Q: Do you know what shuochang is? (explain briefly)

A: I’m more familiar with cross talks, Taiwanese opera, storytelling, and fast clapper talks.

Q: Why did you let Jasmine learn shuochang?

A: She likes to talk, but she couldn’t articulate very well. So I thought she could join the art of shuochang club to work on her articulation, as well as training her to perform on stage and improve her self confidence.

Q: Did you notice any changes in Jasmine after learning shuochang? What is the most visible change?

A: She is now more confident when performing on stage, and she also seemed more poised. After learning shuochang for a while, she is now very poised on stage.

Q: Do you think learning shuochang could benefit children in their learning in other subject areas?

A: Of course. I think the greatest improvement would show up in language courses because there is quite a lot of memorization and recitation in shuochang. When kids memorize a script, they have also acquired new knowledge and improved their reciting skills.

Q: Has Jasmine got any shuochang performing experiences before? How much time did it take her to prepare before each performance?

A: Yes, she had some shuochang performing experiences before. It takes her about a month to get a long script down. The fastest would be about a couple of weeks.

Q: (Continued from previous question) Do you think Jasmine has spent too much time on shuochang?

A: Not at all. She spends a fraction of her time every day to practice, like before going to bed or on the way to school.

Q: Have you seen Jasmine performing on stage? How did you feel?

A: Yes, I have. It felt great because I am not really confident about speaking on stage, so when I see Jasmine performing on stage, I envy her a little.

Q: Do you wish to let Jasmine continue learning shuochang in the future?

A: Of course!

Q: Can you give Jasmine a few words of encouragement?

A: Jasmine, keep up the good work! Your hard work will be rewarded with sweet fruits.

Q: Finally, can you give a few words of encouragement to parents whose children are interested in learning shuochang?

A: I think the art of shuochang can help kids to improve their language proficiencies and stage presence. In addition, they are now able to spread laughter to other people, and that is very interesting.

Q: Some kids may learn shuochang only for a while. They stop due to conflicts with schoolwork. Do you have any suggestions to those parents?

A: I think most kids stop learning shuochang because they start feeling under pressure. Take Jasmine for example, she first started learning with great enthusiasm because everything was so fresh and new. After learning shuochang for a while, she gradually lost that feeling of excitement. Once the class stops providing kids with a sense of excitement to fill their curiosity, they start to lose interest, and then they would redirect their energy in other interesting matters.

Q: (Continued from previous question) How do you deal with it?

A: I try to encourage Jasmine as much as possible. Everyone must have faced some forms of setback in the course of learning. Jasmine thought about giving up before because she came across some setbacks, like feeling bored or got scolded by the teacher because she didn’t memorize the script well. When that happened, I comforted her and encouraged her not to give up so easily. Like what her teacher has always said, “It takes years of hard work to shine one minute on stage.” Besides encouraging her, I would also show her some shuochang videos to motivate her so she would not lose her drive to learn and make herself better.

Q: Shuochang class is only available to middle grade Yu-Tsai class; do you think the school should offer shuochang class to bilingual classes?

A: I think the bilingual classes can have shuochang class once a week so the kids are able to get a feel of what the art of shuochang is all about.

Q: Since you have a boy and a girl, do you see any differences in their learning?

A: I think the difference it quite noticeable. My girl is more willing to memorize the script. Whereas my boy is treating it like a game, so he does not take the initiative to get ready or practice. It might be the fact that he is still in the lower grades.

Q: Do you wish to see your children seeking a career in this path? Or do you just want to get them interested in shuochang?

A: I do not have a preset agenda for them in terms of their career path. I want them to learn shuochang so they can be more poised when performing on stage. Also, I want them to see the importance of speaking intelligently. There are different ways to describe the same thing, so the trick is to do it in a way that the listeners are able to fully comprehend the speaker’s intention. For example, two hosts can create different interactions with the same crowd. In addition, our shuochang performances are very interactive, so every student is able to take part, and that is a big draw for them. Therefore, I hope they are able to pick up on how to speak intelligently.