Standing on a school stage, the master swings his arms and moves his body as he conducts an orchestra. The 70 young musicians keep a sharp focus on the master’s white baton (指挥棒) as it shoots upward, downward, and sideways.
Michael Morgan was six years old when his father moved a neighbor’s unwanted piano into their living room. He started piano lessons, but it was when he saw a conductor leading an orchestra on television that he realized what he really wanted to do. At age eight, he began reading The Joy of Music by conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein and figured out how to direct with a baton. After graduating from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, Michael worked under Bernstein. “Conducting is a thing you learn by apprenticing (当学徒). You do more watching than anything else,” Morgan says. Even after Morgan had graduated from Oberlin, Bernstein’s masterful teaching continued to influence him.
Morgan is committed to offering kids a chance to explore classical music. In his hometown, he started to volunteer in local schools, conducting student orchestras and talking with kids about music. Morgan is also the music director and conductor of the Oakland Symphony. He works with teachers in after-school programs to reach students who can’t afford lessons.
Morgan is focused and works very hard. “He’s mastermind behind all of these programs,” says Elizabeth, Oakland Symphony Education Coordinator. “He is in an amazing harmony with students. He is really serious in getting down to his business.”
Morgan says his work is mostly about providing young people with an entrance into music. “Instruments give kids a way of emotional expression, a source of pride, and an interest they can carry with them through life. Young musicians come from many different cultures and communities. But with instruments in hand, their hearts sing as one,” he says.
【小题1】What inspired Morgan to begin his career as a conductor?| A．A gift from his neighbor. | B．The piano lessons he took. |
| C．The guidance of his teacher. | D．A TV program in his childhood. |
| A．Passionate and honest. | B．Generous and demanding. |
| C．Ambitious and humorous. | D．Warmhearted and devoted. |
| A．To show recognition on Morgan. | B．To share her cooperation with Morgan. |
| C．To encourage kids to learn from Morgan. | D．To express people’s expectations for Morgan. |
| A．Playing music is the best way to relieve people’s tension. |
| B．Morgan opens a door to music teaching for young musicians. |
| C．Music has the power to bridge cultural gap and unite people. |
| D．Young musicians tend to play the same song whole-heartedly. |
