Winter Course 2017

AY Academy Virtuoso Course has been the highlight in my daughter's high school life. This course organised and led by Miss Yuan has a focused purpose, clear positioning, rich resources and professional execution. In the two weeks, the students experienced the lives of professional musicians and music students in the most exclusive performing arts institutions and organisations. The masterclasses with Professors of Royal Academy of Music helped the students to see the level of technical perfection and the depth of musical execution they could one day achieve. In terms of the students' living in London and cultural exchange, Miss Yuan made thoughtful arrangements such as the excellent location and service of the hotel, clean and healthy meals, Chinese and western cuisine combination. Students stepped into the world famous London museums and galleries in London, visited Oxford and Cambridge. They took part in classes and activities at St. Paul's Girls' School and gave music and Chinese cultural performances. Miss Yuan arranged for the students to visit AY Academy's local students' homes which adds another dimension to the Course. Both my daughter and I think that the Course delivered more than what we expected and very much worth recommending! We are grateful for Miss Yuan‘s whole hearted effort and believes that the Course has a very bright future. If any parent had questions regarding the Course or wanted to know more details, please don't hesitate to contact me.

    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​ ——Ms Hua (Mother of student Veronica)

AY Academy Virtuoso Course has had profound impact on my child. The Course not only broadened her horizon and vision, it also helped her to have the determination to focus.

The Course helped her to have an understanding of British private and performing arts education so she can compare it with the education she's been receiving in China. The passion and respect British people have for music inspired her and meeting a real-life princess for the first time, elegant and down to earth, gave her another perspective of life.

Masterclasses with Royal Academy of Music Professors, world-class classical concerts, London Symphony Orchestra rehearsal, Royal College and Academy of Music, my child is filled with admiration for the focus and high standards presented by these professional musicians and institutions. Upon returning home, she told us how much she wants to practise and progress on the piano. The most important impact of this Course was to help her discover the charm and beauty of music and art.

I am very grateful to Miss Yuan for her thoughtful arrangements of the Course and the whole family are thankful that our child had the opportunity to have life-long benefits from the Course.

    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​ ——Mrs. Yan (Mother of student Yuan)

 AY Academy Virtuoso Course had well-knit and efficient schedule and timetables which were very suitable for Chinese young musicians, this is because of two reasons: One is that the Course focused on broadening students' vision and raising students' overall artistic attainment. Chinese young musicians and artists tend to focus more on techniques and lack on both the knowledge related to their art and the accumulation of artistic mastery. Virtuoso Course had a clear focus on solving this problem by taking the students to museums and galleries, Oxford and Cambridge and concerts and rehearsals by world-famous orchestras. These experiences helped the students to observe true culture outside of the masterclasses, it's a true trip of art. Two is that the Course gave its students the exclusive opportunities to take part in lessons, activities and rehearsals at top British private schools to communicate with school students and understand British private school life; to visit AY Academy's local students' homes to experience British family life. In the process, the differences between Western and Eastern education and culture were highlighted, Course students were motivated to open themselves up and learn to exchange and cooperate.

Huge thanks to Miss Yuan for her excellent arrangements and organisation, I hope Virtuoso Course will have lasting success!

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    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ​    ——Mrs. Liu (Mother of student Dian)

AY Academy Virtuoso Course has been the most beneficial activity my 10-year-old son Henry has taken part in. Firstly, the masterclasses had a great impact on him. He started practising his piano as soon as he got home, not only he has made obvious progress, his passion for playing music has been hugely inspired.;Secondly, there was a wide range of cultural experiences and exchanges during the Course. Visits to Oxford and Cambridge, Dulwich College and St. Paul's Girls' School and AY Academy's local students' homes, Henry was astounded by the grandeur of Bodleian Library, intrigued by the learning methods of British private schools and shown the possible paths of his future studies. Thirdly, living by Hyde Park, lingering in museums, galleries and churches, Henry had a taste of how to live artistically and realised that learning can make him happier. Lastly, Henry showcased Chinese traditional culture in the exchange activities and felt the joy of bringing Eastern and Western cultures together. His performance of Kung Fu was extremely popular with students at St. Paul's Girls' School and a common interest in I Ching pulled Henry and Princess Alreem into deep discussions. He realised that there is no good and bad between cultures, only differences. An unexpected bonus of the course was that the other students on the course were very good role models for Henry, it is very important for a ten-year-old to have good examples to look up to.

Thank you very much Miss Yuan for your thoughtfulness and diligence, accompanying the students throughout the course and organised a course of such quality and finesse. I sincerely hope that AY Academy Virtuoso Course will be a lasting success so that my younger child can take part and benefit from it in the future.

                                                                                             ——Mrs. Shen (Mother of student Henry)

The benefit of having Xuanyu take part in AY Academy Virtuoso Course has been much greater than we expected.

Our purpose of sending our child on the course was very simple - to gain different perspectives on music. In reality, my child harvested so much more. Not only in music, in fact, not only in art, the Course has helped my child to improve in many aspects of life such as getting along with other people, learning British traditions and customs and broadening his horizon and vision. When Xuanyu came out of the arrivals exit, I saw the newly-gained confidence in his smile. Fourteen days in a foreign country, travelling without parents for the first time, for Xuanyu, who is only nine, the Course has no doubt been an invaluable opportunity for him to transform and grow.

I have also learnt a lot as parent, most of it came from the communication I had with Miss Yuan post-Course. Miss Yuan shared with me all the details of Xuanyu's daily studies and activities, discussed with me all aspects of Xuanyu's behaviours especially things I should pay special attention to. These discussions helped me to have clear objectives in my future parenting strategies and enabled me to look at Xuanyu's education and upbringing from another perspective. This has been an unexpected bonus.

Heartfelt thanks to Miss Yuan. Thank you for taking the students into your private circle in London which made the Course feel more private and exclusive. Thank you.

                                                                                              ——Mr. Chang (Father of student Xuanyu)