January 25th, 2025

This evening, I had the chance to attend a concert at Evergreen Cultural Center in Coquitlam. The show featured three artists who were playing different instruments from East Asia.

Image by me – Traditional Instruments in a Contemporary Setting

The first artist, Michelle Kwan, gave a traditional yet contemporary performance on the Chinese Guzheng instrument – a traditional Chinese harp. It was an amazing blend of classical Chinese music and then covers from Bon Jovi, Guns ‘N Roses, Metallica and Adele. Check it out:

Guns ‘N Roses – Sweet Child o’ Mine – Guzheng Cover

The next two artists were called Bushido – Children of Song. They were Japanese folk-inspired musicians and were playing wa-gakki – Japanese traditional instruments. Their sound was also a traditional mix of bamboo zen flute and taiko drums.

Bushido 節童 Haru Kaze 春風 by Nori Akagi
Image by me – my attempt at calligraphy

January 29th, 2025

In class today we celebrated Lunar New Year. I was so happy to see students of all cultures join in, share food, and socialize together. It always amazes me at how much they love to share their traditional food – it really brings them together as a little community.

Image by me – Lunar New Year Potluck

These two experiences made me think about how important lived experience is to learning. The instruments at the concert were so traditional to far away cultures, yet the players were able blend them into present-day entertainment. The immigrant students in my class bring with them a wealth of knowledge and skills and food – that they share with others who have never tried such flavors. Learning is a mix of old and different and new!