【推荐1】“I was having a math class when suddenly, a piece of music came into my mind. I quickly wrote it down and finished the song in 30 minutes as soon as I got home.”

Zhang Yuxuan, a 15-year-old vlogger on Bilibili, shared how she wrote the song SHE in her latest video. The song is at the top of the charts on Bilibili with over 10 million views. Zhang now has 1.28 million fans.   

Zhang told Xinhua News that the song was inspired by US actress Anne Hathaway’s role in the movie The Devil Wears Prada (时尚女魔头). “I wanted to send a message about girls’ power that girls can be strong and independent, but also cute,” she said.

Online supporters were quick to comment (评论). One fan said. “What huge gap (差距) there is between her and me! Thirty minutes is the time I spend finishing a meal.”

As a ninth-grader at Shenzhen Arts School, Zhang is studying violin. In 2019, she uploaded her first video on Bilibili. She quickly won many fans. In her videos, everything from bottles to pieces of candy can become musical instruments. A video titled “How to make music at school without instruments” has been watched over 1.9 million times. In the video, she makes musical loops (循环伴奏) with a pencil bag and desk.

“I often come up with funny ideas and then put them into my songs,” Zhang said. “It’s a great outlet (途径) for me to express myself, and in this way I won’t be too sad about negative things in life.”

Zhang told Xinhua that she wants to study at a top music school, such as the Berklee College of Music in the US, and become singer-songwriter in the future. “Everything in life can be written into songs. I will keep on singing,” she said.

【推荐2】In my school, music is not just for people who play an instrument. It is for everyone. We believe music is an important part of life and that everyone should have the right to enjoy it.

We have music lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Not everyone plays a musical instrument, but everyone wants to learn a little bit about music. It is never too late to pick up an instrument. During our lessons, we learn about musicians like Beethoven and Schumann. We not only listen to the music they wrote, but also learn about their personal history.

And it’s not just musicians who take part in our concerts. Everyone can take part! Teachers give their students some percussion (打击乐器) instruments that are easy to play. I have a few friends who don’t play music. But they played these percussion instruments well for our concert. I asked them what it felt like. One of my friends said, “I felt like I was a star performer. It made me feel confident to be on the stage (舞台).”

Each grade is able to perform in concerts. When I was in Grade 7, my classmates and I performed for our parents. We have many other musical activities. For example, last month, I took part in the Young Musician of the Year Competition in my school this year. I played the piano and won an award (奖项).

You probably think the music that your parents like is old and boring, and the songs on your playlist are much cooler.     1     So it is likely that your own musical preference will follow a similar way to your parents’.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge got data (数据) from more than 250,000 people over the past 10 years.     2     There are three musical periods (时期): “exciting”, “popular” and “sophisticated (高雅时髦的)”.

The first period comes in the teenage years.     3     But as people move into early adulthood, they hope to build close relationships with others. As a result, they become fonder of popular music, such as pop and R&B, which are usually danceable. When middle age comes, things have settled down (安定下来) for most people.     4     For example, they prefer jazz and classical music, as well as catchy music like country music and blues. Because they need relaxing and emotive (激起感情的) music under the strong pressure of life.

But you must be thinking: “Aren’t there old people who are still into rock music?” Of course there are. But a research member explained that their reasons for listening to rock music may be wanting to remind themselves of their youth at that time.