A music label based in Zibo, Shandong, plans to give the 1.3 billion people who reside in China access to independent artists from around the world.

Cowbell China, launched by Australian company Cowbell Digital Music, provides instantly available music to the Chinese people through one of their largest mobile providers which has over 800 million users. Cowbell China also offers direct links to their music store through a partnership with a major Chinese website that receives up to 4 million hits per month.

"Music can often take weeks or even months going through a strenuous government censoring process before it reaches people in China," noted Andy Browne, Chief Operations Officer of Cowbell Digital Music. "With Cowbell China, we have been able to speed up the process in order to give the people our music immediately."

"This is a major opportunity," explained Shayne Locke, CEO of Cowbell Digital Music. "Major Western-based social media platforms are seriously restricted when it comes to China. We are the first Western independent label to be presented to the Chinese through a fully government-sanctioned media."

With this exciting advance, Cowbell China is hoping to get more independent labels and artists to the music fans of China, whose numbers represent over a fifth of the world's population. Creating a partnership with China's prevalent record label, TR Music, Cowbell China is also able to offer physical distribution and touring options for the artists who gain popularity within China.

"We want artists and labels to contact us and express their interest," noted Shayne. "We will evaluate each artist/label and if we think they will be accepted by the post-monitoring process of the Chinese government, then we will consider offering them a distribution placement. We are preparing our artists and their music for our official launch to coincide with the Chinese New Year celebrations on 14 February 2010. We welcome all artists and labels to contact us if they are interested in distribution."

A festival of performances by the internationally renowned Australian Chamber Orchestra in the Japanese resort town of Niseko has provided the platform for the Japanese launch of Creative Australia, an Australian Government initiative promoting Australian creative industries in Asia.

The Niseko Winter Music Festival (15-17 January 2010) started as the brainchild of Artistic Director Richard Tognetti to showcase the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s unique performance style in Japan.

Richard Tognetti. Photo: Courtesy of Garry Heery

Richard Tognetti said: “Classical music is very popular in Japan. We wanted to build on the success of recent tours there to create an annual festival bringing together Australian and Japanese musicians and audiences. In Japan, they still don’t quite believe that great classical music can come from Australia. Like wine, they expect it to come from Europe.”

Recognised internationally as an innovative festival director, Tognetti is building creative connections with local musicians. The Australian Chamber Orchestra were joined at the Festival by the exhilarating Youtei Taiko Serve Association taiko drummers and one of the world’s greatest harp players, Naoko Yoshino. Highlights included Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4, music by tango master Astor Piazzolla and traditional Taiko drumming.

Koryu Taiko Drummers

Austrade’s Arts Industry Team Leader John Odgers congratulated the Australian Chamber Orchestra on their success and said that Creative Australia would provide a cross-regional marketing platform to promote music and other Australian creative industries in Japan and wider Asia.

“The ACO’s success in Japan is an excellent example of how Australian creative talent can win over audiences in the region. Japan is a sophisticated market. Consumers have money to spend on entertainment and will remain loyal followers when they see quality productions like the ACO. Niseko is also the perfect place to launch Creative Australia as nowhere else in Japan is the influence of Australian creativity and innovation more evident than in the Hokkaido ski resort."

Creative Australia was also promoted at the Korea International Arts Fair (18-22 September 2009) and in China at Shanghai International Creative Industries Week (15-21 October 2009).

Peter Moser

Following the success of The Long Walk community music project in the UK and Hong Kong earlier in the year, renowned British composer, performer, teacher, producer and Artistic Director of More Music, Peter Moser, has begun a two-week tour of China and Hong Kong in which he plans to develop a major new project to coincide with Shanghai's EXPO 2010.

'Music is for Everyone' comprises a series of creative music-making activities tailored for teachers and students which introduce techniques that have been developing in the UK community music scene over the last 20 years. These techniques focus on the inclusive activity that allows everyone to have a part in the creative process and is becoming part of mainstream music delivery in UK schools.

Following 10 days in Shanghai, Peter will travel to Shantou to deliver a lecture and workshop at the Arts Education Centre at Shantou University before going to Hong Kong and Macau where he will deliver seminars and workshops for the British Council and other local organisations.

Peter's visit is funded by the British Council and is being hosted by Fringe Shanghai. Check out his blog here.

Days after its launch at Music China 2009, mezasia signed its first Hong Kong Online Partner, Beez Network Limited.

Director of Beez Network, Simon Ho, with Managing Director of Zone, Ian Clethero

Beez Network is keen to promote its School Management System for Tutorial, Music and Language Schools, SchoolTracs, and joins mezasia's UK Sponsor, Trinity Guildhall, as well as Online Partners, ABRSM, Hofnote, icanplayit, LSO, Gramercy Music and the JZ School.

 
St. John's Cathedral, Hong Kong                   The view from the Peak

Girls from Moira House Girls School in Eastbourne, Sussex, sang at St. John's Cathedral, Hong Kong last Sunday.

The 20-strong choir of boarders and day girls are on a Performing Arts Tour of Hong Kong and Dubai with Principal, Mrs Lesley Watson, Head of Music, Mr Peter Burge and other members of staff. The choir sang two anthems - including Litany to the Holy Spirit by Peter Hurford - during morning service as well as joining in with St John's own choir and congregation throughout.

Afterwards, the girls entertained churchgoers to some lively numbers around the piano during morning coffee, including a couple of instrumental pieces, before heading up to Hong Kong's Peak area to check out the view.

The Hong Kong Government's Working Group on Textbooks & e-Learning Resources Development has submitted a report proposing that a three-year pilot scheme to promote e-learning be launched in up to 30 primary and secondary schools in the 2010-11 school year.

The Working Group, which was set up a year ago, includes information technology experts, secondary and primary school principals and teachers, publishers, community members and parents.

The report suggests that development of the depository of curriculum-based learning and teaching resources be expedited and strengthened at primary and junior secondary levels with additional resources from the 2009-10 school year.

Proposing that a one-off grant for buying e-learning resources over the next three years be disbursed to all primary and secondary schools in this school year and that an e-commerce platform for e-learning resources be introduced, the report also suggested that an online community for teachers should be established at the Education City website.

The Working Group recommended debundling textbooks, and learning and teaching resources for pricing, and changing textbooks' three-year rule of no revision to five years from 2010-11.

Michael Suen chatting to a student during a visit to Hong Kong True Light College

Secretary for Education, Michael Suen welcomed the report, saying the Government is committed to developing e-learning which will enhance student learning and development.

He said the recommendations on how the Government can encourage and support schools to make good use of e-learning resources will be carefully considered, noting that printed textbooks have their own value as learning materials.

Working Group Chairman and Under-Secretary for Education, Kenneth Chen said the successful development of e-learning depends on a change in teaching modes by teachers and the development and supply of diversified e-learning resources, adding that collaboration among schools and the publishing and information technology sectors is needed.

He said debundling printed textbooks and learning and teaching resources for pricing is in line with the user-pays principle and teachers will be able to get proper teaching materials of their own choice.

For more details on the report, please click here.

Music students from the JZ School and a number of Shanghai’s international schools were invited to cut their teeth at the JZ Festival in Century Park this weekend on the Ensemble & DJ Stage.

On Saturday 17 October 2009, festival-goers were treated to sets from students of SAS Puxi and SCIS Pudong while on Sunday 18 October, students of Dulwich College Shanghai, BIS Pudong and Ecole Francais entertained music-lovers in the sunshine. Students from the JZ School played on both days with sets from JZ Kids, JZ Jazz and JZ Rock Ensembles.

I caught up with the bands on the second day of the Festival and checked out a varied and ambitious programme of jazz standards and rock originals. While ticketing problems meant I was too late to hear the first part of the performance, I arrived just in time to meet The Funkadelics, Dulwich College Shanghai’s five-piece jazz combo, as they came offstage after their 30-minute set.

The Funkadelics

After a quick photo op, I asked Philip (piano), Joseph (guitar), Calum (drums), Garrett (bass) and Naman (drums) what they’d enjoyed about the gig. For Calum, “it was a great opportunity to perform in a bigger environment” while for Joseph it was a chance to try out his writing skills on an original 4-minute interlude linking two of the numbers, ‘Funkadelic Slam’.

The band’s full set consisted of six numbers: ‘Four on Six’, ‘Watermelon Man’, ‘Chopin Waltz’, ‘Mercy, Mercy, Mercy’, ‘Funkadelic Slam’ and ‘Chameleon’. Music teacher, Patrick Sabberton, who chose the material and has coached the band for the last two years, felt that the opportunity to perform outside the school environment gave them “a bigger goal to work towards” and made them “more focused”. Meanwhile, Dulwich College Shanghai’s  “very proud” Head of Music, Fritha Jameson, felt the set “went mighty fine”.

Fritha Jameson

Next up were BIS Pudong seven-piece, Lend Us A Tenor, under the tutelage of Head of Expressive Arts, Martin Game. According to Game, this was Lend Us A Tenor’s first proper performance: “While they enjoy the freedom of expression and creativity that comes with jazz, performing in public will give them that extra confidence.”

   
Lend Us A Tenor

The band gave soulful renditions of ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’, ‘Watermelon Man’, ‘Killer Joe’, ‘My Funny Valentine’ and ‘Canteloupe Island’, featuring vocalists on two of their numbers.

14-year-old Rosie, one of Lend Us A Tenor's featured vocalists, has been singing for four years. She started in the school choir before moving on to individual singing lessons. She enjoys acting in plays and doing cabaret.

And so to Impact, Ecole Francais’s “new punk band”, according to JZ School Manager and Festival organiser, Ben Denton.

 
Impact

I chatted with these guys briefly before their set and was intrigued by their combination of good looks and attitude. Singer/songwriter Hannes told me their music is “like a rock salad” (i.e. a mixture of different styles in the rock genre) which guitarist Julien qualified with “well, it’s more punk rock really”. Whatever, I was impressed by their excellent songs, slick arrangements and budding showmanship with Julien trying a couple of proto-rockstar-type leaps and Hannes lounging with his legs dangling over the front of the stage for one number. Bass player Maxime and drummer Olivier provided a solid backing for what was a tight and impressive set.

Whilst Impact have done ten gigs in public, including performances at the Yu Yin Tang and Live Bars, this was their first outdoor experience and was, according to Hannes, “something else”. I snapped a couple of pictures of this very happy band after their set with all agreeing it was a “great performance”.

With the afternoon’s show finishing with a set from JZ School’s Ensemble No. 4, it was time to head off to the main stage to sample songstress Cao Fang’s wistful melancholy and a slice or two of pizza.

Will I be back next year? Just try and stop me.

To read more about Ensemble No. 4's performance, click here.

The 11th China Shanghai International Arts Festival runs from 18 October-18 November 2009.

The theme of this year's state-approved arts festival, hosted by the Ministry of Culture and organized by the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, is "arts to light up the heart".

Musically, the festival has an impressive line-up, featuring performances by some of the best classical musicians and orchestras in the world. World-class violinists Midori and Edvin Marton, pianist Maksim Mrvica, guitar masters Tommy Emmanuel and Pepe Romero and cellist Yo-Yo Ma are among just some of the great musicians to exhibit their talent at this year’s festival. Moreover, audiences will also be able to enjoy performances by the famous Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and a concert by violinist Gidon Kremer and the Kremerata Baltica.

Other musical offerings include a special concert of theme tunes from famous foreign films such as "Zorro" and "The Chase" by the Shanghai Jazz Orchestra and a concert of original works by students and alumni of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

For more information, click here.

The Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation has announced plans to establish a youth jazz orchestra.

Intended to give secondary school students a taste of performing big band bop and swing from the era of Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller, the Hong Kong Youth Jazz Orchestra is the brainchild of jazz musician, Brian Hawkins.

Auditions will be held on Saturday 31 October 2009 at the Island School's Music Studio, 20 Borrett Road, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong.

With the emphasis on group playing, prospective band members will be asked to perform two minutes of a piece of music of their choice and do a sight-reading test.

Bring your own instrument (except for drummers and pianists).

For booking enquiries, please contact Brian Hawkins on 51752476 or email HKYouthJazz@gmail.com.