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EDUCATION
The 28th Hong Kong Schools Music Festival attracted 32,455 competitors. There were 264 classes at 11 different centres. Five concerts by prize winners were given before capacity audiences at the City Hall.
In July the Hong Kong Children's Choir made a European tour which included performances at the 12th Conference of the International Society for Music Education at Montreux in Switzerland. The choir also sang in Strasbourg, Paris and London, and on the way home gave performances in Bangkok and Manila. The choir com- prises 46 girls and nine boys, and there are also 500 other youngsters under training.
During the year the Hong Kong Youth Orchestra presented two concerts, one of them including a choral work—‘Travelling in the Mountains'--by the local com- poser Lin Sheng-shih. The newly-formed Youth Choir and soloists joined the orchestra in the performance, which was conducted by the composer.
Another new group, the Hong Kong Amateur Orchestra, was formed to provide local amateur musicians with the opportunity to rehearse and perform orchestral music. The orchestra is jointly sponsored by the Education Department's adult education section and music section.
The annual practical examinations of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music had 6,758 candidates, and 2,595 candidates sat for the theory examinations. There were 61 candidates for the examinations of the Trinity College of Music and 1,069 ballet students took part in the Royal Academy of Dancing examinations.
Arts and Crafts
The Education Department's Cultural Crafts Centre provides opportunities for teachers from both primary and secondary schools to improve their teaching skills in the subjects of art and design, craft, and home economics. During the year the centre organised short in-service courses which were attended by about 1,000 teachers.
A major development was the completion of improved practical facilities in the centre and these will become fully operational during the 1976-7 school year. As a result, a greater variety of courses will become available to teachers who wish to be brought up-to-date with modern teaching methods.
As in previous years, art work produced by Hong Kong schoolchildren won international acclaim, and in local competitions and exhibitions a high standard of work was maintained. Invitations to exhibit work were received from Finland and Japan and the contribution to the 17th World Children's Art Exhibition in Korea was particularly successful.
Physical Education and Recreation
The physical education section of the Education Department carries out teacher inspection work and organises youth recreation programmes and a great variety of teachers' courses with special emphasis on modern physical education. During the year the section worked in close co-operation with the Hong Kong Schools Sports Association, the New Territories Schools Sports Association and the Hong Kong