School Bands
Some 500 schools in Hong Kong each have their own band or orchestra. This getting together to make music is generally an extra-curricular activity and the thousands of youngsters involved give up much of their spare time to practise and to play in concerts. Most of the instruments are bought through fund raising efforts by groups of students and parents, but some of the orchestras and bands have been financed by the schools themselves. In all government schools, percussion instru- ments and recorders feature in the music training which is part of the normal cur- riculum, and the Education Department is at present looking for ways to increase the amount of instrumental music in schoch, For all young musicians, the highlight of the year is the annual schools' musi festival-which was started nearly 30 year ago. Brass and wind bands were the first instrumental ensemble classes to be in troduced into the festival, and every year some 800 youngsters in bands from sec- ondary schools compete for the Police Band Trophy. The festival is run by the Hong Kong Schools Music and Speech Association, which helps and encourages young musicians throughout the year and offers low-cost tuition in a variety of instruments.
A tuba player (previous page) in th Wellington College band. At the Kiang Chekiang College (above), the drum m gives a smart salute before leading the dru mers into action; and the fife section of the Pui Ying Middle School band.