many involving percussion accompaniments from the pupils themselves. To give the different pieces some context, Joja explained what he was showing them through stories about making music with his family during childhood, further demonstrating how music can be collaborative experience, not solely an individual one. As well as actively experimenting with the piano’s capabilities, Joja explained to the pupils the importance of keeping their minds and ears open to new sounds and types of music: “In China, pupils are more used to learning existing musical pieces by heart rather than experimenting and finding their own style. This approach can help them become very competent but not necessarily creative. So, to help overcome this, I think it’s helpful to start the process of exploring different types of music from an early age, listening as well as playing. Pupils interested in creating music should listen to a wide range of musical genres: jazz, pop, classical, rock, it all helps you understand what is possible and how you can find your own way of putting sound stogether to make something really exciting.” By the end of the workshops, the pupils went away with a greater understanding of not just the piano and how to play it, but also how to have fun with music and enjoy being creative through experimentation and exploration. Joja explained how this process can be helpful to their personal and educational journey in many different ways: “I hope that I managed to show the children at least a small measure of my enthusiasm for the piano and the beneficial effects that it can have on their educational development, and even their health. Research has shown that playing the piano gives your brain an excellent workout, strengthening synaptic connections in ways that can aid understanding of all kinds of different subjects and problems. Most importantly of all, it’s an instrument that’s easy to fall in love with, since they can begin to understand and enjoy it very early on in their lives.” Our own head of music, Mr Mulliner, expressed his gratitude to Joja for coming back to Wellington for a third time to hold another hugely popular and successful set of workshops: “We are extremely privileged to have someone of Joja’s musical passion and expertise come to show our younger pupils just what the piano can do. At Wellington, we’re always looking to expose the children under our tutelage to new and exciting opportunities that will open their eyes to future possibilities. As always, we mean this in a broad, holistic sense, not purely an educational one. Through meeting and communicating with diverse and talented people from different walks of life, our pupils can see what’s out there in the wider world, and how to find their own path to what interests them most.” We hope to see Joja Wendt back at Wellington again soon to introduce another set of pupils to the possibilities offered by the piano and musical exploration.