In Shanghai’s Grand Theater, a fashionable, mainly young audience applauds enthusiastically as Guo Yong takes center stage. He holds a large bushy tree branch with leaves. Blowing on one of the leaves, he produces a sound like the singing of birds as he plays a traditional Buyi folk song. Some other musicians are also playing the traditional instruments from various ethnic groups in China.

It’s the first time such music has ever been performed in the Grand Theater. But all this is the efforts of Zhu Zheqin, a Cantonese-born singer; who has made it her mission to help preserve China’s traditional ethnic music.

Several years ago, after being appointed a United Nations Development Program ambassador, Zhu traveled through some of China’s remotest regions in an attempt to document the traditional music of various minority groups. In the course other four- month trip, she recorded more than a thousand songs. But she noticed that many of the best musicians were old, and some of the music was at risk of dying out.

“I was shocked the beauty of what I heard-it was so good,” she says. “But it needed support. I hope to let people see the beauty of these things in the contemporary times.”

So Zhu decided to introduce some of the musicians to a wider audience. By doing this, she hopes to rekindle (再次点燃) the interest of the younger generation. “Young people don’t like this music much; they prefer pop music and love songs. They think these songs are something their grandma sings. This kind of repackaging gives young people a new door into their heritage.”

Zhu believes China needs to look again at its own roots. “China today is basically all Western art; in our conservatories (音乐学院) Western classical music is the top,” she says. “For China to really contribute to the world, we need to go on our own path. So what can represent China today?” The answer, she suggests, is to move from “made in China” to “created in China”.

No one knows exactly when jazz was invented, or by whom. 【小题1】 Jazz was a new kind of music, for America and the world, and New Orleans was its birthplace.

Who were the jazz pioneers? Most were blacks. This music was not written down, and at first only blacks played it. It was hard for white musicians to learn the new style. But soon they, too.

The popularity (流行) of this music spread (传播). From New Orleans, it traveled up the Mississippi to Chicago, then to Kansas City and New York. By the 1920s, there were many jazz musicians, both black and white. Many of them were famous. 【小题2】 His name was Louis Armstrong.

Louis Armstrong was a born (天生的) musician. He was not only talented (有才能的) but also hard-working. 【小题3】 These personal qualities were valuable (有价值的) in his rise (上升) to fame (名声). After he became famous, he traveled around the world. It seemed that everyone wanted to hear Louis play. But life was not always easy, especially at the beginning.

Louis Armstrong was born in 1900 in New Orleans. His father never went to school and his mother could hardly read. When Louis was still a kid, his parents separated (分居), and Louis lived with his mother. 【小题4】 But Louis smiled through everything. He later wrote, “My whole life has been filled with happiness. Life was there for me and I accepted it. 【小题5】 I love everybody.”

Music fans, this one is for you! We are teaming up with music master and producer Martin Garrix to give one lucky artist the chance to win a place at our music academy located in Amsterdam this coming August.

Hosted by JBL and STMPD RCRDS in cooperation with Martin Garrix, the Academy will gather 40 talented musicians, songwriters and producers from across the globe to learn from the best of the best music industry experts, promoting their careers to the next level and one could be you!

The Academy will be hosted in the famous STMPD Studios in Amsterdam, which has also been host to well-known artists including Martin Garrix himself, Pharrell Williams, Lady Gaga and Snoop Dogg.

The Academy is open to all kinds of musicians regardless of experience. Emerging artists, producers, singers and songwriters can apply by submitting a motivational video and a maximum of three songs, which they feel represent them.

Registrations are now open and will run until June 27, 2023, with successful applicants announced in July, 2023. The Academy will take place from August 28 to August 31, 2023, in Amsterdam with Remix following the lucky winner’s journey from start to finish.

If you’re a budding music artist with dreams of making it big on the world stage and meet the requirements listed below, then click here to enter:

Age: 18+.

Any kind of music artist. Any kind of music genre.

Level: You are at the beginning of your journey in the music industry-you have a demo to share with us, but you are not signed to a major label.

You are able to travel to Amsterdam in August 2023.

You are fluent in English to participate in the Academy.