Since I was very young, music has been my absolute obsession. I can remember when I was 3, doing my little birdie dance to “Rockin Robin” by the Jackson Five in my tighty whities before bedtime, the cliché music I was listening to during my first breakup, and even the song playing when I first got off the plane after arriving in Beijing over six years ago.

I quickly discovered growing up that there is a song for every occasion and music ever since has been a constant companion. From waking up to going to sleep there was some sort of melody or noise filling the air, and just about every song I know has the ability to bring back a specific memory.

When I was in middle school, this obsession for music turned into me trying to make music of my own. I would hide in my parent’s garage for hours playing guitar as loud as possible. Practicing with my buddies, we would unleash our sonic terrors upon the neighborhood, jamming for hours. Once we even received what we regarded as a compliment from an upset neighbor, that we sounded like a broken ice cream truck. We took this feedback and ran with it, releasing music on CDs, tapes, and vinyl for about a decade and touring around America. It was an adventure I’ll never forget, and it introduced me to so many amazing and creative people along the way.

Music gives you so much confidence. It is an attitude that I feel is healthy for all involved and addictive once you start playing out live. There isn’t another art form to my knowledge that’s so direct and instantaneous. Many of the international school kids we interviewed in this magazine expressed the same feeling.

Listening to the sounds children are gravitating to may give you a glimpse into their lives.

When piecing together the ideas for this issue, we assumed that many young people starting to play music wouldn’t receive the same opportunities we might have had growing up. We were delightfully proven wrong, as many gig quite regularly and even use the web and social media to spread their creative output. It’s much more efficient than handing out a tape or CD at shows night after night on the road.

We talked to Mike Qian (p31) of Beanstalk International Bilingual School (BIBS) about his unique views towards playing music of the electronic and metal varieties, and how he was able to break into the Beijing music scene. We also found a music school (p32) that is working to make music fun for those first beginning their musical journey. For our cover feature, we took Jason Wilkins, also known as DJ Jay 1, 2, to Beijing No. 55 High School to teach a handful of young music enthusiasts about his craft and to explain why he has a collection of 4,000 records and who knows how many shoes.

In Schooled (p38), we talk to two educators about how they use kinesthetic learning to engage their students with the learning process. This is just another way in which music and physical activity can stimulate learning.

As parents, there will no doubt be a time when our children are listening to music that we are out of touch with. Don’t forget that there is always a reason that these are the types of sounds they are gravitating to, and listening to these sounds may give you a glimpse into their lives. We would probably be more worried if they weren’t listening to any music at all. Remember, if it’s too loud you’re too old!

Photo: Fang Yifei
This originally appeared on p5 of beijingkids June 2018 “Everything Is Music” issue.

The Midi Battle of the Bands is a nationwide competition that has given young rockers the opportunity to compete onstage and gain feedback from both their peers and professional judges. These groups, usually consisting of a guitarist, bassist, and percussionist, have the freedom to display their artistic creativity, musical expressiveness, and let all those complex beats and musical arrangements emerging in their heads run wild into complete compositions. Contestants then participate in a preliminary round, quarter-finals, and national finals, where they are judged on many of their skills, including basic exam scores, mastery of playing skills, and even style and popularity.

We invited three bands in the Midi Battle of the Bands to talk about their inspirations, special moments onstage, bonding experiences with their bandmates, as well as their common passion for music. We hope this gives you a little glimpse of life as teenagers trying to break their way into China’s rapidly developing music scene.

Buddy 00 Generation is a pop band formed by kids from different schools and different grades, but their common love for music and unwavering perseverance brought them together on this journey. Through their music, they’ve demonstrated to China the unique characteristics of the rising youth – creativity, candor, and confidence.

Tell us about your band. When and how was the band formed and how are the roles of the band members distributed?
We are BUDDY 00 Generation. We (guitarist Shuotong Wanglin and bass guitarist Yuetong Su) have been learning guitar in a training institute, and our teacher organized us to practice as an ensemble. We felt great playing as a group, and we also watched some performances of other bands on television before this. Then, with the help of our teacher, we found keyboardist Zihe Wang and percussionist Runsen Wang to form a band. We routinely practice every week with everyone almost always being able to attend, and we have improved together since.

What is the name of your band, and where did it come from?
The oldest member of our band was born in 2003, and the youngest 2006. All of us belong to the “00 Generation” (those born after year 2000), so we just call ourselves “00 Generation” when we first started. The members of our band are all from different grades and different schools, but music is what making us true friends and bandmates through communication and the work we did together. In the beginning of 2016, we officially changed our name to “BUDDY 00 Generation.”

How would you describe the overall style of your music?
The main style of our band is pop rock. We do not have much experience with learning music or encountering different styles. We add to the frame of pop music little by little with the knowledge we have learned along the way (like blues and funk).

How did you first get involved with music?
We first started learning in the institute, where we would have a lot of fun while practicing!

Since Midi is a nationwide platform, what do you look forward to or want to gain most out of this experience?
We hope that more professionals and teachers can listen to our work and provide us with constructive feedback. We also hope that we can let more people can hear the voices of the new generation of musicians.
Regarding the piece that you recorded and submitted to the battle, can you describe your songwriting process? Were there challenges you encountered during the experience?

The music we handed in this time was a song called “I Am the 00 Generation,” which is based on our band’s name. This composition was also a project our teacher had assigned to us. Each one of us wrote lyrics that described characteristics of our generation, and the process of assembling those lyrics was pretty smooth.

What is the composition of your piece like, and what does the music and lyrics express? Is there anything special about the song that you would like to share with us?
People say that the time of the 00 Generation takes place in a multi-cultural society. We added elements of pop, blues, funk, rap, and more to embody the diversity of our generation. The lyrics also describe our lives – such as the lines “Little shoulders, big backpacks/Math, English, and calligraphy/My parents think I am Superman/But I do not possess superpowers like Nezha” – as you can see we are also under a lot of pressure.

What was the experience of participating in the Midi Battle like? What was the most memorable moment or story?
Without competition, there would be no comparison. Without comparison, we would not be able to improve. The most memorable part of this experience would probably be how much we learned from the other bands in this battle.

What are your plans for the future of this band? Do you plan on creating more music together?
We hope that more people can listen to our songs, and accept and appreciate the voices of our youth generation.

Finally, is there anything you want to say to your bandmates?
Let’s work hard together!

Open is a heavy metal band that consists of five band members. Though they are young of age, they have had plenty of onstage experiences, a contagious stage presence, and impressive potential all the while engaging in interactions with the audience. They have also been on multiple tours and invited to music festivals and battles as performing guests.

How would you describe your sound to an alien, who has never heard your type of music before?
Probably passionate, free, and full of energy.

Do you all have an artist in particular that you find inspiring, or that has influenced your sound?
The teacher who opened the door to music for us is Liang Huang, the founder of the Haiyun Contemporary Music Center, which we have been learning at. Metallica has also influenced our style.

What are you all listening to right now, would you say that you primarily listen to Chinese or Western groups?
We listen to heavy metal music, often from Western groups.

Who in the band writes the songs, or is it a group effort? Are there ever any disagreements over song ideas?
We have had disagreements over different opinions, but as a group, we try to conquer these problems and complete the compositions together.

What do other kids think about you being in a band? Do you ever get a chance to play in front of your classmates?
Our classmates really admire how we already have a band on our own! We have performed for them several times, and they are a great source of encouragement and support.

What has been the most exciting moment in your young musical careers thus far?
We were very honored to have performed in and won the Midi Battle Nationals.

Is music something that you will continue to pursue, and if so what are some of your goals for the future as a band?
Of course we will continue pursuing our dreams. We are anticipating stepping onto the Zhanguo Rock Music Festival stage right now, and our ultimate goal is to perform on a nationwide or even global platform.

If you could make a music video for any one of your songs, which would it be and what would the music video be about?
We would probably make a music video for our original song “Onward,” and it would be about our journey step by step toward the horizon of success. The video would be filled with passion and faith, just like the song.

What has been the most challenging part of participating in the Midi Battle of the Bands, and how has the experience helped you to develop and grow closer as a band?
The pressure of competing amongst so many talented groups from all over China had been a challenge. But through all the accommodating and working with the group members during gigs and rehearsals, we have really came to know each other a lot better.

How are you judged in the Midi Battle of the Bands competition? Have you been very impressed by the other bands participating?
We were very honored to have been given the high praise “they might become the next ‘Motorhead’” from the professionals judging the battle. We were also very impressed by Soil, another band that participated.

What advice would you give to other teens wanting to start a band and start gigging around Beijing?
Just keep your ears open! Listen to feedback from your teachers, and listen to many different styles of music.

Junior Journey is a band with a distinct style that incorporates both pop and metal elements into their rock music. Like their band name entails, their music is also filled with energy and passionate sentiment, providing the perfect soundtrack to your road of discovery.

How would you describe your sound?
I would describe our style as rock, pop, and metal.

What other musicians do you find inspiring?
Some artists that we really enjoy are Jason Zhang, NZBZ, Beyond, and Open (another band that participated in Midi).

What are you all listening to right now?
We usually listen to rock songs, but also genres of pop and classical styles. We are open to both Chinese and Western music.

Who in the band writes the songs? Are there ever any disagreements over song ideas?
Our band members usually brainstorm a lot of the ideas together. Though we often have different ideas, we try to be inclusive and mix and merge them together, so it is a group effort.

What is the composition of your piece like, and what does the music and lyrics express? Is there anything special about the song that you would like to share with us?
We try our best to make our music as perfect as possible. The music as well as the lyrics contain a lot of emotions and passion, which, in our opinion, really fits our style and concept.

What do other kids think about you being in a band? Do you ever get a chance to play in front of your classmates?
We have played in front of our peers before, and they admire our special experience and skills.

What was the experience of participating in the Midi Battle like? What was the most memorable moment or story?
We had a blast! The whole experience had helped us gain more experience with performance and grow as a band. The enthusiasm from the crowd in the whole stadium had been indelible moments.

Have you been very impressed by the other bands participating?
We were impressed by the song “So Great” and “Onward” by Open.

What are your plans for the future of this band? Do you plan on creating more music together?
We plan to continue improving and creating better music in the future. We also hope that each member will keep developing their individual skills so that our music as well as our group will be remembered by people in the future.

Finally, is there anything you want to say to your bandmates?
Let’s cherish every rehearsal and every opportunity to perform onstage that we are given, and learn more from it each time to better ourselves even more. Friends,let us fight and strive toward our dream!

Photos: Courtesy of Kitty and Yan Min

Bands from six Beijing High Schools — The Western Academy of Beijing, Beijing World Youth Academy, International School of Beijing, Tsinghua, No. 55, and Harrow are set to rock Vics in Sanlitun Saturday in a fundraiser for Japan.

School’s out … for the summah! Alt Senior is one of the bands rocking Vics for charity Saturday night

The show starts at 6pm and features bands Agent Orange, Bad Apples, We Just Got Here, Alt Senior, Red Lights, Dejavu and Hot Noise.

For those about to rock, we salute you

All proceeds from the rock concert will go to the Red Cross fund for victims of the Japan earthquake.

The event marks a milestone for two of the bands — Bad Apples and Alt Senior — as both bands will be releasing albums tomorrow. Come celebrate with them!

Tickets are RMB 70 yuan at the door. Call 5293-0333 or 1352 161 7008 for details.