Shi Jing, also called the Book of Songs, is the oldest existing     1     (collect) of Chinese poetry. When Chinese musician Fang Jinlong read Shi Jing, he was interested in the stories in the poems. Because he couldn't     2     (full) understand the ancient Chinese language     3     (use) in the poems, he turned to experts to explore the poems.

Then he decided to portray the poems with musical language by inviting composer Ma Jiuyue     4     (create) an album. Titled Music and the Book of Songs, the album was released on Jan. 18, 2021,     5     (feature) 10 original songs composed by Ma. They     6     (perform) by Fang and won great popularity.

The 10 songs are based     7     10 poems from Shi Jing, including Qiong Yao, which conveys gratitude to people who are eager to help others, and Swallows, which sends farewell messages to friends.

“Young people gave warm feedback about traditional Chinese music     8     they had watched my performance. It has inspired me to create more works for them, which helps popularize traditional Chinese music,” says Fang.

“The 10 pieces sound     9     (enjoy) and easy. For the listeners, it's a fresh way to comprehend poems from Shi Jing,” says Ma. “We spent three years working on     10     project. There are so many meanings in the poems and we want to display them as deep as possible with music," Ma says. "It's our mutual goal to have traditional Chinese music reach a wider audience.”

3 . With growing evidence that dancing helps boost brain health and manage symptoms of neurocognitive and movement disorders, accessible dance programmes and movement therapists around the world are helping improve the lives of millions.     1    .

Dance as medicine

There’s actually a lot more happening inside the brain when trying to follow even the simplest choreography (舞蹈设计). “In dance, we have to learn patterns, think symmetrically (对称地) and asymmetrically, and remember sequences,” says David Leventhal, a programme director.     2     Tasks like navigating the kitchen or walking to the bus stop can become more attainable if they are regarded as choreography.

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In addition to the physical and neurological benefits, dance can also help people living with disease accept what their bodies can and can’t do. Rather than trying to control, or “fix” our body, dance is about developing greater body awareness and moving at our capacity, regardless of physical or cognitive difference.

Dance as community

    4     Dancing with others not only makes people feel less different in their abilities when dealing with neurological and movement disorders, it also helps to combat the loneliness and social isolation of living with a chronic illness. Still, researchers say they’re only scratching the surface of understanding how dance can be used therapeutically.     5     Additional studies are also needed to pinpoint the most effective types of dance movements and the optimal length and frequency of classes. It’s also unclear who would benefit most, in terms of age or disease progression.

5 . People love to sing! Whether you sing in the shower or with a chorus, raising your voice in song comes with some very surprising benefits. From improving your mood to making you healthier, there is scientific evidence that singing is good for your body and your mind.     1    

It helps relieve stress.

Singing can help relieve stress by reducing cortisol(皮质醇), a hormone that is known as the “stress hormone”.     2     Too much cortisol is very bad for your health. A study measured the amount of cortisol in the participants before and after singing. The researchers found that cortisol levels were lower after singing.

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People who sing use deep breathing and control the use of the muscles in their breathing systems. While singing cannot treat lung diseases, anything that helps to strengthen the throat muscles could help people breathe easier.

It helps you have a sound sleep.

If your sleep is interrupted by snoring(打鼾), try singing.     4     A 2008 UK study about the effect of singing on snoring compared singers with non-singers. The researchers found that far fewer singers snored, and they recommend singing as a potential treatment for snoring.

It may improve memory.

    5     A study found that besides remembering the lyrics(歌词), singing brought back other memories too. The researchers found that singing songs that were learned in childhood actually caused a return of very specific memories and that gave the participants a feeling of hope and positivity.

6 . What’s On?

Electric Underground

7.30pm－1.00am   Free at the Cyclops Theatre

Do you know who’s playing in your area? We’re bringing you an evening of live rock and pop music from the best local bands. Are you interested in becoming a musician and getting a recording contract? If so, come early to the talk at 7.30 pm by Jules Skye, a successful record producer. He’s going to talk about how you can find the right person to produce your music.

Gee Whizz

8.30pm-10.30pm   Comedy (喜剧)at Kaleidoscope

Come and see Gee Whizz perform. He’s the funniest stand-up comedian on the comedy scene. This joyful show will please everyone, from the youngest to the oldest. Gee Whizz really knows how to make you laugh! Our bar is open from 7.00pm for drinks and snacks(快餐).

Simon’s Workshop

5.00pm-7.30pm   Wednesdays at Victoria Stage

This is a good chance for anyone who wants to learn how to do comedy. The workshop looks at every kind of comedy, and practices many different ways of making people laugh. Simon is a comedian and actor who has 10 years’ experience of teaching comedy. His workshops are exciting and fun. An evening with Simon will give you the confidence to be funny.

Charlotte Stone

8.00pm-11.00pm     Pizza World

Fine food with beautiful jazz music; this is a great evening out. Charlotte Stone will perform songs from her new best-selling CD, with James Pickering on the piano. The menu is Italian, with excellent meat and fresh fish, pizzas and pasta(面食). Book early to get a table. Our bar is open all day, and serves cocktails, coffee, beer, and white wine.

8 . No one knows exactly when jazz was invented, or by whom.     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.     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.     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.     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.     5     I love everybody.”

9 . Today, at 28, the young German Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter is at the top. “She gives radiance (光芒) to the music,” wrote Geoffrey Norris in The Daily Telegraph, London.

Born in Rheinfelden on June 29, 1963, Anne-Sophie grew up in Wehr, a small town just five kilometers from the Swiss border. Her father, Karl Wilhelm Mutter, and her mother, Gerlinde, considered music lessons part of a good education. It came as no surprise when Anne-Sophie said she wanted a violin for her fifth birthday.

Her parents thought she was too young for the violin, and persuaded her to start on the piano. But Anne-Sophie has always had a mind of her own. “I longed to play the violin,” she says, “It seemed to me a much more interesting instrument.” After six months, her parents gave in.

The famous violin teacher Erna Honigberfer, who lived nearby, became Annie-Sophie’s teacher.   After only nine months of lessons, she entered the six-year-old in a nationwide competition for young musicians. With Christoph accompanying her on the piano, Anne-Sophie won first prize.

In 1974, Erna Honigberger died. Anne-Sophie’s new teacher was Aida Stucki. She taught Anne-Sophie to develop her own ideas on how a piece should be played, not just to imitate (模仿) others. This is one of the violinist’s strongest, most distinctive characteristics today.

Though the Mutters were short of money at times, they limited their daughter’s performances to one or two a year. “We are glad we went the family road,” says her father. “No outsider can ever have an effect on our daughter’s career or push her into playing more concerts than she wants to.” Later she was allowed to give six to eight concerts a year and make some recordings.