after school hours on Mondays, lunch breaks on Fridays
Shuo-Chang Fun Facts
Shuo-Chang Fun Facts
【Taiwanese opera tune】
Tune used for ‘reading song,’ or what people often call ‘Taiwanese opera tune.’ There are two varying interpretations of Taiwanese opera tune; one of them literally means ‘reading song,’ similar to Taiwanese Shuo-Chang, whereas the other one means the way of singing used in Taiwanese opera.
【Taiwanese opera】Taiwanese opera originated from the general public. The fusion of different Taiwanese subcultures created this unique blend of opera. It is also the only form of opera that originated from Taiwan. Taiwanese opera took in local folk songs and blended in with traditional Chinese opera performing techniques to create an ancient-costume-wearing opera performance that is entirely done in Taiwanese.
Source: Education Market Cloud, Taiwan Shuo-Chang Music by Zeng Yong Yi (1988), The development and changes of Taiwanese opera ｜
Edited and organized by Jessica
Shuo-Chang for you
Taiwanese opera performance (from left): Jackie, Tim, and Ryan | Poem by: Wang Wei, Tang dynasty
Taiwanese opera tune
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‘Remembering My Brothers On The Ninth of September’ by Wang Wei, Tang Dynasty
A lonely traveler in the foreign land,
Thinking about families during festive days;
Knowing on the distant highland were my brothers;
Planting cornel without me would never be the same.
Learning Tips (Reminders from student Shuo-Chang expert teacher)
Speak up, be really loud
Sing slowly
Gestures must be clear visible and precise
Articulate clearly
Do not sing off-key
Be poised, do not be timid
Learning logs
Date
Details
10/19
Practice the basics of Shuo-Chang – congratulatory speech, doggerel
Practice clappers
10/23
Practice congratulatory speech - done (movement + voice)
Practice script for Taiwanese opera
10/26
Practice Taiwanese opera – ‘Remembering My Brothers On The Ninth of September’ (in Taiwanese)
10/30
Editing Shuo-Chang script and practice
Review ‘Da Guo Men’ and congratulatory speech
11/6
Practice Taiwanese opera (emphasizing on voice and intonation)
11/13
Practice market peddling doggerel
11/30
Practice cross talks
Storytelling with clappers
Tongue twisters levels one through three
12/4
Practice Taiwanese opera
12/11
Practice Taiwanese opera
Practice cross talks
Afterthoughts
Tim
When I first learned that I was going to perform Taiwanese opera, I was terrified and afraid that others may laugh at me. After learning Taiwanese opera with my student Shuo-Chang expert teacher, my confidence got much better, and I was no longer afraid about singing. I want to thank Jackie for teaching me so well in such a short period of time. He has made me a braver person.
Jackie was quite a demanding teacher, and that’s also the reason why I was able perform so well. I was also able to walk out of my fear of performing in front of a crowd and become a little Shuo-Chang expert. Thank you!
Ryan
At first, I thought Taiwanese opera was a very challenging form of Shuo-Chang art, and I wasn’t so sure if I could do a good job learning it. Our student Shuo-Chang expert teacher instructed us very patiently. Even though we kept on making mistakes, Jackie still kept his cool and corrected our mistakes. I was always afraid of being laughed at each time before the start of a Taiwanese opera performance. However, after seeing Jackie performed so confidently on stage, my confidence went up as well. Every one of our performances completed smoothly, and I have finally learned to sing Taiwanese opera well.
I’d also like to thank Jackie for teaching me other types of Shuo-Chang in the process. I have now one more talent to show for, and my understanding in the art of Shuo-Chang has got deeper.
Source: TQT │ Edited and Organized by: Tim│ Pictures: the Original Artsy Shuo-Chang Posse
