Bringing Yushan’s sound to the world
In 2013, accompanied by ROC First Lady Chow Mei-ching, the choir flew off to California, taking the Yushan sound with them across the Pacific. It was Taiwan’s heartwarming gift to America for its July 4 celebrations.
When the Vox Nativa Music School was established in 2008, no one, from children to parents, believed that one day it would lead to these tribal children performing abroad—no one, that is, except for principal Peter Ma.
“Because of music, our children can go anywhere in the world,” Ma says. He leads them overseas today so that in the future they can go abroad on their own.
On the day it was announced that the children would be performing in America, the news brought many parents to tears—because no one in their communities had ever gone to America before. The children were letting everyone see the possibilities of change.
Seeing Taiwan, hearing Taiwan
Back in Nantou County’s Xinyi Township, the Vox Nativa Music School comes into session as some dozen students from nearby communities gather in the Luona Elementary School. They must immediately break into song together, right? Wrong. They come here every weekend to study math, English, and reading. Only afterwards do they start singing.
“The biggest handicap that Aboriginal children bear is a lack of confidence,” Ma says. The first time he brought the children to a competition, when they heard the beautiful singing of children attending school in the lowlands, they were scared off from performing. The children said, “They sing differently from us. They sing the right way. We sing the wrong way.”
Ma told the children not to be afraid and just to sing as they had in their regular practices. When their simple unpretentious style won them first prize in their group, they slowly started to develop some confidence.
In 2009, Vox Nativa’s album Sing It! won the special jury prize at the 20th Golden Melody Awards. But in terms of what left the biggest impression on people, nothing can surpass the end of the documentary Beyond Beauty: Taiwan from Above, when those children from Yushan perform “Kipahpah Ima” (“Let’s Clap Together”). It has since become Vox Nativa’s signature song.
Finding themselves in choral singing
Choral singing helps Aboriginal children to gain a sense of confidence and accomplishment and then to go a step farther and cultivate a sense of mission and proper values. “My dream isn’t merely to go abroad to perform,” says Ma. “It’s also that the children will grow up to throw themselves into reforming and elevating their communities.”
Ma dares to dream, dares to serve as an example and to encourage the children and the other teachers. Many retired teachers from the city volunteer to make the long trip up to this village in the mountains every week because they find it gives their lives greater meaning.
But in return for all their hard work, the principal and teachers get the students’ passion and commitment, day after day, night after night. Some of the children live farther away than others. When you combine the time they spend walking and on the shuttle bus, it may take them several hours to get to practice. Sometimes, when roads are damaged after typhoons, the children nonetheless still make it up the mountain for class. “Don’t say that Aboriginal children are natural singers, because that discounts all the discipline and hard work that goes into practicing,” says Ma.
Voices are natural gifts, instruments of nature. Choral singing is a great way to foster a sense of connection among people, to provide them with a means to move each other’s spirits. The clear resonant collective voices of children’s choirs have an angelic charm that is poignant, hopeful and full of the courage to keep pressing ahead.