MENI Theme - Awakening and Regrets
Recording Transcript
Amanda: I originally thought that my spoken English would improve really quickly after I came as I imagined that I would be listening to and speaking English every day by making lots of Canadian friends. However, the reality in Canada was just the opposite of what I expected. I found my spoken English was at the very bottom of the bottom among the students around me in Canada. And I realized my English teachers back in China were not even speaking English but Chinese English the whole time. And they told me I spoke great English just because I got good grades for the tests.
Nick: I feel so regretful now. If I could go back in time, I would definitely change the way how I learned English and prepared for my study in Canada. I would spend the time spent on memorizing useless words on training myself to be better at speaking real English. If I were to be an English teacher when I went back to China, I would not teach my students test-taking skills because they are useless in real communication.
Composing Process
To compose the music for this piece, I used an underlying low range piano progression (based on i and iv chords) as the musical foundation to represent the heaviness of the emotion of awakening and regret. I used higher pitched major chords to accent key moments of realization that participants described, concerning the misconceptions of overseas study and language education held by themselves, their parents, and their English teachers back in China. I ended with contrasting amplified high-pitched chords to further represent and communicate the awakening and painful regrets associated with the recognition of the participants’ misguided preparation before their international study in Canada.
