Published on: 9 September 2021

The Prep Guzheng ensemble started at the beginning of the year as part of the 2020 Prep Chinese New Year celebrations. The Guzheng is a Chinese string instrument played with fingerpicks on both hands. The wooden Guzheng commonly has 21 strings, is 1.6 metres long and is tuned in a major pentatonic scale. Traditional playing styles use the right hand to pluck notes and the left hand to add ornamentation such as pitch slides and vibrato.

Boys have been practising these instruments twice a week with Ms Liu and Ms Chen, and you can see how amazing they are by going here. The instruments have been incredibly popular with boys and the Music Department has decided to include Guzheng as part of the music program next year.

Through the hard work of staff and students, the ensemble has made amazing progress and will be performing at the Australia and China Friendship Society of WA (ACFSWA) Chinese Language Students Awards Presentation and as part of the Big Guzheng Ensemble at the 2021 WA Chinese Guzheng Festival and the Senior School Assembly in Week 4 Term 4. The eight members of the ensemble are Lucas Page (6JM), Chase Yuen (4SO), Gideon Van Niekerk (4JS), Artin Vahedi (4GW), Hayden Chan (4TR), Raymond Moswen (4JS), Patrick Day (5SH) and Sam Crossley (4JS).